| Akaroa local Lynne Alexander recently received recognition from the Walking Access Commission for her significant work in improving public access to the outdoors, along with 4 other New Zealanders. “The annual awards are an opportunity to recognise people who, through their individual efforts and through engaging with others in their communities, are making it so much easier for people to access our great outdoors,” Mr Neeson from the Walking Access Commission said.
In 1990 Lynne opened the Woodills Track, a two and a half hour circular route that starts at the village. The family-friendly walk cuts across Lynne’s Tree Crop Farm property, as well as her neighbour’s farm, through which she negotiated access. Lynne then went on to create several more walks in the area, negotiating with other farmers to connect unformed legal roads that were used as stock routes with other routes over private land, and develop a series of brochures to help walkers to follow them. The Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust nominated Lynne for one of the new Walking Access Awards in recognition of her huge contribution to walking in the Akaroa area. Several of the walks featured in the Trust’s Akaroa Country Walks were originally created and documented by Lynne, and the network of walking tracks has grown and developed in the years since. Lynne’s WAC award was presented to her during the Banks Peninsula Walking Festival at an afternoon tea at Tree Crop Farm, following the Purple Peak Reserve walk. |
Akaroa Public Access Stalwart receives recognition
