Participants enjoying the scenery during a previous Rotorua Walking Festival. Photo / File
Participants enjoying the scenery during a previous Rotorua Walking Festival. Photo / File
Laces will be done up nice and tight and shoes will pound the pavements and forest floors as people get among an annual festival - and you can be part of it.
The 28th annual Rotorua Walking Festival is back for 2021 on March 20 and 21.
The festival would normally attract recreational walkers from all over the world. Participants can walk on one or both days.
Day one involves walks in the Whakarewarewa Forest with distances of 10km, 21km and 42km.
On day two walkers will see Rotorua's unique parks and urban environment with distances of 10km, 20km and 30km.
This year there are also smaller 5km walks on Saturday and Sunday, which will be the Parents Centre family walk on Sunday and the SPCA dog walk and St Chads walk on Saturday. All proceeds from these walks will go to those organisations.
There is also a Nocturnal Walk on Friday evening with all proceeds going to the local botanical society.
Organising committee chairman Deryck Shaw says walking is a fundamental exercise that most people can do which is great for health.
He also encourages people to get among the action as the Rotorua Walking Festival is a great way to enjoy Rotorua's nature landscape, such as the forest and geothermal areas.
Walkers set off during last year's festival. Photo / Rotorua Walking Festival
"It's also great to walk with other people and enjoy the company of others."
He says for some people the festival is also about setting a goal.
There will be many spot prizes up for grabs and live entertainment each day.
Deryck says being able to hold this event for 2021 is fantastic.
"We are affiliated to other walks around the world, and most of those other events have been cancelled.
"We are very privileged to hold our walking festival here in Rotorua, New Zealand."
Deryck believes last year's Rotorua Walking Festival was one of the last international events held in New Zealand prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, and says there were no reported cases of Covid-19 from any attendees, which they were happy about.
Last year there were more than 120 international walkers, with more than double that amount of walkers from throughout New Zealand.
For more information and to enter the 2021 Rotorua Walking Festival go to www.rotoruawalkingfestival.org.nz. Enter online before Monday for early-bird entries.
Festival's Fundraiser Walks - Friday, March 19: Nocturnal Walk, proceeds to local Botanical Society. 8pm at Netherlands Society Hall - Saturday, March 20: 5km dog walk for SPCA. Gold coin donation per dog or $5 per Family. Starts 10.30 am. At 11am is the inaugural St Chads Charitable Trust walk. This cost $5 per family. - Sunday, March 21: 5km Family Walk, entry is a $5 donation. Proceeds to the Rotorua Parents Centre. 10.30am from Neil Hunt Park.
