Daily Photo – The Highcliff Track

A few of the enduring pleasures of summer in Aotearoa are beach days, barbecues that stretch long into the evening, and exploring walking tracks beneath the hot summer sun. And when it comes to places for walking, the Otago Peninsula has plenty to choose from. It’s one of those rare places that manages to feel both wild and welcoming at the same time, a glorious stretch of land where the views go on forever and you can easily lose an entire morning deciding which track to take next. There’s no shortage of choice out here, and each path seems to promise some new discovery, or at the very least, a better view than the one you’ve just left behind.

One of my favourite route begins down McMeeking Road – a lovely, meandering descent that eventually links up with the Highcliff Track proper, winding through open farmland and coastal bush before spilling you out towards Boulder Beach. From there, you can loop back via the Paradise Road Track, which climbs up to Highcliff Road, a satisfying, if occasionally breath-stealing, end to the journey.