Where to Walk

To actually get to the start of the track you have to walk along the road for a few minutes, crossing the bridge and starting the walk on the other side of the road from the carpark. In fact, one of our friends took their mountain bike as they had to be out early the next morning to meet some other friends to go mountain biking in Taupō so the four of us all took turns on the bike which was actually quite fun even if on a few parts I had to do that weird cycling-feet-walking-on-the-ground manoeuvre on a few parts of the trail. Amy’s Advice – have a dip in the river if it’s a nice day, and then on your return to Taupō stop by the natural hot springs on Spa Road. ’ll find reviews of walks around New Zealand that I do, where I’ll review everything from a one hour walk to a multi-day walk with helpful information –

Free Looking at the photos on the information boards of what Franz Josef Glacier looked like 50 years ago, 20 years ago and today is a sad yet surreal moment. To see how much of the glacier has retreated/melted during that time and to know that within another 20 years (if that ) it will likely no longer exist made me incredibly glad I was able to see it now but also sad for those who would only see it through photos and videos in the future. While we weren’t able to walk along the riverbed to glacier lookout as was the original plan (the route was blocked off unfortunately) we were still able to get an amazing clear view of the glacier and do some of the smaller walks. On a still winter’s day we had the most amazing reflection from Peter’s Pool of the glacier and surrounding mountains.

Reviewing walks from around New Zealand with stories, photos, videos, and helpful information you need to get walking and exploring! While the relatively flat walk is up on cliffs (you aren’t down it shore level), it would be amazing to have the opportunity to view these rocks from the water too. The next time I’m back here I really want to come at the end of the day as this would be an incredible spot to sit and watch a sunset from and to see the changing colours on the rocks during a stunning West Coast sunset. ’ll find reviews of walks around New Zealand that I do, where I’ll review everything from a one hour walk to a multi-day walk with helpful information –

Where: Helicopter Hill, Craigieburn Forest Park, Canterbury Distance & Time: Two hour return loop Take: Water, camera, snacks, windproof clothing, sturdy shoes Amenities on route: Carpark, bathrooms and campsite at the start of the walk Cost of the walk: Free Craigieburn Forest Park is on route to the West Coat via Arthur’s Pass from Christchurch. While we were doing this walk in the first month of winter, I had to admit I wasn’t expecting snow to be on the side of the road on our way to Helicopter Hill! While I hadn’t been prepared to walk through snow I was not going to complain – snow is awesome! When we started to make our way back down to the turnoff rather than going back down the way we came up, Paul + I took a different track down to bring us out a bit further on from the carpark, but the others promised they would drive the five minutes up the road to pick us up (they did!)