- Footsteps is not a commercial enterprise. It is a club, and operates much the same as any other outdoor pursuits club. The difference is that it has a national (rather than local) constituency.
- Footsteps simply offers a service to the walking community of New Zealand, enabling participants to enjoy some wonderful scenery with the advantages afforded by being part of a group. Our excursions are informal and inexpensive.
- Footsteps operates on a no frills and non-profit basis.
- Any monies in excess of requirements are donated to charity.
- Call at: 64 21 172 3244
- Email us: footstepsanz@gmail.com
- Working Hours: 8.30 a.m.-8.30 p.m. (NZ time)
of the backcountry and wished that you could go there?!
anyone of average fitness can come and enjoy!
Island and ten in the South Island.
ABOUT US
FOOTSTEPS WALKING AND TRAVEL CLUB OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
The best day-walks in 20 regions of New Zealand and in many exciting destinations overseas!
For details of all these excursions please go to the ACTIVITIES section of our website.
Each excursion has a file which you can view and download.
OUR EXPERIENCE
Footsteps was established in 2020 after the demise of the FMC Travel Club, and in response to many requests to establish such an enterprise. However, those who lead Footsteps have decades of walking and hiking behind them, as well as considerable experience in leading groups.
MORE ABOUT THE WALKS
- Our trips involve walking (easy to moderate), not hiking.
- Each person brings a day-pack with limited gear and a small amount of food and drink to last just a few hours.
- We walk at a pace that permits us to fully appreciate our surroundings.
- Each day offers the choice of shorter walks (as short as 5 minutes) and longer walks (up to several hours).
- Except for trips that require pre-booking, the walking agenda is decided by group consensus ahead of time from a wide range of possibilities.
- Walks are generally offered each day but the programme may be altered to suit the weather conditions or unexpected circumstances.
- You can do as little or as much as you wish each day. On any given day you can finish early or opt out completely to “do your own thing.”
HOW WE OPERATE
- Each trip in New Zealand is one week in duration (Sunday to Saturday), but trips are often chronologically consecutive and geographically contiguous, so it is possible to undertake a series of them one after the other.
- Five regional trips are offered per year, 2-3 in the North Island and 2-3 in the South Island. Our schedule covers the entire country every four years.
- On any trip, participants make their own way to the starting point and from the finishing point.
- Breakfasts are provided, but lunches and dinners are self-catering.
- Our NZ regional trips are concentrated in the warmer months (February – April) which afford the best chance of favourable weather. We avoid the frantic end-of-year/Christmas period and the busyness/high prices of the school holidays. Some trips are timed to coincide with autumn colours or minimal snow.
- The maximum number of participants on any trip (NZ or overseas) is twenty. The minimum number for a NZ trip is four (usually more for overseas trips).
- Registrations for each trip close two months before the starting date.
- Footsteps fully adheres to the Privacy Act and the Health and Safety Act. We collect only the information needed for participation in our activities, and all activities undergo a thorough risk assessment/management process. However, everyone participates entirely at their own risk, and must sign a waiver to that effect.
- If a trip is cancelled for whatever reason, refunds are given less any non-refundable costs already incurred. If cancellation is due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a full refund is given.
- We offer overseas day-walking trips 3-4 times per year. Our focus is on the Pacific rim (Australia, the Pacific islands, North America, and South America), but occasionally we venture further afield.