March 2023 Newsletter - Waiheke Walking Festival

by Vicki Angland | March 28, 2023

This year’s Waiheke Walking Festival dates will be

26th October – 5th November 2023

A fabulous 11 days of walking on Waiheke Island

Our Festival team has started planning the programme for the 2023 Waiheke Walking Festival – so please put these dates in your diary! For you this month …

Information for the upcoming Friends release
Can you help us curate a fabulous walk?
Some feedback from 2022
Thinking of becoming a walking festival volunteer?
Don’t miss out – Ecofest has some awesome events on Waiheke until 16th April

This pic by super volunteer Nydia Bean taken Day 1 of the Te Ara Hura 5-day walk in 2022. Our recipe of happy walkers on a stunning Island 🙂

Why not become a Friend of the Festival? We will be opening our Friend of the Festival memberships on April 3rd at 10am. Becoming a Friend helps us financially support the Festival in our efforts to make it a sustainable event. As a thank you, you will enjoy early booking opportunities to give you a great chance of getting on your favourite walk picks, and some extra walk spots for your friends. Membership limited to just 100 people and costs $100.

For more information CLICK HERE

Have you got an amazing walk idea you’d like to share with us, or guide?

Now is the time for anyone who has a great walk idea, and wants to guide it, or help guide it, to help us build the programme for 2023. We’re particularly keen on anything educational and fun, or with some private land access you may know of. Please let us know by replying to this email.

Here we share some feedback from the 2022 survey

“It’s just AMAZING what you guys are achieving for all the walkers and Waiheke. The walks are the best, especially the ones over private land”.

“Every volunteer we met were just so friendly, passionate about the festival and made our walks super enjoyable”.

“Love the variety available especially whānau walks”.

Thanks to those who completed the survey. So much was positive, but we do take onboard your suggestions on improvements and every year we try to make the festival better than the last.

In 2023 we aim to create another amazing Festival for you, dreaming up some entirely new ideas, alongside our classics and favourites. We want and encourage our community to get outside, enjoy and connect to nature and learn something new, by simply walking. All this while we strive to be ‘the world’s friendliest walking festival’.

This pic taken by volunteer Joy Martin – Joy came from the UK to help us out for fun! She was an immeasurable help – we hope you come back Joy!

Have you thought of becoming a Volunteer for the festival?

If you love walking and love people, you could join our wonderful group of volunteers. Admin and ‘sitting’ roles also available during the Festival, but mostly we need capable, friendly walkers. Please have a read through the info on our website, CLICK HERE or contact Vicki by replying to this message.

This pic taken by volunteer and Waiheke Walking Trustee Linda Simpson of Maria Pattenden – the last one shuts the gate!

Here’s something we think you might like …

Ecofest is a month-long celebration of our unique environment and sustainable living across Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Featuring interactive workshops, experiences and activities for all ages that celebrate and restore our natural environment and offer practical ways to live more sustainably. There are many events happening here on Waiheke over the next few weeks, check them out HERE.

More than just a Festival in November! Did you know the Waiheke Walking Trust also has its very own walking website and app?

The Patrons of the Waiheke Walking Trust have funded a website for everyone to enjoy for free, and use to find fun and adventurous, or easy and close to home, walks on Waiheke all year round. It now has 25 walks, and includes detailed directions, maps and photos for all. Take a look at www.walkwaiheke.co.nz

Also, we have created and are continuing to add to our wonderful new app. You can find it on android and apple app stores. Just four walks are there now, but stand by for more. Try the amazing Around Rangihoua storytelling walk, with audio stories to listen to along this 5k trail. And it has the blue ‘you are here’ dot so you don’t get lost!

If you do any of these walks and have feedback, please let Vicki know. We aim to keep the walks current and accurate 🙂

To email us CLICK HERE

Happy walking everyone,
Your Festival Team
Vicki, Kate, Tess, Linda, Mandy, Judy, Sarah, Olly and David

A BIG thank you to our 2022 sponsors – Presenting Partner

Ray White Waiheke, and our Principal Funders – Patrons of the Waiheke Walking Trust and the Waiheke Local Board, and to our Major Sponsors Make Tracks and Postage Stamp Wines, and our supporting sponsors Fullers360, GoMedia and NSPR.