When it comes to short walks, Peter Janssen has literally done them all – and written about them. He’s just updated his popular A Walk a Day guidebook, adding 100 new mini hikes. He explains why he keeps discovering new places to explore.

Why did you update A Walk a Day?

I’ve probably done around 1200 walks but I still find, or am told about, new ones. Councils are huge on developing trails, and new and upgraded walks are appearing all the time. So 30 or 40 entries have been significantly rewritten to reflect this, plus there are 100 new walks that were not in the previous edition.

How did it all begin?

I realised that there were a lot of books about tramping and long trips but nothing about short walks. Publishers were dubious about the need for a book on walks that might only take a couple of hours, but I assured them that an awful lot of people were doing just that. And they sold well.

What is your criteria for a short walk?

I generally go under two hours. You don’t need any special gear, although I always recommend that people have shoes with decent grip. And the walk has to be relatively easy to find, and follow. I was pushing my way through blackberry exploring a potential new entry for the book in Canterbury, but realised: “No one is going to thank me for sending them here!”

How do you make such brief excursions sound appealing?

I’ve found that you can talk someone into a 20–30-minute walk much more easily than a four-hour tramp. But I try to always have a highlight or feature that will appeal. It doesn’t need to be spectacular, but it does need to have a point.

Who does short walks?

I’ve found that the walk books appeal to those who want to get out and about but might not be trampers. Or if they are, they might have visitors unfamiliar with the New Zealand bush, or perhaps want to do a walk with children or friends who aren’t so fit. Tourists and new immigrants have a different concept of a forest walk, which in other parts of the world can be more like a stroll through a park.

Do you get responses from people who’ve walked your walks?

I got a letter from a man who told me he had been grossly overweight and unfit and wanted to get back in shape. Apparently his library had recommended my book as a way of doing this, and he worked his way up from 10–15-minute walks to an hour-long hill climb. He told me that he felt as if he’d conquered Mt Everest; it had opened up a whole new world for him.

New Zealanders respect our wilderness. Does this apply to shorter walks too?

I believe if people get out more, and experience nature, they are more likely to want to protect it. We have a very strong conservation ethos that cuts across political and social boundaries and is now part of being a New Zealander.

What’s one of the best walks you’ve done?

I’d never heard of the Tavora Reserve, just north of Dunedin, until someone mentioned it to me.  With its beach, headland and stunning views it actually turned out to be one of the most beautiful coastal walks in New Zealand.

A Walk a Day (revised) will be published in August and is available on the Wilderness store. Subscribers get a 10% discount.