Indholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2018 i Great Walks

READING some of the stories in this issue – our NZ walking special – took me back to my childhood. My earliest bushwalking memory is of joining the local cub scouts at eight and exploring the wonderful national parks near Auckland where I grew up. We walked all year round and it was often cold and wet. For some reason we always wore shorts and after a while I got used to the icy cold wind blasting onto my skinny bare legs like tiny needles. Quickly I began to feel at home in the Kiwi bush. Someone gave me a rugged old backpack with an external frame that was way too big but I loved the weight of it on me, and the knowledge I was carrying everything I needed…

Camping A-list Thank you Great Walks for your interesting magazine and especially covering the fantastic walks in Tassie, keep up the good work. Great idea to publish the gear list for bushwalking, overnight and multi-day hikes.(Check One, Two, GRW Annual). I keep a laminated copy for myself and gave one to my sister and refer to it often. Love reading all your articles and particularly like Di Westaway’s Words of Wisdom. Susie Coombs, Sheffield Tas Hi Susie, happy to be of service! Make sure you read Caro and Marcus’ columns on bushwalking gear this issue (pg’s 68 and 74). We hope you enjoy our next Words of Wisdom columnist John Chapman – and also read his feature story on pg 52 – Ed Stories galore I read recently in one…

IN the midst of thick forest, a lonely two-pronged signpost signals 501km to Kalamanda in one direction and the same distance to Albany in the other. It’s officially the halfway point of the Bibbulmun Track, a journey I began east of Perth 26 days ago. Energetically I scale the pole for a photo snapped by a weary friend who has collapsed on the ground next to me. Duncan is joining me for a week and he’s yet to find his hiking legs, but as the days pass he grows stronger while I start to wilt, perhaps because I need a break after the latest 12 day stretch, or perhaps it’s just one of the inevitable troughs that come with a through-hike. I’m going the full distance, heading south to Albany…

It’s been a decade since NZ’s most famous adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary passed away. In issue 4 of Great Walks kiwi journalist Mike White wrote about accompanying ‘Sir Ed’ on his last trip to the South Pole in 2007. Here we have the pleasure of republishing his story. IT was as if Antarctica was saying farewell to a favourite son. The coldest, windiest continent on Earth for once held its breath as we sat on the Ross Ice Shelf with the sun ceaselessly circling and marked Sir Edmund Hillary’s last evening in Antarctica. Fifty years before, Sir Ed had set up Scott Base, NZ’s toehold on the craggy shores of Ross Island, then driven 1500km to the South Pole, the first man to make the journey overland since Amundsen in…

SOME trips never go to plan and so it was with our ambitious undertaking to walk from Arthurs Pass through to Mt Cook in NZ’s South Island. The aim was to follow the alps, crossing numerous passes in the process. We allocated 31 days allowing six days for weather, rest or flooded streams. Food drops by helicopter were organised at 7-9 day intervals. The group of 11 arrived in Christchurch just after a cyclone had swept across the South Island. Two days were spent buying and packing food. A week before leaving Melbourne Mike strained his knee, but it was still an issue in Christchurch, so we were one group member down before we even left town. We started just south of Arthurs Pass in fine weather. A good track…

Keeping it real I have been an avid reader of Great Walks for the last four years, and have always enjoyed the magazine. I am a day-walk bushwalker, primarily due to a busy career including work travel which places limits on my time. The reason I write is that I feel that the contents of the magazine is moving away from local, grassroots bushwalking content and towards very heavily advertised ‘bucket list’ destinations and walks. I very much enjoy all of your articles, but many are basically travel destination pieces which are becoming increasingly inaccessible due to the time and financial commitment required. As ‘Australia’s bushwalking magazine’ I would love to see more focus on grassroots bushwalking – ‘How to get started with a bushwalking club’, ‘How to find a…

ON the 1st of February we said goodbye to our flat in Sydney, packed our bags and boarded a flight to Auckland. This was to be the beginning of our great adventure, walking all Great Walks of New Zealand. This would involve walking and paddling (one of the walks is in fact a canoe journey) 550km over nine weeks. The seed of the idea had been around since visiting New Zealand over 15 years ago and walking some day sections on a couple of the Great Walks. The beauty of the landscape completely blew me away and it was the trip that started my lifelong love of hiking. On leaving the country I vowed one day to come back to walk the tracks in full. On deciding to take a…

The British Mount Everest Expedition was the ninth expedition to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest. Here’s what happened. In 1952 Edmund Hillary learned that he and fellow kiwi climber George Lowe had been invited by the Joint Himalayan Committee for the 1953 British attempt on Everest. The expedition lead by John Hunt totalled over 400 people, including 362 porters and 4,500kg of baggage. The expedition set up base camp in March 1953 and, working slowly, set up its final camp at the South Col at 7,890m. On 26 May, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans attempted the climb but turned back when Evans’ oxygen system failed. The pair had reached the South Summit, coming within 90 vertical metres of the summit. Hunt then directed Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay…

TACKLING NZ’s Great Walks – or really any major walking track in the world! – can be exhilarating, challenging and rewarding. To make sure your trip is a safe and enjoyable one below are 10 things to know before you go. 1 Book in advance The key to a successful trip is organisation. Be sure to book in advanced and have back up plans just in case everything doesn’t fall into place. The Milford Track is one of the most popular trails in NZ and it gets booked out months ahead so forward planning is important. Some tracks may be closed for safety reasons at the last minute due to avalanche danger, flooding or high winds closing the trail for a period of time. This usually leads to a reimbursement…

NEED TO KNOW For more info on Mike's photos and guided walks visit mikeedmondson.com.au…

“HIKING ISN’T FOR EVERYONE. ONLY COOL PEOPLE SEEM TO LIKE IT ” “WHO WANTS TO GIVE UP ON SOCIETY AND LIVE IN A TREEHOUSE? ” “SOMETIMES YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, AND SOMETIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, YOU FIND YOURSELF ” “ SLEEPING BAGS ARE THE SOFT TACOS OF THE BEAR WORLD ” “BRING A COMPASS. IT’S AWKWARD WHEN YOU HAVE TO EAT YOUR FRIENDS. ” “ KEEP CALM AND CAMP ON ” “THIS TENT WAS CLEANED YESTERDAY. SORRY YOU MISSED IT! ” “EVERY GREAT JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A TRIP TO THE LOO ” “ O. C. D: OBSESSIVE CAMPING DISORDER ” “ LET’S WANDER WHERE THE WIFI IS WEAK ”…

If it's been a while since you explored the Blue Mountains or if you've never been there then now's the time to go. This rugged region west of Sydney, known for its dramatic scenery, encompasses steep cliffs, eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and villages dotted with guesthouses, galleries and gardens. And as there are literally hundreds of tracks in the park you'll find a walk right for you. Our favourites include the 6km Grand Canyon Walk – regarded as one of the most impressive walking trails in the region. On the other end of the spectrum is the 45km Kanangra Walls to Katoomba walk (or 'K top K'). This challenging 2-3 day walk goes through some of the finest wilderness you'll see anywhere in Australia. You'll have to be totally sufficient but…

IN November, I hiked the Kepler Track for the first time with a close friend of mine, Daniel. We had planned the hike for 12 months, and had trained for the four-day trek. The weather and views were spectacular and we met some fantastic like minded trekkers, exchanging stories and sharing some great nights in the well maintained Department of Conservation (DOC) huts. The plan was then for Daniel to fly out, and for my wife Carol to then flew in from Brisbane, and we were due to start the Milford Track the following day. After arriving at the DOC hut at Te Anau just after 8am with Carol, we were told that all walking tracks including the Milford were closed due to a snowstorm. More storm and snow warnings…

“A very snug cove”, that’s how one person described Ship Cove, one of the many bays that make up Marlborough Sounds. Standing on the pebbly beach and staring out into the sparkling waters I couldn’t agree more. This was a very snug cove and the perfect place for the 71km Queen Charlotte Track to begin. In fact the person who said this would have been the ideal bushwalking buddy as he adored the area. But that was impossible because his name was Captain James Cook and he was here about 240 years before I was. In 2020 it will be the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s arrival to Ship Cove and there are plenty of activities planned. Cook found Marlborough Sounds so agreeable he visited Ship Cove five times between…

I AM sitting in the cafe of the Port Arthur historical site in south-east Tasmania, waiting for a boat that will take me into the wilderness for a four-day trek. As I leaf through a brochure for the Three Capes Walk, I am reassured to find this quote by one of my favourite thinkers: ‘Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.’ Albert Einstein I am actually feeling a little apprehensive. Although I love the idea of unplugging from civilisation and immersing myself in the natural environment, the truth is I’m a bit of a culture junkie. Unlike my wife and her brother who organised this trip, I am neither a keen nor knowledgeable botanist. While they feel totally at home amongst plants, I am more a…

Everest Base Camp, Nepal James Dee, Balgowlah, NSW Camera: iPhone SE James: “We were somehow lucky enough to get postcard worthy weather at the highest point of the Everest Base Camp trek. Here I am trying to catch my breath at the summit of Kalla Patthar, gazing at Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse.” Everest Base Camp, Nepal Indigo White, Northfield, SA Indigo: “The photo is my son on the summit of Kala Patthar (meaning ‘Black Rock’) during our Base Camp trek in November 2017. It has an elevation of 5,644.5m. It is a small peak famous for its incredible views of Mount Everest, it is a short hike from Gorak Shep.” Overland Track, Tas Scott Johnston, via email Camera: iPhone 7 Plus Scott: “Our final night of the Overland Track was…

AS you’ve already seen in this issue the options on where to bushwalk in New Zealand are endless. The big question is where to go and how to walk – independent or guided? Pack or pack free? Public or private huts? Basic or a few creature comforts thrown in? To help you with your decision we asked 10 NZ walking tour operators to tell us where they go and what services they offer. Aspiring Guides For over 25 years Aspiring Guides has provided guided multi-day trekking adventures, ascents of NZ’s highest, most iconic peaks such as Mt Aspiring and Mt Cook and comprehensive mountaineering instruction courses. Discover true backcountry hiking – Gillespie & Rabbit Passes, trekking on NZ’s highest glaciers to easier walks suitable for the whole family. The routes…

“DIVE INTO BANKSIAS AND A BUSTLE OF BIRDLIFE, INCLUDING HONEYEATERS AND WRENS. ” 1 Bushrangers Bay to Cape Schanck / Two Bays For an easy day stroll, walkers can hit the trail amid farmland on the Rosebud-Flinders Road where you dive into banksias and a bustle of birdlife, including honeyeaters and wrens. Follow the creek line before detouring down to sandy Bushrangers Bay. From there, double back to track along the basalt coastline to postcard-famous Cape Schanck Lighthouse. Be sure to head out to the point, reached via a boardwalk, to admire Pulpit Rock, a stack that is actually a volcanic plug. The light station includes a lighthouse, museum and former lighthouse keeper’s residences dating from 1859. Guided tours are held each day and overnight accommodation is available in the…