Pet Life Magazine, New Zealand Pet Life Magazine Issue 5 Summer 2017 | Page 6

SUMMER WALKS
Nothing beats a long walk in summer with your dog by your
side. Here are Morgan Healey's three top walks in the North
Island, where you can do just that. She loves adventuring, so it
was hard to narrow down three choices, but these walks cater
to a range of abilities, time restraints and walking preferences.
RAIL
RIMUTAKA
TRAIL
This 18-kilometre track is nestled in the Rimutakas and
stretches from Upper Hutt to Cross Creek in the Wairarapa.
This is a family friendly walk as it is flat for majority of the way
until you hit closer to the end of the trail. The path itself is
wide, giving lots of room for walkers, dogs and bikes to happily
co-exist, as well as being suitable for more durable prams.
Due to this being 18km one way, it’s up to you to decide how
far and for how long you want to walk. I often do my daily hour
walk there, and in weekends spend more time going on for
longer. The walk itself offers some beautiful views, which
range from farmlands to hills. You can even stop off for a dip in
the river – there are multiple access points along the track.
This is a great off leash walk and although it is popular it is
never crowded, allowing you to get the feeling of being
disconnected from a material world.
aka Rail Trail by
Photos of Rimut
fFinn_NZ on
TheAdventureso
Instagram
AKE
KARANGAH
GORGE
This historic site is the perfect day out for the whole family and,
luckily enough, the pooches are welcome also! Just outside of
Waihi, this area offers a lot of different walking options, as well
as the opportunity to learn more about our gold-mining past.
The gorge features a 1-kilometre tunnel, and there’s a range
of equipment left over from when this area was an active gold
mine.
The main walk is bike and pram friendly, and there are
multiple tracks ranging from under an hour to eight hours.
The main walk runs along the Ohinemuri River, and there are
points where you can jump in to cool off. I personally have
explored this area twice, both times for upwards of four hours,
and always found new things to see and discover. It is the
perfect place to get truly lost and immerse yourself in history.
There are also lots of photo opportunities, but mind that dogs
do have to remain on leash.