Walking, Tramping, ...which is it?

Alan asked me after a post about the Queen Charlotte Track [See:Tramping the track] if a track is a trail. I answered too quickly. There are actually four levels of "whatever-ing" in New Zealand. Who knew!? Here it is according to Lonely Planet, but we saw this similar classification system in brochures and flyers as well:

Path:  Easy, well-formed, barrier free for wheelchairs OR constructed to "shoe standard" (hiking boots/ shoes not required). Suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. This would be like the beach path at Ship Creek along Hiway 6 near Greymouth.

The path at Ship Cove

Walking track: Easy, well-formed, constructed to "shoe standard" (as above). Suitable for people of most ages and fitness levels.The bit on the Kepler might fit this description, but then we were only on the last couple of km of it. Or maybe Abel Tasman [ See: Abel Tasman] and [Abel Tasman], given the wide range of people we met along the way.

The Kepler Track near Te Anau; east end

A beach walk on the Abel Tasman

Tramping the Hinewai Track

Tramping track: Requires skill and experience; constructed to boot standard. Suitable for people of average physical fitness. We are debating if our Abel Tasman was this standard or just a walking track???? but we can do this! Our hike out from Akaroa on the Hinewai Reserve was too tough to be a walking track, but we did it!

Route: Requires a high degree of skill, experience and route-finding ability. Suitable for well-equipped trampers. We don't go here, and we don't go where we aren't supposed to go either! We are responsible trampers...uh walkers, Um...

At Franz Josef