There are many things to be thankful for living in a country like New Zealand and probably at the top of most people's list is easy access to our coastlines, forests and mountains
For many people, every weekend we can get into the great outdoors and a growing number of people are doing just that for mental and physical health. The popularity of this shows no signs of slowing down and in recent years it's been evident that we've seen the growth of recreational pastimes like hunting almost exactly mirror the decline in participation of some of the traditional weekend team sports. Times are changing.
In our remote country, access to those wild places has been made easier for many by an extensive hut, track and bridge network whose scale and diversity astounds many visitors to New Zealand, and is sometimes taken for granted by many residents who call New Zealand home.
The huts provide welcome shelter when the weather is foul, the bridges have greatly reduced the number of unnecessary drownings in swollen rivers and the tracks have been familiar pathways
