The big hassle with this walkway, at the northern end of the Coromandel Peninsula, is returning to base after the walk’s completion. Although the walk itself is around 8km, the road trip to either end is closer to 56km, pretty much all along metal roads. Either leave a car at either end and swap car keys when you meet or simply turn around and retrace your steps.

Starting from Fletcher Bay, which has the longer, yet arguably more scenic coastal drive, it’s a gentle slog across farmland to a high point that provides views of the bay and campground. After an hour or so the track drops steeply to Poley Bay and then rises again. This is the most strenuous section of the track, after which the track continues with gentle undulations to Stony Bay mostly through regrowth tea tree which hosts scant bird life.

It’s worth taking a short side trip to a rounded knob lookout, 30 to 40 minutes from Poley Bay, where the most extensive and exquisite views from the track stretch north to Sugar Loaf (220m) and the offshore Pinnacles area and south towards Port Charles.

The track is an old bridle path linking Fletcher and Stony Bays. It’s well worn and mostly smooth and easy going although the section nearest to Stony Bay is rocky and uneven and would be uncomfortable in thin-soled walking shoes. But you don’t need boots on this track.

There are attractive DOC campgrounds at either end with that at Fletcher Bay being grassy, neat and tidy and the camp at Stony Bay having sites right at the water’s edge.

This is an easy walk on a well-graded and wide track.