Wilderness March 2018

MENTION VAN LIFE and you could be forgiven for thinking about people who travel a country in a rented vehicle, parking up in reserves and fouling the nearby bush. While that is one aspect of it, there’s a lot more to this worldwide movement that has seen more and more people shunning, at least temporarily, bricks and mortar homes and choosing to live in their custom-converted vans and busses. And as we discover in our feature on p64, van life is well and truly entrenched in New Zealand. With the cost of housing out of reach for many first-home buyers, I can see why the freedom of living in a vehicle is attractive. Park up nearly anywhere you like (as long as you are self-contained) and move on when you’re…

Don’t blame the backcountry It was sad to see Debby McColl (‘Te Araroa under pressure in Tararuas’, February 2018) blaming Tararua tracks and huts for negative feedback from Te Araroa trail users. Let’s be clear about the track McColl is referring to: The Tararua main range is backcountry. It is rugged and remote, with often wild and uncompromising weather. There are no easy escape routes. Existing facilities are appropriate for a backcountry experience. Users should expect to find minimally-maintained routes that may be rough and muddy, and should know how to navigate treefall. Backcountry huts are small and basic; users should be prepared to sleep on the floor (and have been doing so for decades without complaining). Perhaps the problem is actually with the expectations and capabilities of those walking…

News that DOC is considering 30 options for the next two Great Walks sparked debate on the Wilderness Facebook page last month after readers were asked which option they preferred: Brien Liisa Lampen-Smith: How about a new area of the country that needs some more infrastructure spent on it, and could do with an upturn in the local economy – put in a new track from Tokomaru Bay to Opotiki for example. Pete Griffin: Kauri Coast Walk. Auckland needs more options and Northland needs tourism dollars. And it’s far enough away from traditional tramping destinations that those selfishly moaning that there are too many tourists in the hills shouldn’t have reason to complain. Diarmaid Coffey: Two North Island ones hopefully – definitely need more huts near Auckland. I’d say it'll…

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FIRST SECTION OF NEW GREAT WALK OPENING THIS YEAR The first section of the Paparoa Track Great Walk is set to open later this year, as workers strive to complete the track by April 2019. Construction of the $10 million, 55km track started in July last year. Contractors have completed about 8km of track. Construction has also begun on two new huts and one of four large bridges has been built. DOC communications advisor Jose Watson said the department plans to open a 16km section of track later this year but could not commit to an opening date. The section of track starts at the Punakaiki end and leads to the new 20-bunk Pororari Hut, which is currently under construction. 30 CONTENDERS FOR NEXT GREAT WALKS DOC has released a…

THE GOLDEN WEATHER has lead to one of the quietest summer’s in recent memory for search and rescue services in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park and Queens-town. Aoraki SAR team leader Andrew Tinder said despite more people heading to the park, it’s been the quietest year for search and rescue in his seven years on the job. “We’ve had 15 jobs over the summer season, where normally we would get that just over Christmas and New Year,” Tinder said. “We haven’t had a major accident all year – a few years ago we had eight body recoveries in one summer. This season we’ve had none.” By contrast, the previous two summers were the worst Tinder has experienced, as people were caught out by unsettled weather. Tinder said about 40 per cent…