Hikers will be heading to the Kaimai Range for New Zealand's 12th Great Walk, if Waikato MP Tim van de Molen gets his way.

He has his sights set on a trail from Mt Te Aroha to SH25, and says he has held meetings with community groups, businesses, iwi, council and conservation groups.

The news comes as Great Walk bookings reopen – and walkers are urged to get in early to avoid missing out.

A Kaimai walk could let more people enjoy the area and boost both the local economy and ecology – the latter through investment in track maintenance, pest eradication and weed control, van de Molen says in his latest newsletter.

Speaking to Stuff, van de Molen says it was a passion project and one of the reasons he got into politics.

He was encouraged by the talks he had held so far, for what he described as 'a magnificent opportunity for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty”.

Van de Molen says it would be the closest Great Walk to both Auckland and the expanding population centre of the Golden Triangle between the City of Sails, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty, presenting 'awesome tourism opportunities”.

He says some concerns had been raised about hunting access – hunting is prohibited within 500m of walking tracks for safety reasons – but that his preferred route would allow both.

National Waikato MP Tim van de Molen says a Kaimai Range Great Walk would represent a ‘magnificent opportunity' for both the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. Photo: Tom Lee/Stuff.

There's a 'very high bar” for new Great Walks, according to the Department of Conservation.

Director of heritage and visitors, Cat Wilson, told Stuff that while they could not comment on proposals, 'it is worth noting that many of the current Great Walks are widely regarded as being the best multi-day experiences in New Zealand and amongst the best in the world”.

'The process for adding a new Great Walk to the current product set requires a comprehensive business case to be developed, using the NZ Treasury Better Business Case model,” Wilson says.

Potential walks must show they can deliver an 'outstanding experience”, the finances stack up, and that they complement existing Great Walks, for example.

'Applicants can be internal (DOC) or external, and the process requires engagement with mana whenua, local communities and stakeholders,” Wilson says.

One person well acquainted with the process is Te Mana o Ngati Rangitihi Trust chair Leith Comer, who has been trying to get a Great Walk established around the Mt Tarawera area since 2017.

He says the Mt Tarawera walk was at the concept plan stage, and 'it's a reasonably slow process”.

'It's a process where you have to have a product that conforms to people's expectations, the walk, accommodation, experience.”

He says the Kaimai Ranges would be well suited for a Great Walk.

”A lovely piece of terrain ... having more of these things bringing visitors to Waikato, the Bay of Plenty.”

Asked about the time the Mt Tarawera process was taking, van de Molen says establishing a Great Walk 'comes down to focus from the government of the day”.

Van de Molen says a National Government would commit to the creation of an additional two Great Walks.

The idea of a Waikato Great Walk was 'absolutely welcome” to Kylie Rae, co-owner of the Waikato-based hiking and foodie experience company Nature & Nosh.

'We've got a number of tracks out of action at the moment after the Cyclone, so we're always on the hunt for new tracks.”

She says walking tourism was mainly focused on the South Island and the North Island's Tongariro Crossing, so any new walk had the potential to 'bring new visitors”.

She cautioned though about the need to create infrastructure around any new walk, and the pressure that could exert on the Department of Conservation.

'A lot of thought goes into creating a Great Walk,” Rae says.

'It's not just creating a ‘Great Walk', it's the infrastructure around that.”

Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime says New Zealand's Great Walks were hugely popular with both Kiwis and international visitors alike. Photo: Monique Ford/Stuff.

Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced bookings for Great Walks open from April 20.

'We know Kiwis and international travellers alike love our Great Walks with a passion,” she says.

'When bookings opened this time last year, our borders still faced pandemic restrictions and tourists weren't able to plan their visits with complete confidence. Now it's very much a warm welcome to the world, to walk alongside New Zealanders.”

'In announcing the season opening, I also want to recognise the huge amount of biodiversity work which goes into the Great Walks network through the Department of Conservation's partnership with mana whenua – iwi, hapū and whānau, and community groups and businesses.

'This includes a 10-year partnership with Air New Zealand which invests in six large Great Walks biodiversity projects.

'No matter which option you choose, each Great Walk will challenge your senses as you pass through our astonishing landscapes filled with cultural heritage and wildlife found nowhere else in the world,” she says.

- Benn Bathgate/Stuff.