Banks Track

The Banks Track on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand’s South Island is a 31-kilometer privately owned walking track. It opened in 1989 and was the first privately owned track in New Zealand.

It's open from October through April, and the accommodation huts along the way are unique and well-equipped. Both the Three Day Classic Walk and the Two Day Hikers Option start and end in Akaroa. You take a bus to the start of the walking track on a farm at Ōnuku. The highest point is 699 meters at Trig GG, and the track goes through rugged coastline, forests, bush, pastures, and the Hinewai Reserve.

The sections are 11 kilometers from Onuku Farm to Flea Bay Cottage, then 8 kilometers from Flea Bay Cottage to Stony Bay Cottage, and finally 12 kilometers from Stony Bay Cottage to Akaroa. You might spot yellow-eyed penguins, little penguins, fur seals, or Hector's dolphins, and see nikau palm, kahikatea, and tree ferns. This track is an example of ecotourism. It was started by ten landowners, mostly farmers, to supplement their income because of drought and the removal of farm subsidies in the 1980s. A company manages the track, and landowners receive an annual sum for use of their land, track maintenance, and providing accommodation.