Travelling New Zealand and Day Walks in New Zealand
Reviewed by Dorothy - 20/12/07
Both books, Travelling New Zealand and Day Walks in New Zealand, have strong visual appeal and give a comprehensive coverage of visitor destinations or day walks in areas ranging from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island. The maps by GeographX with their 3D impact give the reader a fresh view on each area, even in my case a new appreciation of areas which I would have said were already very familiar to me.
The books include no advertising material. Their concise selection of what sites and walks have proved most popular with visitors saves time which would otherwise have to be spent on sifting through piles of promotional brochures.
Travelling New Zealand, subtitled A guide to 45 top visitor destinations
This is the third title in the Bird's Eye Guide series. The cartographer is Roger Smith of GeographX and the text is by Simon Henshaw. The book offers factual information about what walks, scenic views and activities are available in each location. The locations are clearly listed in the Contents and systematically arranged from north to south.
The cover shows the area of the Franz Josef Glacier, but the book not only highlights the most famous locations like the West Coast glaciers,
Rotorua, Mount Cook, and Queenstown.
It also extends our awareness of others less publicised, such as Eastland, the journey round East Cape between Opotiki and Gisborne in the North Island, and exploring the province of Marlborough in the South Island. The repeated markers showing key stopping points on the road through the Haast Pass and the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound emphasise the beauty of the journey, not just the destination, and the importance of allowing ample time for the travel.
In addition to maps of New Zealand's back country there are maps of the main cities and clear information about their attractions.
Safety advice is included and reminders of the lack of shops, petrol stations and restaurants on roads through wilderness areas.
The maps clearly show the main roads from each featured area to the nearest main centre.
Day Walks in New Zealand subtitled 100 great tracks
The author of the informative text for this book is Shaun Barnett who has also contributed the excellent photos which add to the visual impact of the impressive maps. Again the cartographer is Roger Smith of GeographX.
The cover features the Mount Cook area but the walks are set in many localities, both famous places and some less well-known. Examples of interesting walks not on the main tourist trail are the Lake Rotopounamu track in Tongariro National Park and the Charming Creek Walkway and Denniston Walkway north of Westport.
At the front of the book there are maps of both the North and the South Island with the location of each walk indicated with its number – a clear guide to exploring the contents.
For each walk there is a clear description, an indication of the time it takes and the difficulty it presents.
The introduction sets out key information needed before walking in the natural areas of New Zealand, explaining the division of the land into National Parks, Forest Parks, and Scenic Reserves. The significance of the grades of difficulty assigned to each walk is clearly explained. There is also advice on safety when walking.
I strongly recommend that you read these books to plan new exploration of the beautiful country of New Zealand or to recall familiar journeys, walks and landscapes.
