Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2015 i Wilderness

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The man I used to be most envious of was Dan Carter; blessed with good looks and absurd natural talent, he gets to play rugby every day of his life and everyone loves him for it. But now there’s a man who has exceeded Carter in my envy stakes. Two years ago Matt Jenke landed the sort of job any tramper would bite their own arm off to do. Google tasked Jenke to walk seven of the nine Great Walks with a multi-squillion dollar camera strapped to his back. All he had to do was remain upright at all times and remember to flick the ‘on’ switch before setting off. The camera, called the Google Trekker, was created by Steve Silverman, who used to create cameras for expeditions to Mars.…

The Wairarapa’s Aorangi Forest Park often gets overlooked by trampers, who are naturally drawn to the much larger Tararua Forest Park. However, the Aorangi Range boasts some fine tramping, and often – especially when one of the notorious nor-westers is blowing – experiences better weather. Lying in the rain-shadow of the Aorangi and Rimutaka Range, the vegetation is notably different too. One autumn I headed into the Tauanui Valley, on the park’s western fringes, destined for the six-bunk Tauanui Hut set in a clearing about halfway up. As I’d set off just after dawn, the slanting light of the early morning sun lit the forest, illuminating the various shades of green and I paused to take this photograph. Such places may lack the scale and grandeur of the Southern Alps,…

I remember the exact incident that prompted a discussion around buying expensive tramping boots for our kids. We had been on the top of Mt Starveall in Mt Richmond Forest Park for a couple of hours, taking lunch and playing with the kids among the tussock in the hot sun. When it was time to put our boots back on and continue, my daughter Alice asked if she could give my boots a try. Despite being just 10 years old, her foot size had recently caught up with mine. I was less than enthusiastic. I had just purchased a beautiful – and expensive – pair of Meindl boots that fitted and worked perfectly for my feet. I frequently got blisters while tramping and no matter how many different kinds of…

The river now had a more sinister edge. Gone was the clear tranquillity. Before us was a swirling, coffee-coloured debris-strewn torrent, flowing twice as fast, and a good metre higher, than the day before. None of us had any experience of paddling high-flow rivers and we were all intimidated, especially when a dead and very bloated goat floated past. We considered waiting for the water level to drop, but the impromptu measuring stick placed at the water’s edge an hour earlier indicated it was still rising. We all agreed – leave now and stick together. There’d be safety in numbers. So eight boats and 14 nervous paddlers lined up to face the music. One of the great joys of any multiday trip is battling whatever elements are thrown your way.…

Karl and I motored up South Fiord, passing Forward Peak. Steve, the water taxi operator, pointed out some bailout options: the valleys of the Gorge and Tutu burns which would take us down to the lakeshore. Our plan was to traverse the unnamed main range of the Murchison Mountains. from Mt Irene we would head south to Robin Saddle, on to Te Au Saddle, Macpherson Pass and finally to Fowler Pass before joining the Kepler Track at Hanging Valley Shelter. We’d then walk down to Brod Bay where Steve would be waiting. Steve told us few people tried the traverse we intended. To pass through the western Murchison Mountains, a ‘special takahe area’, we had obtained an entry permit from DOC and the last group who had tried – some…

The 30km Motatapu Track runs from Arrowtown to Wanaka and forms part of the Te Araroa Trail. An overnight trip from Wanaka to the 12-bunk Fern Burn Hut offers a slice of this Otago high country station. Up the Motatapu I went, with the aim of a gentle amble to the hut. The walk in was easy going, although at times the track was cut into the mountainside high above Fern Burn, in a way that reminded me of the Kepler Track. The gradient isn’t tough and neither is the time it takes to get there – around 2.5hr. The start of the walk featured lots of cows. I had to shoo some off the path – carefully, as there were a few calves with worried-looking mothers. The surrounding terrain…

MERRELL CAPRA MID GTX $349 SO LIGHT ON your feet you hardly know you’re wearing them, the Capra Mid is an immediately comfortable medium-duty walking boot. Weighing just 907g a pair, they come with a fully synthetic upper of heavy duty mesh with an exoskeleton of rubber to give support and to draw the foot into the heel cup. The lacing is positive and a minimum of padding combined with a low-profile fit makes them feel secure around the ankle area. I liked the small neoprene cuff at the top of the boot; it closes neatly around the ankle and keeps stones and twigs out when you’re not wearing gaiters. The Gore-Tex lined uppers are well bonded to a Vibram sole that had great grip on rock. But while the…

Location Armstrong Saddle, above Sunrise Hut, Ruahine Forest Park Settings ISO 100, f11, 1/20 second GET ONTO THE TOPS Photography in the mountains is often about capturing the grand landscape and sweeping vistas full of rugged peaks. The best place for this is from high vantage points or the top of a peak offering a view out over the horizon. You could also include some foreground to give the image some depth. HEAD OUT AT SUNSET One great thing about being in the hills is the amazing warm light you get by being up high at sunset – try to make use of this to illuminate foreground subjects and the tops of distant peaks. COMPOSING THE LANDSCAPE Avoid putting the horizon in the centre of the image as it can…

The humble hut book is often the first thing a tramper looks through at the end of a day’s walk. They serve several important purposes. First and foremost, of course, they provide a record of trampers’ intentions, which may prove invaluable in the event something goes wrong. Search and Rescue teams rely on hut book entries to help narrow their search for a missing person. Secondly, the hut book offers information for others using the hut. Are there obstacles or dangers on the track ahead, recorded by trampers coming in the opposite direction? Perhaps there might be good advice on an off-track route you hadn’t considered. Thirdly, it provides a valuable record of those using the hut for DOC staff or other groups that manage the hut. How much use…

Approaching Springs Junction from the east, the large pyramid-shaped summit of Mt Haast rears above its neighbouring peaks. For Bryce, Mike, and myself, making the summit was our goal for a day trip from Christchurch. It was a fair distance to travel, but with a reasonable forecast, the lure of the western slopes of the Main Divide was hard to resist. Mt Haast is modest in altitude, just 1587m, has a track to the bushline and a poled route from there to the top. Some might call it a highway, but let’s not presume too much – it’s still almost 1000m of altitude gain from road to summit, and those metres get steeper as the top is approached. But first the bush. An easy angled trail begins right beside the…

My half-day trip to Mahia Peninsula was in fact an unplanned escape from stormy weather. Gales had struck the mountains of Te Urewera where I was spending one of my getaway weekends and the decision to explore the peninsula made an exhilarating change. The jagged seashore surrounded by white cliffs, so typical of Mahia, is well defined behind Wairoa town. Not long after I passed through a small local service centre at Waikokopu, I spent a while wandering on the beach – entirely covered by bone-coloured pieces of wood shaped and washed up by the tide. I hit winding and stony Kinikini Road and headed up to my target – the Mahia Peninsula Scenic Reserve. Situated near the heart of the peninsula, this reserve represents one of the last pieces…

HANDLE The handle is one of the most important features. It should allow a sure and comfortable grip – often achieved through an ergonomic design that naturally fits the palm of your hand. When using the knife or multi-tool, the tools not in use should not protrude into the hand. Some handles also offer a textured surface for non-slip grip. SERRATED VS PLAIN BLADES Straight edges are good for accurate and clean cuts – perfect for those cheese and salami lunch breaks – and for skinning animals or sharpening sticks. Serrated blades are designed for more vigorous cutting and for tackling tougher materials, sometimes even wood. A single blade that combines a plain and serrated edge provides the best of both worlds. LOCKING MECHANISMS A safety feature built into most…

Manaia, Northland (420m) Above the sleepy estuary-hugging McLeod Bay lies a series of sharply rising extinct volcanoes that make up the Whangarei Heads. Possibly the most impressive of these is Manaia; its castle-like turrets and sheer southern face casting an imposing shadow over the town, with its numerous B&Bs. Luckily, a good track spirals to the top, making the summit possible in just over an hour from the bay. It’s a steep grunt, but one that’s both short and rewarding. North Head, Devonport, Auckland (65m) Of all the volcanoes in Auckland, there can be few (if any) with a better view of the city than North Head. Poking out from the glorious old villas of Devonport, the city view incorporates the blue waters of the Waitemata Harbour in the foreground,…

Fifteen years ago I was obsessed with adventure. In fact, the third decade of my life was pretty much defined by it. I started out as a climber – questing all over my birth continent of North America and occasionally beyond for rock and ice and wild, vertiginous places. I built my life around these pursuits and they gave me my sense of self. I became attached to my exploits and my accomplishments, and wore my epics like badges of courage. To be honest, I felt superior to non-adventurers. Adventuring was what mattered – not fancy cars, nice clothes, good jobs, or anything else. Weekends measured in metres gained, kilometres paddled, or pitches climbed trumped those measured in number of beers consumed or football games watched. I didn't understand the…

ST BATHANS HIDEAWAY Hidden Lake, Oteake Conservation Park Although Oteake Conservation Park is characterised by very high, bleak slopes and large and dry alpine basins, there are some remarkable features here, including numerous alpine lakes. The largest of these is also the most accessible; Hidden Lake (not named on maps) at 1553m on the northern end of the St Bathans Range. This deep, dark lake is ringed with bluffs on its northern edge and littered with large striking boulders. Campsites are few and far between, but the setting is beautiful and offers great photography. The St Bathans Range is easily climbed and can be traversed southwards for many kilometres. - Pat Barrett ACCESS Broken Hut Road, south of Omarama to DOC boundary GRADE Moderate TIME 5hr CRATERED LAKES Tama lakes,…

In my opinion, one of the best views of the Ruapehu massif is from Castle Rock, a fortress-like outcrop along the Kaimanawa Forest Park Walkway. The name is quite likely locally bestowed as it is not marked on a map. However, finding Castle Rock is a relatively easy undertaking and within the capabilities of most trampers. A 4WD track heading north-east leads up to a poled route branching off to the right, then beginning a short but steady climb in a south-easterly direction to the hinterland. From here it’s just a case of following this undulating route which parallels the park’s boundary with land occupied by the New Zealand Defence Force; a fact you are reminded of by notices warning of live firing and that your ‘person or your vehicle,…

Like a giant thumb, Banks Peninsula juts 30km into the Pacific Ocean from the Canterbury coastline creating its own climate and a unique habitat. Two giant calderas, now open to the sea, have been formed here by the collapsed cones of the Lyttelton and Akaroa volcanoes which it is estimated once reached well over 1500m. Before the arrival of Maori, and later Europeans, the landscape was almost entirely covered in forest and teeming with birdlife. Now, however, there are only remnant forests, most of which are contained in protected native reserves and form part of the intrinsic appeal of a visit to the peninsula, along with the many short trails which link them to the Summit Road and the additional coastal trails that provide access to various beaches and headlands.…

I wanted to get out of Christchurch for a couple of days. My original plan had been the West Coast, but with an intense-looking low moving rapidly across the Tasman, I opted instead for a weekend getaway in Akaroa. I’d been to the town twice before, but the hills around it offer so many different walks, things to do and places to see that I could spend a week there and still come back for more. In this instance, I wanted a taste of the West Coast denied to me by the dismal weather. Nikau Palm Gully Scenic Reserve offers this. Nikau palms are the southernmost member of the palm family and are normally found on the west coast of the North Island and the north-west of the South Island.…

In the early 1970s my boyfriend and I holidayed on Great Barrier Island. By our second day we were completely hooked. We fell in love with the island and decided to buy land there. We felt there was nowhere else in the world we wanted to live. So, in the days of youthful dreams, few roads, few people and no money we moved to the island to build a home, develop a garden and raise our children. It was a true pioneering adventure. After 43 years and three children, we’re still on the island, living in paradise. So what keeps us here? The breathtaking beauty of the place and the people. The landscapes are so rich and varied. The east coast has stunning white sand beaches, fringed with pohutukawa. On…