On the advice of a friend, we completed our first “tramp” (hike) this weekend. We completed the “Bell Rock Loop Track”, within the Boundary Stream “Mainland Island”.

This particular track took about two hours to complete, and was visually breathtaking. I felt a bit like a character from Lord of the Rings, running across the spine of a mountain. (No, it wasn’t this mountain)

See my attempts at panoramic photos here and here. (You’ll have to scroll sideways.)

Hiking in New Zealand is easy and educational

The start of the walk was well sign-posted, and highly-visible painted wooden “beacons” marked the trail. Poison warnings were prominent, alerting hikers not to take dogs on the track.

We even stumbled across a few educational “Weta Apartments” – little wooden boxes containing weta, plus a few paragraphs describing them.

Hiking in New Zealand is encouraged and promoted

The Department of Conservation does a fantastic job of promoting and making accessible all these great natural resources. They have a section on their website dedicated to recreational enjoyment of New Zealand’s beautiful wilderness.

It’s also really easy to find spots to perform various activities, such as dog-walking, fishing, or activities with children.