Wild Walks: Sixty Short South Island Walks

The South Island of New Zealand is blessed with wild places, many of them right under our noses. Only a short way from many of the more conventional tourist centers you can visit rainforests, estuaries, granite gorges, beaches, windswept coasts and coastal lagoons, tussock plains and hot springs. This book describes 60 short walks, each with a landscape feature or wildlife habitat that makes it unique. It is not a book for the dedicated tramper or hiker. It is for the tourist or holidaymaker with an hour or three to spare, who likes to put on his or her walking shoes and take a short stroll into the unspoiled magic of wilderness. Native wildlife abounds in these ancient and untouched sports; little blue penguins, shags, sealions, Hector's dolphins, kakas, keas, kiwis, kereru, albatrosses... the list goes on. Many are unique to the habitat in which you will see them. The walks described range from 15 minutes to about 4 hours (return) and are suitable for people of all ages. Location maps and concise directions make them easy to find and follow. Keep Wild Walks in the glovebox of your car; your passport to the South Island's special wild places.Mark Pickering is the author of 'Wild Walks: Sixty Short South Island Walks', published 2001 under ISBN 9780908704262 and ISBN 0908704267.