A few hundred walkers pound the pavement and trails in 30th Rotorua Walking Festival

Team VDP was awarded the Best NZ Team, and is a family team which uses the festival walks as a reunion. Photo / Rotorua Walking Festival

Shoes were laced up and pounded pavements and trails all around Rotorua last weekend, as a few hundred walkers got striding in the 30th Rotorua Walking Festival.

The festival was held from last Friday to Sunday, and started with a Nocturnal Walk on the Friday evening run by the Rotorua Botanical Society.

There was then a full programme of forest walks on the Saturday through the Whakarewarewa Forest, with 10-kilometre, 21km and 42km walks. On the Sunday there were 10km, 20km, 30km and 42km walks through Rotorua’s geothermal, steam, lakefront and parks and reserve areas.

There was also a fundraising walk for Rotorua Parents Centre on the Saturday, and a Café Cruise Walk on the Sunday as a special 30th-anniversary event.

Organising committee chairman Deryck Shaw says the weekend went really well. Despite some torrential rain on Friday evening, people still turned up for the Nocturnal Walk, and the weather cleared up for the rest of the event.

He says the walks had some fantastic feedback and people enjoyed them.

There were many local and domestic participants, along with plenty of international visitors for the festival from countries such as the United States, Malaysia, Japan, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, Deryck says.

The Café Cruise Walk was a 5km loop that made its way past eight cafés, and the event was a fundraiser for local groups Rotorua SPCA, Rotorua Parents Centre, Rotorua Trails Trust and St Chads Communication Centre.

Deryck says they are still tallying how much has been raised from the café walk, but it was great to have a special 30th-anniversary event that was helping local groups.

During the prize-giving, there was also the cutting of a cake to celebrate the festival’s 30th birthday.

Deryck says there were many highlights throughout the weekend, including the recognition of a number of participants.

Team VDP was awarded the Best NZ Team, and is a family team which uses the festival walks as a reunion, this year featuring relatives who had travelled from the Netherlands.

Bronwyn Gardiner (centre) has completed all 30 Rotorua Walking Festivals. She is pictured with Ben Lokum, who is not far behind her (left) and organising committee chairman Deryck Shaw. Photo / Rotorua Walking Festival

Others included Hawke’s Bay’s Bronwyn Gardiner, who has completed all 30 Rotorua Walking Festivals, Ben Lokum, who is not far behind her and is an icon at the festival with his flute, and Gert from Australia, who celebrated his 25th Rotorua Walking Festival.

He says it had also been neat to showcase local artists, who performed at the event hub based in Neil Hunt Park.

Deryck says the festival team appreciates all the support it receives from local organisations and businesses to help make the festival run smoothly and make it a fantastic event for participants.