Central New Territories
Hansen's Events
38 D, Tower 2, Sham Wan Towers
3, Ap Lei Chau Drive
Ap Lei Chau
Hong Kong

Tel: (+852) 9552 0987     E-mail : info@hansens-hikes.com
Between the urban centres of Kowloon to the south, Sha Tin, Tai Po and Fan Ling to the east, Yuen Long and Shen Zhen to the north
and Tuen Mun to the west, the central part of Hong Kong's New Territories offers everything from tall mountains and rugged ridges
to large forests and rustic hamlets.
Part of the panorama experienced when hiking Kai Kung Leng. the northern of the two volcanic ridges in the Lam Tsuen Country Park in the New Territories.
Panoramic view from the ridge of Kai Kung Leng
Lam Tsuen Country Park, New Territories
The iconic Lion Rock might only be 495 metres tall, but the views from the top are spectacular. Easily recognizable, Lion Rock can also be seen from Hong Kong island.
 
At 532 metres, Needle Hill is only the 34th highest peak in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, it lives up to its name. You can feel the needles in your legs on your way down...
 
One of many weird sculptures found along Stage 3 of the Wilson Trail
Lion Rock
   Needle Hill
Shing Mun Country Park
   Black Hill
 
Tai To Yan is the 23rd tallest peak in Hong Kong at 566 metres and the rugged volcanic crest commands a towering presence in the Lam Tsuen lowlands. Yet, it is very attractive country with grand uplands, sylvan woodlands and gurgling streams. Hill trails in the Lam Tsuen Country Park are challenging and strenuous, thus suitable only for the fit and experienced. Atop the ridge, you enjoy broad views of Yuen Long Plain and Lam Tsuen Valley. As its Chinese name implies, Tai To Yan is a treacherous peak with razor sharp ridges and crags. The precarious pathway along the western end of the ridge is highly exposed and gets quite nerve-wrecking on windy days. The final descent is narrow with dizzying escarpments on both sides, so definitely not a route for the faint-hearted...
 
Tin Hau, also known as Mazu (lit. Mother-Ancestor) is the Taoist goddess of the Sea who protects fishermen and sailors, and is revered as the patron saint who protects East Asians who are associated with the ocean. Her mortal name is Lin Moniang. According to legend, Lin Moniang was born in 960 (during the early Northern Song Dynasty) as the seventh daughter of Lin Yuan on Meizhou Island, Fujian. She did not cry when she was born, and thus her given name means Silent Girl. There are many legends about her and the sea. Although she started swimming relatively late at the age of 15, she soon became an excellent swimmer. She wore red standing on the shore to guide fishing boats home, even in the most dangerous and harsh weather. According to one legend, Lin Moniang-s father and brothers were fishermen. One day, a terrible typhoon arose while they were out at sea, and the rest of her family feared that those at sea had perished. In the midst of this storm, depending on the version of the legend, she either fell into a trance while praying for the lives of her father and brothers or dreamed of her father and brothers while she was sleeping. In either the trance or the dream, her father and brothers were drowning, and she reached out to them, holding her brothers up with her hands and her father up with her mouth. However, Moniang-s mother now discovered her and tried to wake her, but Moniang was in such a deep trance or dream that it seemed like she was dead. Moniang-s mother, already believing the rest of their family dead, now broke down, crying, believing that Moniang had also just died. Hearing her mother-s cries, in pity, Moniang gave a small cry to let her mother know she was alive, but in opening her mouth, she was forced to drop her father. Consequently, Moniang-s brothers returned alive (sadly without their father) and told the other villagers that a miracle had happened and that they had somehow been held up in the water as a typhoon raged. There are at least two versions of Lin Moniang-s death. In one version, she died in 987 at the age of 28, when she climbed a mountain alone and flew to heaven and became a goddess. Another version of the legend says that she died at age 16 of exhaustion after swimming far into the ocean trying to find her lost father and that her corpse later washed ashore in Nankan Island of the Matsu Islands.
Tang Clan Ancestral Hall
Lung Yeuk Tau, Fan Ling, New Territories
   Tai To Yan
Lam Tsuen Country Park
   Tin Hau Temple
Ping Che, New Territories
Kwun Yam (or Guan Yin) is an extremely popular Goddess in Chinese folk belief and is worshiped in Chinese communities throughout East and South East Asia. Guan Yin is revered in the general Chinese population due to her unconditional love, compassion and mercy. She is generally regarded by many as the protector of women and children. By this association she is also seen as a fertility goddess capable of granting children. She is also seen as the champion of the unfortunate, the sick, the disabled, the poor, and those in trouble. Some coastal and river areas of China regard her as the protector of fishermen, sailors, and generally people who are out at sea, thus many also come to believe that Mazu, the Taoist goddess of the sea, is a manifestation of Guan Yin. Due to her association with the legend of the Great Flood where she sent down a dog filled with rice grains in its tail after the flood, she is worshiped as a rice goddess. In some quarters, especially among business people and traders, she is looked upon as a Goddess of Luck and Fortune. In recent years there have been claims of her being the protector of air travelers.
 
A traditional Hakka village house. This one is at Hok Tau Wai near Fan Ling.
 
Sam Mun Tsai was built in 1965 to house people who were forced to move to make way for the Plover Cove Reservoir.
Kwun Yam Temple
Sha Tin Pass Road
   Hok Tau Wai
   Sam Mun Tsai
Typical Hong Kong bakery
 
There is still a little bit of farming being done in the New Territories. You will find the odd pig and chicken farm, but most farming nowadays is about growing vegetables.
 
Fresh fruit is much sought after in Hong Kong. Here is a Tai Po fruit store.
Bakery
Tai Po, New Territories
   Vegetable Fields
Ping Kong, Fan Ling, New Territories
   Fruit Seller
Tai Po, New Territories
Ma On Shan - as seen from a ferry in Tolo Harbour
 
Paragliders at Ngong Ping - on the slopes of Ma On Shan above Sai Kung town.
 
The rugged cliffs of Ma On Shan rises to an impressive 702 metres
Ma On Shan
   Paragliders at Ngong Ping
Ma On Shan Country Park
   Ma On Shan
Tsing Fai Tong is a quiet watering hole in the middle of the Tai Lam Country Park
 
Tai Mo Shan is the tallest mountain in Hong Kong, but the hike to the top is not all that difficult...
 
Creepers and vines are slowly reclaiming old farm houses at Nam Hang Pai near Yuen Long in the New Territories.
Tsing Fai Tong
Tai Lam Country Park
   Tai Mo Shan
Hong Kong's Highest Peak
   Nam Hang Pai
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