An experience full of diversity, still a work in progress: Hong Kong Island coastal trail gaps documented by district councillor
- Paul Zimmerman was an early advocate of making Hong Kong’s harbourfront more accessible by foot; now he’s backing goal of a 65km Hong Kong Island coastal trail
- On a three-day hike he saw gaps that need filling: a missing staircase and bridge, a rocky scramble, and a trail made by wild pigs usable only on all fours
Paul Zimmerman had planned to spend his Easter holiday kicking back at the Blues Festival in Australia’s Byron Bay, but – like many people – his plans were squashed by the coronavirus. Grounded in Hong Kong, he decided it was the perfect time to take up a challenge that has long been on his bucket list – a 65-kilometre hike following Hong Kong Island’s coastline.
“Rather than being cooped up at home, I decided to try to do the Hong Kong coastal trail. It’s an idea that has been cooking for a while,” says Zimmerman, the CEO of Designing Hong Kong, a non-profit organisation devoted to promoting liveable density, a co-convenor of Save Our Country Parks, and a district councillor.
Starun Round The Island (SRTI) is an annual race around Hong Kong Island which has been held since 2016 and this year is scheduled for September. For the most part the race route hugs the coastline, but it turns inland in places where it is difficult for the trail to keep to the coast.
Zimmerman’s coastal route largely followed the Starun route, but where the latter went inland, he continued hugging the coast as much as possible.
His Easter mission was to locate and document stretches where the coastal trail was missing, with a view to filling in the gaps. Over three days, from April 10, he hiked the 65km around the island, beginning at the Observation Wheel on the Central Harbourfront and heading west.