This item was pubished in our February 2024 eBulletin.
Weekly lunchtime walks have been happening in Wellington for more than 20 years, with workers and retired people enjoying the wide variety of walks on offer.
The Tuesday Lunchtime Civic Walks are run by Ron Ross, with a team of five enthusiastic guides leading the walks. Ron says the walks were started by former mayor (and new MP) Celia WadeBrown as a way to get people out walking in their lunchtimes. He picked up the organiser’s reins in 2006.
“We keep each walk to less than one hour so workers can fit it into their schedule. They were originally designed mostly for workers to get out in the fresh air, but these days we have a lot of retired people who join us too.
“It’s a great way to discover the many alleyways and short cuts around the city, and interesting streets, as well as get some exercise and socialise.”
Themed walks
Each walk has an interesting destination or theme, often based around local history. They include the maritime walk, the bronze pigeon walk (commemorating significant events), motorway secrets, the ‘measuring a chain walk’, and lots more, with 46 walks in total.
Once a month, there is a walk that involves catching a bus or the cable car, to get further out, and then walking back to the starting point which is always Plimmer Steps in central Wellington.
Ron sends out an email reminder about the walk each week to a distribution list of interested walkers. He says the walks happen in all weathers.
The walk programme is also advertised on the Living Streets Aotearoa website.
Would you like to set up a group in your town or city?
Here is Ron’s advice on how to get started:
- Identify short-cuts and alleyways that others might not know about.
- Find a local historian and others to suggest places of interest to include in a walk.
- Try to develop 10-20 walks for starters.
- Limit each walk to one hour.
- Have an interesting title, theme or destination for each walk.
- Grade the walks – easy, moderate, hard.
- Invite some keen people to lead the walks.
- Promote the walks e.g. community Facebook pages, local council website/newsletter.
- Join Living Streets Aotearoa to find walking enthusiasts in your area!
Photo caption: Tuesday Lunchtime Civic Walks group, with Ron Ross in the blue jacket, centre front.