The 'Banks Peninsula Track Company' is a remarkable business - a co-operative of neighbouring properties, which has lasted for over twenty years. It is wholly owned by these neighbouring families, and is solely operated by them in conjunction with local contractors for booking services, transport, and car parking (who have themselves been closely associated with the 'Track' for many years).
Seven shareholding properties form the Company with other land crossings held by them as concessions - making the Banks Peninsula Track not only the original but also the most unique private tramping track in New Zealand.
The Company decides overall policy, packages, season length, and negotiates contracts.
All decisions are still made by consensus. There is a very high level of individuality left to the different shareholders as to what they offer, and we believe this individuality contributes greatly to the wonderfully diverse nature of the walk.
Each shareholder is fully responsible for their own area (of either track, accommodation, or both), but for safety reasons an overall track inspection is carried out prior to each season with a track condition report issued to every shareholder.
We are all country people but very diverse - farmers, artists, writers, botanists, sailors, equestrians, fencers, apiarists, men and women, Kiwis of diverse ancestries, and more recent citizens. We are well aware of the need for an upper limit on the number of walkers to avoid negative impacts on both the environment and the experience.
Jeff Hamilton was one of the main forces behind the creation of the Banks Peninsula Track, and for a number of years he had a major role with bookings, bus pick-up (in his farm truck) and orientation. More recently he spent three years as part of the chair group. Jeff invested a great deal in the Track, commissioning all the new lodge buildings at Onuku which he also helped to build.
Onuku farm has been in the Hamilton family since the 1850's. Jeff now offers boat trips on Akaroa Harbour and runs the Track walkers accommodation while his son Stephen runs the Onuku Farm Hostel, which you walk past at the start of your hike up the farm track on your first morning.
Providing both two and four day accommodation in addition to a land crossing, Onuku Farm is one of the two largest shareholdings on the Banks Peninsula Track - the other being Stony Bay.
Eckhard Keppler emigrated from Germany to Akaroa at the turn of the century. He bought the 'Haylocks' Onuku Heights property ten years ago, taking over the smallest of the landcrossing shareholdings on the Banks Peninsula Track. In addition to farming Perendale sheep, Hereford and Highland cattle, he operates a bed and breakfast business and also offers horse-trekking at Onuku Heights.
The Flea Bay property was purchased by Francis and Steve Helps as a development farm in 1969. Areas were set aside for conservation and by now more than 80 acres are covered by covenants, with the balance run as a sheep and beef store farm alongside the home property in Akaroa.
Francis and Shireen live in Flea Bay where they have done an enormous amount of conservation work, especially with predator control and with fostering the growing white flippered penguin colony.
Francis is the official Track 'spokesperson', has held a number of positions in the company and sees many of the walkers whilst providing the (seasonal) penguin tour.
Shireen sees many of the walkers guiding her kayaking trips which receive great feedback.
Francis and Shireen run Kayaking on Pohatu Marine Reserve & Little Blue Penguin Viewing at Flea Bay, in addition to the trips for Track walkers.
The penguin sanctuary at Flea Bay has been the subject of a number of international and national documentaries, see
Country Calendar Rural Delivery
Steve and Pam Helps farm the Flea Bay property in conjunction with Francis and Shireen. Steve and Pam live in Aylmers Valley in Akaroa, managing the home farm property. From 1969 - 1974 their home was the Flea Bay cottage now used by the walkers.
Steve has been the treasurer for the Track since the beginning, and Pam does local brochure distribution and the orientation talk for walkers four days a week.
Steve and Pam look after the cottage and their track section in conjunction with Francis and Shireen.
All four of them represent the Helps shareholding in the Track.
Steve, as well as being a farmer, is a very enthusiastic oil painter, and gardener.
No-one has been more central to the Banks Peninsula Track than Mark and Sonia Armstrong.
Enthusiastic pioneers of the idea, they have been responsible for all the print advertising and tourism body liason throughout the Tracks' operation, as well as being the largest shareholding.
Mark has designed and built the wonderful and eclectic buildings at Stony Bay, including the 'shower in the tree and 'bath under the stars' ~ his latest inspiration was 'The Gull and Shag' shelter at the Seal Cave between Flea Bay and Stony Bay.
In addition to her marketing role, Sonia has spent many years as chairperson of the Track and holds that role currently.
Mark has lived all his life at Stony Bay, on the farm known as Opatuti where Sonia joined him in 1973.
They have been at the forefront of farm conservation throughout, initiating many projects and creating covenants on the property. They purchased neighbouring land in 2001 to safeguard the Track route, for farming viability, development, and conservation purposes. Much of the farm is now leased out
allowing them to focus on those projects, including the 'Sooty Shearwater protection fence' high on the cliffs above Stony Bay.
Doug Hood and Fiona Farrell bought the Otanerito Beach house and converted the front of the house for use by Track walkers in 1994, becoming the only non land - crossing shareholding on the Track. Doug had been involved with the Track in varying roles since it opened in 1989, becoming chairperson in 1993 and being continuously involved in the management group until 2007 when he took on the sole role of website design and content management for the Track. He runs the Track accommodation at Otanerito.
Fiona Farrell is an award winning New Zealand novelist, poet, and playwright. Fiona has held the Katherine Mansfield and Rathcoola fellowships in France and Ireland and in 2007 received the NZ Prime Ministers Award for Fiction. She is currently the 2011 Burns Fellow at Dunedin University.
Brian and Fay Narbey are owners of Renegat Farm which has been in the Narbey family since 1850. When the Track opened in 1989, Brian was farming in partnership with his brother Philip, but the partnership ended in 1993 with Philip and Maria moving to Christchurch and Brian and Fay taking over the farm.
The track through the farm is the longest of the land crossings and stretches from Stony Bay headland to the Hinewai Reserve boundary. Brian has a bee keeping business based at Woodend north of Christchurch in addition to farming sheep and cattle at Long Bay (Otanerito).
Hugh Wilson has been a key figure in the Banks Peninsula Track since it opened in 1989. During that time the Hinewai Reserve, where Hugh lives at an altitude of 450m, has changed from being the smallest acreage of the original shareholding properties to by far the largest of the current properties. Manager and Trustee of Hinewai Reserve, Hugh is a well known botanist, writer, artist and cyclist. He has written many books on New Zealand's natural history, including field guides to the plants of Mt Cook National Park and Stewart Island. He is currently working on a book about the plantlife of Banks Peninsula.
Hugh wrote our informative guide booklet for the Track and walks the four day walk each year at the beginning of the season to provide both a safety audit and recommended work for the Track members. He has held a number of positions including chairperson, attended virtually every meeting of the Track group since 1989 and adds a unique perspective to the Company. He has also contributed innumerable hours of maintenance, track marking and signage on both Hinewai and many of the other Track properties.
Originally from Switzerland, Mafi Gehrig has lived at Onuku or Akaroa since the Track opened in 1989 and has been our office manager since 1996.
Mafi is a keen cyclist and runner and has competed in a number of events including the 'coast to coast' triathalon. In addition to her Track office work she runs 'Mafi's Kayak trip' on Akaroa Harbour, which is small and friendly, and is also involved in pack cartage for the Track.
If you contact the Track, it is generally Mafi who will be your first contact.
Paul Chandler has been driving our Track bus for the last six years. Paul formerly worked for DOC (Department of Conservation) in Arthurs Pass. He also runs an outer bays tours taxi business (including Christchurch and airport pick-ups for Track walkers), and recently took over the Wainui mail delivery business in Akaroa Harbour.
Tricia Hewlett and Paul Newport live at Otanerito Homestead which is the assistant managers' house on Hinewai Reserve.
Paul worked for a number of summer seasonal contracts on
Hinewai before he and Tricia moved permanently to Otanerito in 2008 to take up the assistant manager role.
Paul and Tricia are both very involved in the local community, in both arts and rural associations, as well as developing their garden at Otanerito.
Paul has contributed greatly to the Track maintenance and signage, especially but not only in the Otanerito valley.
Tinker Fraser and Willem Portengen often help out in winter when Mafi Gehrig has a holiday break. Tinker and Willem have both walked the Banks Peninsula Track several times and are addicted to it!
They are the owners of Double Dutch, a small but luxurious hostel in Okains Bay, twenty minutes from Akaroa, which received the accolade of top rating BBH hostel in New Zealand this year.
Mount Vernon Lodge - Car parking
Mount Vernon Lodge provides the Track walkers' car park at the top of Rue Balguerie. Mt Vernon have been associated with the Track since it opened in 1989. The Lodge facilities have recently undergone a large scale upgrading to offer improved accommodation and venue facilities suitable for weddings and conferences as well as smaller get togethers.
Department of Conservation
The Banks Peninsula Track holds concessions from the Department of Conservation for its walkers to pass through its' reserves (originally gifted to them by the Helps family) at the top of Flea Bay and also to pass through the penguin sanctuary reserve alongside Pohatu Marine Reserve which was purchased by DOC through the Native Forest Heritage Fund. This concession is the only one granted through the reserve limiting the total daily impact to just the (maximum) sixteen walkers on the Track
Frank Miessen - Brocheries land crossing
At the top of Otanerito valley, our walkers leave Hinewai by crossing a hundred metres of private land before joining the Purple Peak track for the final ascent to the saddle and descent to Akaroa. The Banks Peninsula Track are very grateful for the right for their walkers to cross Frank Miessen's land in return for an annual charge.
