Kaua koe e kōtiti i ngā arahikoi, kia tika mai koe te wāhi, hopuni ai

What effect does a footstep have? The answer is, it depends!

A footstep means different things to a young tree or pasture, to leaf litter or fragile soil, to a gravelly river bank or rain forest moss. Recovery that takes a year in some environments might take 25 years in others. Sticking to the tracks is best because they are specifically made for walking on.

If there are no tracks, avoid non-durable ground such as soft plants, stream edges, muddy sites, and fragile soil layers. When travelling along a shoreline, walk on durable surfaces and spread out while when travelling on the tops above the treeline. Watch out for smaller plants and boggy areas.