Wairarapa Walking Festival organisers have hit on a winning concept, with events at the upcoming festival filling up fast.

Spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown believes the popularity of walking festivals has been bolstered by the Covid pandemic for a greater awareness of the benefits of fitness, but people have also shown they are keen to explore their own areas.

“There’s also quite a hunger for people to learn about the Māori history of their area,” Wade-Brown said.

Local iwi Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu will each lead a walk as part of the 2022 Wairarapa Walking Festival, which begins on November 11.

The festival aims to celebrate “walking of all kinds – cultural, with wheels, at the coast, up a hill or around urban environments”.

Wade-Brown was the driving force behind the first Wairarapa Walking Festival in March 2021.

She sits on Carterton District Council’s walking and cycling advisory group, and noticed plenty of biking events on the calendar but not a lot of walking.

The first festival was “very much a pilot”, Wade-Brown said. It involved nine walks in the Carterton district.

This time more than 35 walks will be held between November 11 and 20 across the Wairarapa. They range from easy to challenging and most are free, including a walk hosted by Wade-Brown covering native plants and pest control at her Mangatārere Valley property.

“We hope the festival offers something for everybody,” she said. “Even people who have lived in Wairarapa all their life may not know some of these walks.”