Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Wilderness

ONE OF OUR most popular stories last month was ‘The courage in turning back’, in which trampers detailed experiences where they had decided it was simply too dangerous to continue on. In the story, we said: ‘Giving up is one of the hardest decisions a tramper can make, but knowing when to turn back is what makes a good tramper’. Over the summer, I’ve been thinking about that story especially in light of my own decision-making in the hills. One trip in particular sticks in my mind and I can’t decide if I had passed or failed the ‘knowing when to turn back’ test. Last winter, I accidentally walked the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk when I had intended to only walk a section of the, much shorter, Tongariro Alpine…

Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…

WE HAVE a family tradition of taking our children on their first overnight tramp when they turn six. For my son’s inaugural tramp, I decided to rope in a few friends to join us on the Orongorongo Track. I booked Papatahi Hut, one of six DOC huts in the Orongorongo Valley, three months prior to our trip because the huts in the valley are so popular. Being only 45-minutes’ drive from Wellington, the area offers diverse forest and interesting waterways, and has a variety of tracks for all ages and fitness levels. The start of the Orongorongo Track is an ugly mix of gorse and gravel, but it soon enters native forest. There are information panels about native birds and the kids enjoyed winding the handles to hear the sounds…

It’s a long haul onto the tops from Rapid Creek Hut in the lower Hokitika Valley. More so when the route taken is by the aptly named Miserable Ridge. The 1200m climb is stretched out over 4km of ridgeline. And it’s steep. Tim and I had begun our trip near the Hokitika Gorge Swingbridge, a popular tourist attraction on the West Coast. Out of the ute, we began the trudge alongside the boisterous and intimidating flow of the Hokitika River, first over farm flats then riverbed, then the old greasy pack track up to the cableway and Rapid Creek Hut. The cableway is quite something. Spanning the river on a single 100m-long wire, the small aluminium cage runs trampers across in a long swoop to mid-river and then a slow…

THESE FUDGE bites are a quick snack that will keep your legs moving. Hemp protein has a good mix of amino acids, fibre and minerals. You can buy it in most health food stores and some supermarkets. If you want to give the recipe even more of a boost you can drizzle melted chocolate on top of the bites after they have cooled. PREP TIME 5min COOK TIME 20min MAKES 12 bites COST $5 INGREDIENTS 2 large ripe bananas ¼ cup nut butter ¼ cup cacao powder 1 tbsp honey 4 tbsp ground chia seeds 2 tbsp hemp powder METHOD Preheat the oven to 1900 C and oil a mini muffin tray. In a medium-sized bowl, mash the bananas then stir all other ingredients and mix until well-combined. Spoon tablespoon-sized…

WANAKA DRONE USE ON THE RISE Drone operators are flying in the face of aviation laws in Wanaka. Despite a local ban, three unauthorised drones have been reported to the DOC hotline at the popular Roys Peak Track since Christmas. DOC staff have also interacted with drone operators flying near Siberia and Aspiring huts within Mt Aspiring National Park. “I personally spoke to an operator behind the Wanaka visitor centre last week, in sight of a helipad,” senior ranger Annette Grieves said. Due to high visitor use and the proximity to aircraft flight paths, recreational drone use is not permitted around Wanaka. Users need to get a permit to fly a drone in a national park and other conservation areas. Drone use is managed by DOC field staff and signage…

WHILE MANY hit the hills to escape technology, for some it’s an integral part of tramping. Mobile phones in particular have found firm footing in the backcountry as they’ve advanced enough to replace cameras, navigational tools, emergency comms and books. But, at the end of the day, they’re only as good as their battery life. Solar chargers seem the perfect solution for outdoor energy, but while the sun’s power is unlimited, harnessing it has its limitations. Liam Riles, marketing executive of Wanakabased outdoor gear distributor Solis, says portable solar technology has come a long way in recent years. “Ten years ago, solar panels were a bit Mickey Mouse, but they’re good enough now that they’re worth getting,” he says. They aren’t, however, suitable for every tramper. “I’d recommend buying a…

WE HAD PICKED our route from Island Gully Hut to a tarn below the summit of Mt Dora almost at random. We could find little information about the area apart from there being sparse vegetation and a gentle, continuous climb up the valley with few obstacles. It seemed the perfect destination after a long period without much tramping. At Island Gully Hut, we were immediately swallowed by chest-high tussock. After dropping down the first bank towards the Wairau River, we balanced on a narrow band between grassy swamps and an ankle-busting slope. However, what the landscape lacked in variation, it more than made up for in ducks. At times it seemed like ducks were hiding behind every single blade of grass: it was like we’d stumbled across the world jamboree…

PARK PASS GLACIER is one of those special places that you’d expect would take days of difficult and arduous tramping to reach. The glacier cascades spectacularly from its high neve into a turquoise-blue alpine lake. The barren schist landscape is both beautiful and stark and the dramatic views stretch across limitless valleys into the heart of the Darran Mountains. It looks like a remote wilderness setting, yet it is only a day and a half of relatively easy walking to get here. The glacier is mostly visited as a side excursion by those walking the popular Five Passes route, but it is most definitely a destination in its own right and is well worth the extra effort to take camping gear so you can spend a night or two there.…

IMAGINE TRYING to identify where you are along a track, or confirming you are on the right track. If a bearing is taken of your line of travel it can be matched to the map to help determine where you are. However, taking a single bearing may not be enough. On a 1:50,000 scale map, some twists and turns may be concealed and several bearings may be needed. TO TAKE A BEARING: 1. Face the general direction of travel. 2. Hold the compass flat with the direction of travel arrow facing away from you. 3. Turn the dial until the red magnetic needle points to the magnetic variation. (This is read from the map and is the difference between magnetic north and grid north). 4. Read the bearing. This is…

CONSERVATION STATUS Black-fronted dotterel are self-introduced, arriving here from Australia, and became established in the 1950s, making the bird a native species. They are classified as naturally uncommon, with an estimated population of less than 3000. FEATURES They are most recognisable by their striking Y-shaped black chest feathers which contrast strongly with white plumage above and below. They also have a conspicuous black stripe that runs right through the middle of the eye and extends behind the head. The upper parts of the body and top of the head are a light brown colour and a bright red bill and eye ring give the bird an almost clown-like appearance. They weigh between 30g and 35g and are about 17cm in length. CALL The only call that black-fronted dotterel make is…

GRAND PRIZE A FOUR-DAY RABBIT PASS ALPINE TRAVERSE worth $2350 with Aspiring Guides Located in Mt Aspiring National Park, this four-day alpine crossing links two of the region's major river valleys. This spectacular area is surrounded by high glacier-covered peaks, waterfalls and lakes and is home to many rare and endangered species. You will not find a better way to experience the stunning alpine scenery of New Zealand, surrounded by unspoilt forests, alpine meadows, huge waterfalls and alpine lakes. An Aspiring Guides’ professional guide will help you safely explore this remote and seldom-visited area. Find out more at www.aspiringguides.com. SECOND PRIZE A TWO DAY BREWSTER GLACIER TREK worth $1480 with Adventure Consultants The Brewster Glacier Trek is a true alpine trekking adventure in Mt Aspiring National Park. Tucked into the…

GUARDING THE ENTRANCE to Tauranga Harbour, Mt Maunganui is possibly the most well known, well used, and most popular landmark feature in the Bay of Plenty. The 232m circular dome is an ancient volcano and dominates any and all views of the city of Tauranga from whichever point it’s viewed, with the most dramatic being from the long and beautiful sweep of Papamoa Beach. The presence of the ‘Mount’, as it is affectionately called by locals, increases as you approach along the beach until the sheer bulk of this beautiful rock lords it over Marine Parade and the wild surf beach at its foot. I love this place and especially its backdrop of cliff face and dense forest through which run a veritable maze of walking and running tracks, up,…

The Gillespie Pass Circuit takes in the Young and Wilkin river valleys and crosses the 1600m-high Gillespie Pass – reached after a stiff 1000m climb. It’s a trip not to be underestimated, but the huts on the route are large and comfortable – just like those of the Routeburn Track at the other end of the park. But unlike the Routeburn, there’s way less foot traffic. The journey begins and ends at the satellite village of Makarora, north of Wanaka. Most parties cruise up the Wilkin River on a jet-boat, avoiding the tedious slog along cattle flats. At journey’s end, if the Makarora cannot be forded an exit can be made via the Blue Pools Track to SH6. As both track ends are relatively close together, a brief road-walk or…

Time 3-5 days Distance 60km Grade Easy IT’S NOT EASY TO CHOOSE FAVOURITES. In fact, I was nervous to even ask the question: ‘What’s your favourite tramp?’ When you’ve walked hundreds of tracks – as some of these contributors have – how can you possibly single out just one? For me, choosing a favourite tramp wasn’t too difficult, but my tramping CV is hardly impressive. I’ve always been a beach bum at heart. While mainland kids were outgrowing their ski boots, I was slipping into my next pair of hand-me-down flippers to snorkel the warm waters of Northland. Although I’ve grown to love mountains, they’ve never felt like home the way the ocean does – I didn’t get to tramp in the South Island until my late teens. I’ll agree…

TINY WORLDS Macro photography is a beautiful way to access a world normally invisible to us. Getting up close with tiny subjects like flowers and bugs is par for the course of macro photography, but you can take this to the next level by challenging your viewer with visual riddles. Capture the gritty fabric of your backpack or use unusual perspectives with a shallow depth of field to shoot flowers in new and unusual ways. Images that take a few seconds to figure out can help break the monotony. Not every lens is capable of taking extreme close-up shots. Special macro lenses are required for focussing at distances below 20cm. FOREGROUND, FOREGROUND, FOREGROUND There is hardly an image that is not made better by thinking about its foreground. Sitting in…

MSR Hubba Hubba NX $999 Used by: Tent-lugging roving editor Shaun Barnett Used for: Three years If you’re planning on spending lots of time on the tops in remote mountain areas, camping on a glacier, or tackling off-track Fiordland, you might want to go for a heavy-duty, heavy-to-carry tunnel tent that can withstand a nasty storm. But for most tramping, a lighter tent is preferable and this is where the Hubba Hubba NX excels. It weighs just 1760g. There are few two-person tents as light (indeed, it weighs as much as many one-person tents), or as well designed. The pole design adds significant space inside the tent – it totals 2.7m2 – and with a ceiling height of 100cm, both users can comfortably sit inside when it’s raining without brushing…