Accessible bushwalks/trails?

Red January 18th, 2008 7 Comments

I received an email today from a prospective traveller to NZ who was looking for recommendations of scenic walks and trails which are accessible by scooter/segway, and to be honest, I wasn’t able to help her much!

I plan to visit as much of New Zealand as I can– both the North and South Islands. I am an outdoors/nature enthusiast, and I would like to experience as much of the beauty of NZ as possible – volcanoes, mud flats, caves, penguins, kiwis, goats, sheep, glaciers, etc.

So I’m hoping some of you fantastic readers could leave a comment below suggesting somewhere ‘outdoorsy’ you’ve been to which was particularly wheelchair or scooter friendly? It seems she might have to give the Riverton viewing platform a miss though…

Thanks in advance everyone!

7 Comments

  1. Woodpecker says:

    I suggest you contact the disAbility Information/Resource Centres. http://www.nzfdic.org.nz to find the contacts in each area. These Centres are the disability 'I' sites and many have databases of what is accessible in their areas.

  2. kiwijan says:

    don`t forget Waitomo Caves is now accessible and a must as far as I am concerned. Also the agrodome in Rotorua [sheep displayed etc] is accessible

  3. Red says:

    Agrodome's a good one Jan, I went there a few years ago and found it great in terms of accessibility. That's also where you'll find the 'Swoop' – sort of like a bungy but less risky haha, but so exhilarating! – and also the infamous Zorb!

  4. Peter Dolamore says:

    The Department of Conservation (DOC) have a good publication called Easy access walks – South Island.

    I frequent most of the walks in Fiordland and some on the West Coast and find them pretty good in a manual wheelchair just takes a bit more grunt on some of the slopes!! a scooter or segway you will go further than I can!!

    send an email if and when you get down south.

  5. Rachel says:

    Hey Red a friend of mine wrote a book on accessible walks in the Sth Island I'll see if I can find a copy….

  6. [...] the number of requests I’ve had recently from people thinking of visiting New Zealand and who are looking for [...]

  7. [...] on from this post regarding the whereabouts of accessible walks, trails, and other such nature-related journeys [...]

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