The Banks Track is a 31-kilometre privately owned walking track on

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula () is a rocky peninsula on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand that was formed by two now-extinct volcanoes. It has an area of approximately . It includes two large deep-water harbours — Lyttelton Harbour a ...

in the

Canterbury Region Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current form was estab ...

of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The track opened in 1989 as the first privately owned track in New Zealand.

Tramping

The track is open from October through April. Accommodation huts along the track are unique and well-equipped.

The route

Both the Banks Track Three Day Classic Walk and Banks Track Two Day Hikers Option start and end in

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Ngāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu Māori language, Māori for "Long Harbour", which woul ...

, with a bus ride to the start of the walking track on a farm at

Ōnuku Ōnuku, also known as the Kaik, is a settlement and marae near Akaroa on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. It was the first of three places in the South Island at which the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Ngāi Tahu. The marae is home to the Ngā ...

. They reach a maximum altitude of at Trig GG, traversing a rugged coastline, forests, bush, pastures, and the Hinewai Reserve. The track sections are: * Onuku Farm (outside Akaroa) to Flea Bay Cottage (11 km) * Flea Bay Cottage to Stony Bay Cottage (8 km) * Stony Bay Cottage to Akaroa (12 km)

Flora and fauna

Among the fauna that may be observed are

yellow-eyed penguin The yellow-eyed penguin (''Megadyptes antipodes''), known also as hoiho, is a species of penguin endemic to New Zealand. It is the sole extant species in the genus ''Megadyptes''. Previously thought closely related to the little penguin (''Eud ...

little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...

spotted shag The spotted shag or pārekareka (''Phalacrocorax punctatus'') is a species of cormorant endemic to New Zealand. Though originally classified as ''Phalacrocorax punctatus'', it is sufficiently different in appearance from typical members of tha ...

sooty shearwater The sooty shearwater (''Ardenna grisea'') is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand, it is also known by its Māori language, Māori name , and is harvested by Māori people for muttonbirding, muttonbird, l ...

fur seal Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds belonging to the subfamily Arctocephalinae in the family Otariidae. They are much more closely related to sea lions than Earless seal, true seals, and share with them external ears (Pinna (anatomy ...

s, and Hector's dolphins. Flora observed include nikau palm,

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori language, Māori) and white pine, is a Pinophyta, coniferous tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. A Podocarpaceae, podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining hei ...

, and

tree fern Tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk (botany), trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae ( ...

Ecotourism

The establishment and ongoing stewardship of the track is an example of

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

. The track was established by ten landowners, mostly farmers, as a means of supplementing income in response to the fiscal pressures caused by drought and the removal of

farm subsidies An agricultural subsidy (also called an agricultural incentive) is a government incentive paid to agribusinesses, agricultural organizations and farms to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural products, and influence the c ...

in the 1980s. A

limited liability company A limited liability company (LLC) is the United States-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of ...

was formed to manage track operations. In return for use of the land, track maintenance, and providing accommodation, landowners are given an annual sum based on several factors, including the number of walkers, the amount of land traversed by the track and level of responsibility for track operations.

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, -43.852957, 172.964386, display=title, region:NZ-CAN_dim:5000, name=Banks Track - nominal location Banks Peninsula Hiking and tramping tracks in the Canterbury Region Tourist attractions in the Canterbury Region