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  • Great Walks

    A TRAIL FROM TRAGEDY

    May 15, 2020 6 minutes
    WORDS AND PHOTOS_ HUW KINGSTON

    THE 15-year life of Great Walks magazine had not, until early this year, seen the launch of a New Zealand Great Walk. That all changed with the opening of the Paparoa Track, the first new Great Walk in 20 years, the first to be purpose built from scratch and the tenth in total. Like an iPhone launch there were many queueing for the experience. Unlike an iPhone launch it was hardly a smooth opening. The South Island’s notorious weather made certain of that. A landslide delayed the planned grand opening on 1 December and West Coast rainstorms pushed the date back ever further. Finally, on 1 March, the Paparoa Track stuttered into reality.

    With a booking for that first week, I regularly scanned the DOC social media pages, nervous the opening could be further delayed. Given our Kiwi neighbours are a decent lot, I was intrigued to come across one post advertising a course in Kiwi Aversion Therapy.

    The Paparoa weaves through the ranges, staring down onto the

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