'Walk Week’ to publicise N.Z.’s 42 walkways

Press, 27 November 1980, Page 16

'Walk Week’ to publicise N.Z.’s 42 walkways

“Get out and walk” is the message the New Zealand Walkway Commission is trying to get across to the public during “national walk week.”

The aim of the week, from Saturday until December 7, is to encourage walking as a healthy recreation. I.t also aims to bring the existence of New Zealand’s 42 walkways to the public's attention.

The chairman of the Walkway Commission (Mr P. H. C. Lucas) expects the week to be popular. Support has been received from local authorities, and children from schools throughout New Zealand are taking part in a poster competition. School children are also being encouraged to “adopt” a walkway. Twelve new walkways will be -opened during ■ the week, including three, in Canterbury — one near Centennial Park, one from Kaiapoi to Pegasus Bay, and one near Waimate. An extensive pro-

gramme of walks in Christchurch', and in other parts of Canterbury have

been planned for walk week. There will also be static displays throughout Christchurch, and displays of work entered for the poster competition, the winners of which will be announced on December 4. Dr D. R. Hay, the medical director of the National Heart Foundation, has lent his support to walk week. He said walking had both physical and psychological benefits. Best results came from walking briskly for at least half an hour three or more times a week. Walking • produced fewer tendon and other problems

than vigorous exercise. Walking was the mainstay of a successful rehabilitation programme for cardiac patients, he said. Mr Lucas said the commission had been set up in 1976 with the aim of forming walking tracks so that people could have safe access to the countryside. The first priority was to establish family-type walks near every bigger population centre, but the long-term aim was to have a network of tracks that would join up. to form a 1770 km walking route from North Cape to Bluff. It would take more than 50 years for this to happen, said Mr Lucas; 400 km of walkways had been opened so far, at a cost of $500,000. The commission has set up a system of classification providing for three types of walkways. (1) A walk is a pat table , for the average family? (2) A track is suitable

for people of good average physical fitness. (3) A route is a lightly

marked path for well- ' equipped and experienced t tampers.

- Most of the walkways set up so far were in the “walk” category because i they were near urban centres, said Mr Lucas. Another aim of the walkway programme was ■’ to help bridge the gap be- 7 tween farmers and “tow- Jnies,” he said. 4 An initial reluctance on the part of landowners to have walkways on thenproperty was being over- J come. The rights of prop- t ertv owners were fully ? protected, and there were? stiff penalties if users ; broke the conditions of use. ■, J ;.?

Owners had the right to close the walkway during i special times such as i lambing or periods of high fire risk.

People wanting more information about walk week should get in touch with the Department of t Lands and Survey. ■