And the dog came too... dog walks in New Zealand
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  • Notes for Users
  • Alarums and Excursions!!
  • South Island
    • North-West >
      • Atua Stream Walk
      • Barnicoat
      • Ben Nevis
      • Botanical Hill
      • Boulder Bank
      • Brooklyn
      • Collingwood Beach
      • Collingwood Cemetery
      • Cotterell Road
      • Dellside
      • Dicker Road
      • Dominion Flats
      • Eves Valley Road
      • Faulkner Bush
      • Grampians
      • Great Taste Trail - Richmond
      • Great Taste Trail - Kohatu
      • Great Taste Trail - Wakefield
      • Hacket Valley
      • Hoddy Estuary Reserve
      • Hoddy Road
      • Kawatiri Rail Tunnel walk
      • Kina Beach
      • Maitai Valley
      • Mapua Headland
      • Marahau Beach
      • Marahau Forest
      • Mead Stream
      • Milnthorpe Forest
      • Motueka Inlet
      • Motueka Spit
      • Pakawau Beach
      • Paton's Rock
      • Paynes Ford Tramline Track
      • Pearse Valley
      • Pohara Beach
      • Rameka Creek
      • Red Hills
      • Ridgeview Road Walkway
      • Robson Reserve
      • Rough Island
      • Sharlands
      • Split Apple Rock
      • Stagecoach Road
      • St Arnaud Loop Walk
      • Tahunanui Beach
      • Tantragee
      • Tasman View Road
      • Teetotal
      • Two Rivers
      • Waimea Fish-Out Ponds
      • Waimea River Trail
      • Wairoa River Left Branch
      • Waiwhero Forest
      • Waiwhero Ridge
    • North-East >
      • Archer's Track
      • Blairich Reserve
      • Cullen Creek
      • Cullen Point
      • Davies Bay Track
      • Esson's Valley Tracks
      • Goulter River
      • Grovetown Lagoon
      • Half Moon Track
      • Kotuku Trail
      • Lake Chalice
      • Link Trail East
      • Link Trail West
      • Lower Wairau
      • Mount Baldy and Mount Royal
      • Mount Barrett Walkway
      • Mount Fell
      • Mount Fishtail
      • Mount Richmond
      • Mount Riley
      • Mount Robertson
      • Mount Stokes
      • Mount Takorika
      • Ngakuta Bay
      • Nydia Track
      • Opouri Bridle Track
      • Patutu Walk
      • Pelorus Track
      • Piwakawa Track
      • Rarangi
      • Sawcut Gorge
      • Snout Tracks
      • Taylor's Valley
      • Tirohanga
      • Wairau River
      • Wakamarina Track
    • West >
      • Alborns Track
      • Big Rimu Tree walk
      • Cape Foulwind
      • Charming Creek
      • Chasm Creek
      • Coalbrookdale
      • Denniston Historic Walkway
      • Denniston Plateau
      • Duffy's Creek
      • Gentle Annie Point walk
      • Goldsborough Tracks
      • Haast-Paringa Cattle Track
      • Karamea Estuary
      • Kawatiri Beach Trail
      • Kawatiri River Trail
      • Klondyke Routes
      • Kumara Community walks
      • Lake Hanlon
      • Lankey's Creek
      • Lake Stream Route
      • Larry's Creek
      • Mikonui River
      • Millerton Bathhouse Track
      • Moeraki Valley Track
      • Mokihinui Stopbank
      • Mount Adams
      • Mount Glasgow
      • Mount Haast Route
      • Murchison Tree Walks
      • Murray Creek
      • Old Ghost Road
      • Porika Road
      • Powerhouse and Lookout Walks
      • Progress Water Race
      • Ross Goldfield Walks
      • Skyline Walk
      • Stafford Bay Loop
      • Wanganui River
      • Whataroa Walks
      • Whitcombe Loop Tracks
      • Whitcombe Valley Track
      • Zig-Zag Track
    • Central-North >
      • Balmoral Lookout
      • Bottle Lake
      • Cheviot Hills Reserve
      • Childrens Bay Farm
      • Craigieburn Forest
      • Culverden Domain
      • Diamond Harbour
      • Ellangowan Scenic Reserve
      • Garden of Tane
      • Godley Head
      • Governors Bay
      • Halswell Quarry
      • Hanmer Forest Walks
      • H W Hart Arboretum
      • Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia
      • Kaikoura Trail
      • Kawatea Walkway
      • Kowai Bush Reserve
      • Kowai River
      • Lyttleton Coastal Walk
      • Lytteleton Hills
      • McCleans Forest
      • McHughs Forest Park
      • Mears Bush
      • Mount Grey
      • Mount Oxford
      • Mount Richardson
      • Mount Thomas
      • Newton Falls
      • Ngaio Point
      • Panama Rock
      • Pegasus Bay
      • Rakahuri River
      • Sign of the Bellbird
      • Sign of the Kiwi
      • St James Conservation Park
      • Tutakakahikura Scenic Reserve​
      • Victoria Park
      • West Melton Forest
      • Woodills North
      • Woodills South
    • Central-South >
      • Ahuriri East Branch
      • Ahuriri Valley Tracks
      • Ashburton River
      • Benmore Peninsula
      • Centennial Park
      • Cowan's Hill
      • Dingle Burn
      • Double Hill
      • Freehold Creek
      • Greta and Dorcy Tracks
      • Gunns Bush
      • Hook Bush
      • Huxley and Hopkins Valleys
      • Kelceys Bush
      • Knottingly Park
      • Lake Emma walk
      • Lake Emily Tracks
      • Lake Hood
      • Lake Ohau Track
      • Lake Opuha Walk
      • Lake Tekapo Lakeside Walk
      • Lake Tekapo Regional Park
      • Lake Wainono
      • Lower Opihi River Track
      • Macaulay River walk
      • Methven walkway
      • Mount Barrosa
      • Mount Sunday & Mount Potts
      • Opihi River Walkway
      • Orari River Mountain Bike Tracks
      • Pareora River
      • Pioneer Park
      • Potts River Walks
      • Quailburn Track
      • Saltwater Creek
      • Snowy Gorge
      • Talbot Forest
      • Temple Valley Tracks
      • Waihao River
      • Waihi River Walk
      • Waimate Creek walks
      • Waitohi Bush
    • South-East >
      • Alexandra Anniversary Walk
      • Arawata Bridle Track
      • Arrow Gorge Loop
      • Arrowtown Millennium Walkway
      • Bannockburn Sluicings
      • Beacon Point Outlet Track
      • Bob's Cove and Twelve Mile Delta
      • Boundary Creek
      • Bull Creek
      • Bullendale Track
      • Butcher's Dam
      • Cairnmuir Hill
      • Central Otago Rail Trail
      • Chrystals Beach
      • Clutha Riverside Track
      • Commissioner's Track
      • Conroy's Dam
      • Cromwell-Pisa Walkway
      • Crystal Battery
      • Deans Bank Track
      • Diamond Creek Track
      • Dunedin Walks
      • Earnscleugh Tailings
      • Flagstaff Hill
      • Frankton Arm Walkway
      • Gabriel's Gully
      • Gladstone Track
      • Gibbston River Trail
      • Glendhu Bay Track
      • Glenorchy Boardwalk
      • Grovers Hill
      • Hawea River Track
      • Huriawa Pa Walk
      • Kanuka Loop
      • Kopuwai Conservation Area
      • Lake Alta Track
      • Lake Hayes Trail
      • Lakeside Walk
      • Leith Saddle
      • Long Beach
      • Mapoutahi
      • Mosgiel Floodbank
      • Mount Cargill
      • Mount Crichton Loop
      • Mount Iron Track
      • Munro's Gully
      • Naseby Forest
      • Nevis Valley Tracks
      • Newcastle Track
      • One MIle Creek
      • Oteake Conservation Park
      • St Bathans
      • Outram Glen
      • Quartz Reef
      • Queenstown Trail
      • Rock and Pillar Conservation Area
      • Sunshine Bay
      • Tiki Trail
      • Trotters Gorge
      • Upper Clutha Track
      • Wilson's Bay
    • South-West >
      • Blair Athol Walkway
      • Boyd Creek
      • Manapouri cycleway
      • McLean Falls
      • The Bluff
  • North Island
    • Wellington >
      • Ahumairangi Hill
      • Akatarawa Forest
      • Ara Harakeke
      • Barr Brown Bush
      • Belmont Regional Park
      • Bothamley/Cannons Creek Pathway
      • Burttons Track
      • Carters Bush
      • Castlepoint
      • Catchpool Valley
      • East Harbour Regional Park
      • Featherston-Greytown Trail
      • Holdsworth Tracks
      • Hutt River Trail
      • Kaitoke Regional Park
      • Kiriwhakapapa
      • Levin walks
      • Mount Victoria tracks
      • Otaki Forks
      • Otaki River Walk
      • Pakuratahi Forest
      • Queen Elizabeth Park
      • Remutaka Rail Trail
      • Rewanui Forest Park
      • Riversdale
      • Skyline Track
      • Taua Tapu Track
      • Tauherenikau Gorge and Mount Frith
      • Te Ara Piko
      • Te Kopahou Reserve
      • Waikenae River
      • Waiohine Gorge
      • Waipoua River Walk
      • Wairaka Walkway
      • Wairio Wetlands
      • Wainuiomata Regional Park
      • Wellington Botanic Gardens
      • Whitireia Park
    • Auckland & Waiheke
    • Coromandel & North Waikato
    • The North >
      • Taranaki & Central
    • Manawatu & Wairarapa
    • The East
  • Useful Links
  • Kapiti Coast Trail

Alarums and Excursions!!

Some warnings about possible inaccuracies in the information provided here - and what to do about them.

Why Dog-Walking Needs To Be Encouraged

Disclaimers

As a retired scientist, I'm wedded to the truth. So I try to make sure that the information provided on this website is accurate. For various reasons, however, this is not always easy. I've not visited all the sites listed here, and even if I did, it wouldn't greatly help because, as often as not, signage posted on walks is misleading, incomplete or out-of-date. The status of walks also changes over time (sadly, usually for the worse.). To ensure accuracy, I therefore rely as much as possible on information listed on websites, or published in brochures, by the managers and owners of the tracks. This, again, provides no guarantee, because these sources of information are themselves often inconsistent (either with each other or with the signs on the ground), are often incomplete, and are sometimes out of date or simply wrong. 

So I beg forgiveness if there are errors one these pages. To users, I say: please inform me of any mistakes that you find and, if in doubt about any site, take the middle road and keep your dog on a leash and be prepared to apologise if you find yourself in the wrong. I would also urge all users always to check out the latest information in the Further Information links I have provided. To owners and managers, I likewise say: please inform me if there are errors, but please, also, make sure that the information you provide on-line, in brochures, and on signage is itself accurate and consistent - and PLEASE don't ban dogs without good reason. Dog-walking is a collective public good because we all benefit by having a healthy (and that means well-exercised) population - and dog-walking is probably the most popular form of exercise-taking in New Zealand. So it needs to be facilitated wherever possible.

When I learn about any errors in the data given here, I try to correct them as soon as possible. This takes time, however, both because I need to check out the information and because this website is a one-man show (and not my main occupation). If reporting any errors, therefore, please help me by supplying details and supporting evidence. 

In order to provide warning about possible problems, I list any sites I've been alerted about here. My advice for these sites is: check them out with the site owners/managers before visiting. And, wherever you go, treat the land and its occupants with respect.

Be aware, also, that I can't keep track (excuse the pun) of the state of the walks on a day-to-day basis. So where possible check DoC or local government sites to see if tracks are closed for any reason. And wherever you go, look out for signs about restrictions or dangers, such as landslips, pest baiting or hunting - and FOLLOW THEIR ADVICE!

Currently I'm aware that the data on the information given here may be inaccurate for the following sites:

  • Te Arai Point (North Island: The North, site 29): No longer dog friendly
  • Woodside Forest (North Island: The North, site 42): No longer dog friendly
  • Mount Glasgow (South Island: West, site 10): Dog access limited to first 3.5 km (to edge of national park)

Last updated 21st June 2023
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If you've found this website helpful, you might also want to look at some of my novels and poetry. These, like my dog-walking, are drawn from a love of nature and the countryside. To learn more, click here.