Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i Wilderness

THE TONGARIRO ALPINE Crossing will be better managed this summer, although it’s unlikely there will be any major management changes in place. DOC’s regional director of operations, Allan Munn, said there is “a whole bunch of things being put together with caution”. “There are some problems that we need to sort out now and some things that can be done without undue haste,” he said. “We’re going to manage the toilets better – we need to have the right number in the right place and keep them clean and tidy. We’re going to manage the track better, ensure systems around safety are in place and we will manage the car parks better by having more people on the ground. “Our long term objective is to manage that walk in a…

WALKERS WHO VISIT Waitakere Ranges Regional Park are putting kauri at risk by ignoring signs asking them to clean their footwear and are even jumping barriers to walk tracks that have been closed. A new report has detailed findings that show on some tracks as many as 83 per cent of visitors are not using the kauri dieback cleaning stations provided at trailheads and track junctions. Previously diebackfree areas were also showing signs of infection, indicating people are still walking closed tracks. A total of 18.95 per cent of all kauri in the park are now infected with the disease, up from 7.9 per cent in 2011. “I’m shocked,” said Nick Waipara, Auckland Council’s principal biosecurity advisor. “I guess I was hopeful some of the measures we put in place…

IN SUMMER, MT NGAURUHOE (2287m) is a rather straightforward scramble up the loose scoria. Scores of people attempt it to earn the bragging rights of summiting ‘Mt Doom’. But in winter and spring, the mountain becomes a more serious undertaking. Its 30-degree slope is not terribly steep. Under most conditions, with good route selection, rope and snow anchors are not required. However, good crampon technique and the ability to self-arrest is essential. The most common, and straightforward ascent is via its northern flank, branching off from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing at South Crater. This side of the mountain tends to have more snow than ice, and with no major bluffs or gullies like the southern flank, it is more forgiving for novice climbers. The ascent is physically exhausting, but it’s…

HAVE YOU EVER had a tramping nightmare? Not a bad dream, but when everything has really gone wrong? Once, on a trip to a dark and creepy hut in the Te Ureweras, we got to talking about what you would do if on arrival at a hut, late at night, you discovered a dead body. (This surely must have happened before – if it’s happened to you, do write in.) Would you camp outside? Would you drag the body out? Would it get eaten by possums? Would the hut then be home to the ghost of the dead tramper? Would you smell it from a distance or only notice it as you happened right upon it? Since then, I’ve often cooked up oddball thoughts about what sort of difficulties you…

IN ANY ONE YEAR YOU’D END UP WITH TWO OR THREE GOOD-QUALITY KOKAKO ENCOUNTERS AND IT CAN’T BE EXPLAINED AWAY BY ANYTHING ELSE. - Ron Nilsson The call of the kōkako is a stunning piece of music. Slow, haunting, bell-like and clear, it’s something you don’t forget, Rhys Buckingham says. “The call is the most amazing thing. Full organ song, quite loud, beautiful notes, and unmistakable.” That’s if you’re lucky enough to hear it. The South Island kōkako was, until very recently, officially extinct. But a small group of people are convinced it’s out there. This time of year, Buckingham, a smiling man with a tuffet of salt and pepper hair and a face all lean planes of cheekbone, usually takes a rest from the hunt that began in the…

TE ARAROA TRAIL walkers are a bit like mice – nearly every hut has them. I say that with love, because I do really enjoy talking to people from all over the world, and I admire their enthusiasm for their undertaking. But Bushline Hut wasn’t one of the huts I thought would see a lot of Te Araroa traffic, until I went there. DOC wisdom said up to three hours to the hut and it looked like a stiff climb up some steep slopes. In fact, standing in St Arnaud, looking to Mt Robert, you might wonder how you could walk up there at all. I wanted to do the Mt Robert Circuit, which takes around five hours and means you walk both the Pinchgut Track and Paddy’s Track with…

High above the Gates of Haast on the Haast Pass Highway are the fearsome Stewart Crags – an almost 1000m wall of forest and cliff rising sheer from the Wills River to the crest of the Bealey Range. The range, which terminates its westward push here, continues east to merge with the Main Divide near Hassing Peak above the upper Hunter Valley. For nearly its entire length, it is traversable and offers some outstanding trip options between the upper Wills and lower Lands-borough rivers. This is further enhanced by the fact that neither river needs to be forded to make for an exciting and moderately challenging crossing from one valley to the other – or to enjoy some of the best scenery South Westland has to offer. The range is…

How do New Zealand springs compare to those elsewhere in the world? I think we're in the top three countries in the world for hot springs, alongside Japan and Iceland. Not surprising considering we're located on the Pacific Rim of Fire. Which is your favourite backcountry hot spring? Welcome Flat Hot Pools. I lived and worked there for five years as a hut ranger and volunteer coordinator. It's reached on a What’s it like to travel the country in search of hot springs? Well, someone’s got to do it! Part of why I love hot springs is that you get to go on amazing adventures – not only in New Zealand, but around the world. I’ve met so many people and visited places I would never have gone otherwise –…

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEFT VULNERABLE. UNSAFE. IT’S HEARTBREAKING TO HEAR OF PEOPLE GOING AWAY HATING THE NAME TONGARIRO, BECAUSE OF THEIR BAD EXPERIENCE. The personification of Te Awa Whanganui and Te Urewera has broken the boundaries of management of natural places. This recognition and respect of the spirituality of the land and water, and iwi associations, while also continuing to manage these places for adventure, escape, rejuvenation and inspiration for everyone, is world leading. What, then, of the hallowed Tongariro, the mountain central to the world’s first dual cultural and natural World Heritage site whose flanks are covered with summer crowds; conga-like lines of people, and their litter, with no sign yet, despite review after review, of any significant management solution to the current situation? Te Ngaehe Wanikau is tumuaki;…

What’s the tipping point that pushes a tramper to become a climber? It’s a lot of fuss and bother: huge amounts of (spendy) new gear, more training, and – this cannot be overstated – more risk. According to the Mountain Safety Council, mountaineering has ‘a high ratio of incidents’ compared to other outdoor activities (including tramping), with 71 per cent of incidents happening because of a fall. What rational, reasonable individual would go climbing? What tipped me over was a good friend gifting me an ice axe for my birthday. It’s a Simond walking axe, and it sat unused for some time, shiny, glinting in the sunshine, taunting me, until I couldn’t take it anymore. Although I had deemed tramping in snow to be a ridiculous pursuit (why walk up…

Which pair? Don’t just buy what your coach or friend recommends. Their foot shape might be completely different to yours. A good rule of thumb is to get a trail shoe half a size larger than your regular shoes and if you plan on doing ultra distances, think about getting at least one pair that is a full size larger – feet can swell up to two sizes over longer distances. Upper Most often made from super light synthetic materials and featuring mesh panels or a breathable lining so feet don’t get too hot. Toe box Trail shoes require a sturdy toe box to protect against rocks and roots. Midsole This cushions the foot on landing. Heel to toe drop This is the height difference between the heel and toe.…

Waterproofing Boots in this range will have a waterproof membrane, or lining, to draw moisture away from the foot while preventing water from getting in. Lacing and hardware Fabric or metal eyelets are used with one or two metal lugs at the ankle. Fabric eyelets are durable and should last the life of the boot. Upper Leather or a combination of leather or suede with synthetic panels. They are soft and supple. Leather lasts longer – often outliving the sole. The material should handle abrasion from rocks and other trail obstacles. Toe box This should be stiffened or protected with a rubber cap to protect toes from knocks and dislodged rocks. Ankle cuff Boot height is typically to just above the ankle, reducing the chance of water and trail debris…

Boot care Follow this three-step plan to give your boots a longer life: 1. Scrub your boots as soon as you get home. Rinse the inside with fresh water and dissolved natural soap to wash away perspiration and body oils 2. Dry the boots naturally but not in direct sunlight. Don’t put them in front of the fire or in the hot water cupboard 3. Once dry, warm them up to open the leather’s pores and apply a leather conditioner. Lacing Laces should flow smoothly to provide even tension around the foot. Durable metal eyelets and lugs are the norm. Ankle height A high cuff offers greater protection – especially important considering the heavy packs carried and uneven terrain the boots are used on. Tongue Padded gusseted tongues (a bellows…

Your trips, your pix What did you get up to last weekend? Get your photo published here to receive an Opinel No.5 folding knife worth $20. Learn more about Opinel at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…

DURING HIS 40 YEARS as a cartographer with LINZ, Geoff Aitken put his mark on a map many times – but never his boot print. He had always wanted to create maps specifically for trampers but his work for the government required a broader approach. He retired in 2000. Two years later, NZ’s national mapping organisation reviewed its map design and Aitken submitted his ideas for improvements. He never heard back so he launched his own: NewTopo maps. Since 2004, NewTopo has built a range of 41 tramping maps. They adorn visitor centres,huts and guide trampers tramping. Aitken sells around 6000 maps a year, and has sold more than 41,500 in total. Some maps are into their fifth edition. But what’s different about NewTopo? “I’m very selective,” Aitken says. With…

MOST KEEN TRAMPERS will have either been, or plan to go, over Browning Pass at some time in their outdoor career. The pass is part of the classic Three Passes Route through the Main Divide from the Upper Waimakariri River to Westland and also includes Harman and Whitehorn passes. As such it sometimes rates as a pretty easy route with no particular difficulty – but that’s on a good day. Even then it’s no cakewalk. This was my fourth visit to the pass and for the first time, I noticed the route had changed and was more difficult than previously. Despite now having a good poled route to the top, and easy access into the scree slope from the base of the ascent, the top third of the access has…

When the first salty wave crashed over my face, soaking me thoroughly and blurring my vision, I dug my paddle in, bracing for the next one. We’d stepped into our kayaks mere moments earlier in the sheltered waters of Tryphena Harbour on Great Barrier Island. The sun was blazing, but the wind was howling. Now, on the open water, our eyes grew wide as we realised the waves were much, much bigger than they had looked from the ferry. “Turn into the oncoming waves!” our guide Daniel O’Connor called to us, as we slowly made our way across Taylors Bay. We were five minutes into our five-day, 100km circumnavigation of Aotea/Great Barrier Island, and this was our first reality check. Things had been looking good earlier that morning, as the…

FAUST OFFERS AN accessible high country experience in a region known for its magnificence. The 1710m peak rises directly above the confluence of the Boyle and Lewis rivers just east of SH7, and provides an outstanding panorama of the south-east sector of Lewis Pass National Reserve. It also has a well formed and marked track to the bush edge, although it’s poled beyond that. This is not shown on most maps and is not signposted from the highway. It is an achievable day trip from Christchurch for any moderately fit tramper. It is a favourite trip of mine and several times I have been up to the enticing alpine tussock-lands and beyond, over the interconnecting ridges. We shrugged on our packs and hopped over the style on the north side…

JUST SOUTH OF Bombay, the Mt William Walkway offers stunning views from some of the highest vantage points in the Auckland region. Being only 40 minutes drive from the CBD, it's a great half day escape from the city. On a misty July morning, I started the track from the McMillan Road end, the southern entrance to the track. After crossing a few fields, I soon reached the native bush of Mt William Scenic Reserve, home to kauri, hard beech and king ferns. This is where the climb starts, though there are steps and the gradient is manageable. Coming out of the bush into open farmland dotted with sheep, the track steepens, and becomes considerably more slippery for the final section to the summit. At 373m, Mt William is higher…

Eyelets and laces Fabric eyelets are common, with some metal or hard plastic eyelets used on those shoes intended for demanding uses. Outsole Wide-spaced and deep lugs are designed to shed mud and offer grip in all conditions. A pronounced instep will provide braking power on descent. Toe box A rubber bumper protects toes from knocks and the shoe upper from abrasion. Midsole Most midsoles – the material between the inner and outsole – are EVA, a polymer designed to handle the stress and impact of walking over uneven ground. Easy-flex models are more comfortable on level ground and when moving fast. Stiffer shoes are better for rockier terrain and allow more precise footholds when climbing and scrambling. Fit and width The toe box should have a thumb-width of space…

Fit You need wriggle room to ensure blood flow – which will combat frostnip. The heel needs to be snug and secure. Pressure points won’t go away with use, so if you feel any, try a different size or model. Stiffness The shank is commonly made from nylon, fibreglass or Kevlar and has little or no flex over both the length and width of the boot. This provides a stable platform in rugged terrain and while climbing, but can mean less comfort on flat terrain. Rand A full rand running around the base of the upper helps protect the boot from scree and moraine. Warmth This is dictated by the upper and insulation of the boot. A fully waterproof membrane (along with high quality gaiters and socks) will help deal…