More than 500 people walked the entire length of the Te Araroa Trail over the summer season, with hundreds of thousands more doing part of the 3000km trail that stretches from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
Record numbers of people took to the Te Araroa Trail over summer, with some sections of the national trail recording more than double the number of walkers anticipated.
Te Araroa Trust chief executive Rob Wakelin said more than 550 people walked the entire length of the trail over the 2016-2017 summer season, and hundreds of thousands more walked regional sections with shorter hikes and day walks up.
"Walking the entire trail typically takes four to five months, so to upwards of 550 Kiwis and international visitors doing it over the course of a single summer season is fantastic.
"It's a good increase on the 350 people who walked the whole trail in 2015-2016 and the 210 who enjoyed it the year before, so we're pleased with the steady and manageable growth," Mr Wakelin said.