The Forest and Bird Book of Nature Walks

Forest and Bird, Issue 265, 1 August 1992, Page 47

The Forest and Bird Book of Nature Walks

Mark Bellingham

by David Collingwood and E. V. Sale, revised by Joanna Wright (Reed) $29.95 When the first edition of Forest and Bird’s walks book was published in 1985 it was a great success as it was one of the few such guide books available that covered all of New Zealand. That first edition, in setting out the favourite walks of Forest and Bird members around the country made great use of the depth of local knowledge of those members. Since then the range of walks has increased and today there is a proliferation of walk and tramping books for parts or all of the country. But this new edition is still a leader in its field, extensively revised and upgraded and describing 154 walks from North Cape to Stewart Island. Joanna Wright who updated the book is well known for her Tramping in South Island Forest Parks and has done a fine job of distilling the essentials of each walk into a short description but retaining particularly interesting features. The walks range in length from a 15-minute stroll to a full day hike. The new edition also maintains the strong emphasis on the flora and fauna which can be found on each walk. It is now in a smaller size that fits easier into the car glovebox or a daypack pocket. The maps are much clearer and the descriptions are simple and easy to follow. The new edition has a number of new nature walks, at the expense of a few arduous walks and tramps as the latter are now described in some of the tramping books. I am sure this will not be the last edition of this popular book. Excellent value.