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We’ve all been taught that effort equals reward, so how good can a 15-minute walk really be? It is quite incredible. In the last 900 seconds, I went through canyons, climbed ladders wedged between giant rock walls, and emerged in the Jurassic heart of Great Barrier Island.
There is no shortage of spectacular short hikes in New Zealand, but one of the best has kept a very low profile. And it is amazing when it is within the limits of our largest city.
You may have heard of Hawaii’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’, the hike with spectacular bird’s-eye views over Oahu. The massive staircase was originally installed in a top-secret naval communication tower, but has since been closed after it was deemed too risky for public use.
Brook Sabin / Stuff
The Windy Canyon hike is one of the best short hikes in New Zealand.
Half a world away on Great Barrier Island, I came across a miniature version, and this one has no security concerns.
READ MORE:
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* Great Barrier Island: New Zealand’s unspoiled paradise
Brook Sabin / Stuff
The Windy Canyon Walk is located in the mountainous interior of the island.
Great Barrier Island is one of those places that many of us had on our bucket list, but with the lure of international travel, we never made it. With the Covid-19 overseas holidays, ‘The Barrier’ is one of the few islands we can travel to.
Flights are cheap, starting at $ 59 each way, and the island’s best attractions are free: walks through primitive bush and magnificent beaches.
Brook Sabin / Stuff
It takes only 15 minutes to get to the top.
The island is 60% Department of Conservation (DOC) land, which means the choice of tours is overwhelming. The most sought-after is the Aotea Track, a two- to three-day hike through the mountainous interior of the island, along boardwalks, steep trails, stairs, and bridges.
The most popular walk is the gentle 45-minute walk to Kaitoke Hot Springs, where you’ll find a series of free geothermal pools hidden in native bush. But the most spectacular, in my opinion, was a visit to Windy Canyon.
Most of the hard work on this hike is done by your car, which heads inside where the start of the track begins.
Brook Sabin / Stuff
The Windy Canyon is the New Zealand version of ‘Stairway to Heaven’.
The first few minutes pass through thick native shrubbery before reaching a series of jagged rock faces, where a steep stairway disappears into a corner. The spectacular track continues past a canyon, along the side of another towering rock face, before the stairs ascend once more through a small gap in the rocks.
When you get to the top there is no room for the view to take your breath away as the stairs took care of that.
When he regains his composure, he is left with 360-degree views of the vast interior of the island, much of which was inaccessible to Kauri’s early loggers. The result is a landscape that feels so remote that you should have walked days to find it, but you can get there in just 15 minutes. That’s my idea of heaven.
Brook Sabin / Stuff
If you can climb 150 steps, you will be fit enough to hike through Windy Canyon.
More information:
Get there: You have two options to fly: Fly My Sky or Barrier Air. Watch: flymysky.co.nz and barrierair.kiwi. The ferry, with Sealink, takes 4.5 hours and starts at $ 75. Watch: sealink.co.nz
Playing there: DOC has a great list of free hikes. Watch: doc.govt.nz/great-barrier-island
Move: Aotea Car Rentals offers exceptional service starting at $ 60 a day.Watch: aoteacarrentals.co.nz. Motu Bikes has electric scooters from $ 20 an hour Watch: motubikes.co.nz
The author’s trip was supported by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED). This story was produced as part of an editorial partnership with ATEED Read more about the content of our association here.
