Wilderness Magazine has opened a survey for anyone who took part in Walk1200km, and it's using the responses to shape the challenge's return in 2027. The idea behind Walk1200km is simple: commit to walking 1200 kilometres over the course of a year — roughly 23 kilometres a week, or a bit over 3 kilometres a day — and see how a regular walking habit changes your year. Participants sign up, log their kilometres as they go, and share the experience with a community of others doing the same thing.
The current survey is a call-out to past participants. The magazine wants to hear what the challenge was actually like: why people started, what kept them going, what got in the way, and what they got out of it. There are no compulsory questions and no wrong answers, so you can answer as much or as little as you like. Anyone happy to be quoted may see their words appear in the launch issue for Walk1200km 2027, which will run in Wilderness Magazine's January/February 2027 edition — a nice bit of motivation if your walking year had a story worth telling.
For anyone who hasn't come across it, Walk1200km is a New Zealand-born challenge with a refreshingly low barrier to entry. You don't need to tramp remote backcountry tracks or buy specialist gear. City footpaths, beach walks, and local bush strolls all count towards the total. The point is consistency rather than heroics — turning walking into a daily default instead of an occasional event. That's also what makes it a good fit for travellers: the kilometres rack up fast when you explore a new city on foot or tack a coastal walk onto a weekend away.
The survey is timed around the relaunch, so if you walked in a previous year — whether you smashed the 1200km target or quietly bailed in March — your feedback will help shape what the 2027 version looks like. And if you've never taken part, keep an eye out for the January/February 2027 issue. A fresh year, a fresh sign-up sheet, and 1200 kilometres of excuse to get outside.
Who's this for? Anyone who likes the idea of a year-long goal that doesn't require a gym membership, expensive equipment, or an annual leave request. If you've walked the challenge before, the survey is your chance to influence the next round and possibly feature in the launch issue. If you haven't, this is a decent heads-up that a very achievable, very Kiwi walking challenge is coming back for another lap.
