Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i Wilderness

THIS ISSUE we celebrate all things associated with the Great Walks, New Zealand’s – and in some cases the world’s – ‘finest’ tramps. I know many hardened trampers will scoff at that, but there really are few walks in the world that can compare to the likes of the Milford and Routeburn. Then there’s the Kepler and the utterly unique volcanic landscape of Tongariro. The cultural and historical experience found on the Whanganui River is also a rare experience. So, I think it’s fair to say the Great Walks encapsulate the finest attributes of the New Zealand outdoors. In this special issue, we discover the people, the side trips, the hidden spots, the birds and everything else besides the scenery that makes these walks so special. Accompanied by ‘3D’ maps,…

THE WILDERNESS editorial team took a clean sweep at the 2018 Magazine Publishers’ Association awards in September, winning best magazine, best editor (Alistair Hall) and best journalist (George Driver) in the Consumer Special Interest category. Art director Pelin Hall was also runner-up in the Best Designer category. Editor Alistair Hall said the awards are a validation of the hard work put into the magazine. “The stories we publish are being consumed by more people than ever before, we are reaching a new audience through the website and gaining more subscribers to the print magazine.”…

WHEN ASHLEY Patea was growing up on the banks of the Whanganui River at Kaiwhaiki, his goal in life was to navigate the awa by canoe, from Taumarunui to Whanganui. Every year, Whanganui iwi conduct a pilgrimage, an iwi wananga called Tira Hoe Waka, paddling the river from near its source, to its mouth. But you have to be older than 12 to take part. “All I wanted was to have my turn on the river,” Patea says. “My dad said that if I could swim 50 laps of a pool, I could come when I was 11. So I started training when I was nine and that’s what I did. “When I finally got on the river, it was like a dream.” For local iwi, the annual two-week trip…

Driest period: December-January (less than 123mm of rain) Wettest period: March-September (more than 243mm of rain) Warmest month: February (11.6-21.3 ℃ ) Coldest month: July (3.2- 9.3 ℃ ) Quietest period: From May to September, numbers are less than 60 each month. In season, December-January are busiest (748/815 walkers), while the rest of the season is less than half as busy. BEST TIME: February February is the warmest and driest month, but it’s also less than half as busy as December or January, with less than 400 on the trail. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Aniwaniwa and Waikaremoana weather stations. Tramper numbers from DOC data from the 2016/17 season.…

ABEL TASMAN National Park is our smallest national park, but it is host to the most popular Great Walk: more than 43,000 people walked the Abel Tasman Coast Track in 2017/18. But with a few tricks and a little knowledge, there is no need to feel swept up in a tourist maelstrom. There are plenty of hidden spots. Inland Track Around 45 minutes in from Marahau, rather than take the Coast Track, try taking the signposted Inland Track towards Castle Rock Hut. At Holyoake Clearing, head right. This drops to the back of the Torrent Bay Estuary near Cleopatra’s Pool. Find a cave Around the coastline there are many caves. Try searching the cliff face on the descent to The Anchorage from Torrent Bay, or following up Tonga Stream. Explore…

Driest period: February-April (less than 174mm of rain) Wettest period: September-November (more than 204mm) Warmest month: February (12.2-21.7 ℃ ) Coldest month: July (3.8-13.1 ℃ ) Quietest period: Only about 150 trampers were on the trail in October/November, while numbers peak in January with 913 trampers. BEST TIME: February The Heaphy Track is one of the quieter walks, but February still has far fewer people than December or January, with just 660 on the trail. February is also the warmest and driest month. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Arapito weather station. Tramper numbers from DOC data from the 2016/17 season.…

Access The track can be started from the Glenorchy end at the Routeburn Shelter or from The Divide on the Milford Road. Grade Moderate Time Three days. The Divide to Howden Hut, 90min; To Lake Mackenzie Hut, 4hr; To Routeburn Falls Hut, 5hr; Conical Hill detour, 90min; Routeburn Falls Hut to Routeburn Flats Hut, 1hr; To Routeburn Shelter, 2hr Distance 32km Total ascent 2257m Accommodation Howden Hut (28 bunks), Lake Mackenzie Hut (50 bunks), Routeburn Falls Hut (48 bunks), Routeburn Flats Hut (20 bunks); Routeburn Flats Campsite (15 sites), Lake Mackenzie Campsite (9 sites) Map CB09 Hollyford…

AT JUST OVER 53km in length, the world-famous Milford Track is liberally endowed with some of the most spectacular natural sights of any track in New Zealand and, indeed, the world. From its very beginning at the mouth of the Clinton River, the Milford Track leads trampers ever deeper into the Fiordland wilds, enfolding them in a deep green symphony of river, valley, forest, and mountain top where waterfalls erupt from every crevice, granite faces soar skywards at impossible angles and emerald pools shimmer from the rivers. This is a place to savour, and given the track can only be walked in one direction during the season and the number walking it each day is strictly limited, you can guarantee there will be an extraordinary encounter with nature in a…

WINTER IS a time many avoid the avalanche-prone Kepler Track, but Wynston Cooper has spent weeks living snowbound 1040m up at Luxmore Hut. Cooper has had three week-long stints working as a volunteer hut warden at the 54-bunk hut with his wife Lorraine during the off-season in order to make sure people pay hut fees and don’t overuse firewood. “It’s a really great break,” Cooper says. “It’s a completely different kind of holiday and the hut has a fabulous view of Lake Te Anau and the Murchison mountains.” Two of those periods were spent snowed-in during July and August, including a week when no-one visited the hut. “DOC helicopters you in with 400kg of firewood and your duty is to keep the deck and helicopter landing area free of ice.…

Driest period: July-September (less than 125mm of rain) Wettest period: January and May (more than 150mm of rain) Warmest month: January (9.7-17.3 ℃ ) Coldest month: July (2.6-9.7 ℃ ) Quietest period: From June to August, numbers range from just 12 to 24 each month. March is the busiest month (682 people), while November and April are significantly quieter, attracting about 230 people. BEST TIME: August It’s a gamble, but mid-winter is one of the quietest and driest periods, while temperatures seldomly dip below zero, and the average high is a comfortable walking temperature of 10.6℃. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Oban weather station. Tramper numbers from DOC data from the 2016/17 season.…

Driest period: January-April (less than 190mm of rain) Wettest period: May-December (more than 230mm of rain) Warmest month: January(6.9-17.9 ℃) Coldest: July (-0.6-6.8 ℃) Quietest period: October, November and April. The number of walkers doubles from November to December, from 500 to 1000, and remains at over 900 walkers a month until April, when numbers dip to 770. Best time: April April is a quieter period but still has significantly lower rainfall than winter, and the temperatures aren’t too frosty, typically ranging from 4℃ degrees to 13℃ degrees at Whakapapa Village. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Chateau Tongariro weather station. Tramper numbers from DOC data from the 2016/17 season.…

Driest period: January-April (88-106mm of rain) Wettest period: June-October (more than 142mm of rain) Warmest month: February(12.1-24.3 ℃ ) Coldest month: July (2.4-12.5 ℃ ) Quietest period: November and February to April all have nearly half the number of paddlers as January. BEST TIME: February If you’re spending all day on the water, you might appreciate the warmer temperatures, and February is also significantly quieter than December and January. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Taumaranui weather station. Tramper numbers from DOC data from the 2016/17 season.…

Driest period: January-March (less than 95mm of rain) Wettest period: June-August (more than 131mm of rain) Warmest month: January (12-23. 3℃ ) Coldest month: July (1.1-12.7 ℃ ) Quietest period: October, November and April. The walk is near capacity in December-March, with more than 10,000 trampers staying, but has less than 6000 in November and April. BEST TIME: November With less than half the number of walkers as the peak months and highs averaging 20℃, you’ll still be able to enjoy the beaches but without the summer crowds. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Riwaka weather station. Tramper numbers from DOC data from the 2016/17 season.…

THE HEAPHY TRACK has become one of the country’s premier multi-day mountain bike trips. It’s still a summer tramp, but from May 1 to November 30, it’s also a ride. Since 2014, the track’s huts and bridges have been upgraded and unrideable rooty and rocky surfaces have been smoothed over. Although faster, mountain biking is by no means an easier option. The climb to Perry Saddle Hut is a grunt, as the rocky track requires momentum and stamina to climb steadily. In winter, the frosts are usually gone by mid-morning, but there is a satisfying ‘crunch’ as tyres break through frozen puddles. The sinuous gullies over Gouland Downs are easy riding. Dipping in and out of the manuka forest, accelerating through the straights and balancing over the boardwalks makes for…

SOME TRAMPERS are content to do a Great Walk every few years – for others, it’s a part of their life. Smith has lived as a ranger at Mackenzie Hut on the Routeburn Track for 16 seasons straight. But it’s no isolated existence – he shares his part-time home with thousands of trampers. “I keep coming back because I like working in the outdoors and meeting people from all over the world,” Smith says. It also helps that the warden’s quarters look straight over Lake Mackenzie and its backdrop of looming peaks. “The location is outstanding.” Smith has also started a successful trapping campaign. After growing tired of trampers asking why there were so few birds on the trail, he set up a few stoat traps around the hut. Predator…

Driest period: June-August (less than 487mm of rain) Wettest period: December-January (more than 700mm of rain) Warmest month: February (10.3-19.3 ℃ ) Coldest month: July (1.3- 9.2 ℃ ) Quietest period: The Milford Track is booked out throughout the season. BEST TIME: February The busiest and wettest Great Walk, the best time to walk it is whenever you are able to book a bunk. But February in Milford Sound has nearly half the rainfall of January, so you’re more likely to get clearer views – although if waterfalls are more your thing, December and January would be the time to go. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Milford Sound weather station. Temperatures on the alpine section are likely to be significantly colder. Tramper numbers from DOC data…

ABOUT 1000 trampers are expected to start walking the 3000km Te Araroa Trail this spring, as the profile of the walk continues to grow. Te Araroa Trail Trust chief executive Mark Weatherall said he expects the number of walkers to increase by about 25 per cent on last year, when about 800 walked the trail. “Interest seems to be stronger than last year and we are expecting it to increase again,” Weatherall said. Last year, surveys found about 60 per cent of walkers were Kiwis and walkers were split into two distinct age groups. “We get people who are in their early 20s who have finished their studies and aren’t sure what to do and want to take time to find themselves,” Weatherall said. “Then at the other end is…

A summary of stories published at wildernessmag.co.nz CELL PHONE COVERAGE COMING TO A TRACK NEAR YOU A government fund will enable new mobile coverage for 1000km of state highways and 108 tourist destinations, including some of New Zealand’s best-known tracks and national parks. The list includes the Routeburn Track, Milford Sound, Makarora’s Blue Pools, Abel Tasman National Park, SH4 through Tongariro National Park and the Coromandel Walkway. But some trampers are not pleased by the development. Kaumatua Tramping Club president David Weston said erecting cell phone towers in the wilderness could destroy the very essence that trampers are trying to enjoy. PAPAROA TRACK OPENING DELAYED The opening date of the new Paparoa Track Great Walk has been delayed until September next year. “We had storms earlier this year which ate…

A GROUP of trampers has helped restore an historic Ruahine hut after furniture in the hut was destroyed by vandals. Built in 1958, Top Maropea Hut is one of the original NZ Forest Service huts and has been declared an historic hut by DOC. The four-bunker was the first backcountry hut Robb Kloss stayed in after emigrating to New Zealand from the US 25 years ago. He estimates he has visited it more than 50 times since. “It’s a place I just love,” Kloss said. But recently two of the huts’ historic bench seats had been burned. In the hut book, someone had written they reached the hut late one night and burned the seats to keep warm. “It really upset me,” Kloss said. “Bums had sat on those seats…

IN 2017, the Whanganui became the first river in the world to be granted legal personhood. The legal entity, known as Te Awa Tupua, recognises the river as an indivisible and living whole; incorporating the entire catchment from mountains to sea, along with the spiritual, intrinsic connection that exists with the iwi. As a new organisation beds in this unique concept, the Whanganui flows on, carving ever-deepening gorges in the soft papa rock as it traverses a massive expanse of forested wilderness. Brown kiwi, whio, and long tailed bats are among the rarer native species here. Much of the wilderness is encompassed in Whanganui National Park. The Whanganui was once a major transport link, first for local iwi travelling by waka, then a brief but grand riverboat tourist era. Roads…

Access From Aorere Valley Road end, Collingwood, or Karamea Kohaihai Road end, West Coast Grade Moderate Time 4-5 days. Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut, 5hr; To Gouland Downs Hut, 2hr; To Saxon Hut, 1.5hr; To James Mackay Hut, 3hr; To Lewis Hut, 3.5hr; To Heaphy Hut, 2.5hr; To Kohaihai River Mouth, 5hr Distance 78.4km Total ascent 4068m Accommodation Brown Hut (16 bunks), Perry Saddle Hut (28 bunks), Gouland Downs Hut (eight bunks), Saxon Hut (16 bunks), James Mackay Hut (28 bunks), Lewis Hut (20 bunks), Heaphy Hut (32 bunks). Multiple campsites. Map BP23 Gouland Downs, BP22 Heaphy Beach…

4068m THE TOTAL ASCENT ON THE HEAPHY TRACK 1868m The highest point of all the Great Walks. It’s found at Red Crater on Tongariro Northern Circuit $243,804 The maintenance costs on the Tongariro Northern Circuit, the lowest of the Great Walks 20km Length of the Pike29 Memorial Track – the longest ‘side trip’ on any Great Walk 73% Proportion of international walkers on the Kepler Track, the most international Great Walk. $664 Cost of walking the Milford Track, including busses and ferries, for an international visitor. Tourists are charged double for bunks, which means the same trip for a New Zealander would be $454. 20,000 Number of South Island brown kiwi on Stewart Island – you’ll never get a better chance to see one in the wild $45  The cost…

Driest period: February or July (less than 162mm of rain) Wettest period: August-September (more than 192mm of rain) Quietest period: One of the busiest walks, it is near capacity from December to March with over 1000 trampers – November and April have less than 800. BEST TIME: November There will be fewer people than December-March and there may even be some late snowfall to coat the surrounding mountains, adding extra beauty to the incredible landscape. Rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Routeburn Station weather station. Temperature figures are unavailable for this region. Tramper numbers from DOC data from the 2016/17 season.…

STRENGTH FOR STEEP CLIMBS Perfect for the Tongariro Northern Circuit, Milford, Kepler and Routeburn tracks Get ready for steep climbs with exercises that build leg strength for stepping up and stepping down. Exercise: Leg squats, do several sets of 5 to 10 squats. Challenge option: Hold leg squats for 30 seconds to 2 minutes; wear a full tramping pack; one leg squats. Transition: Circuits of running or jumping up stairs. UPPER BODY STRENGTH FOR PADDLING Perfect for the Whanganui Journey You’ll use your whole upper body paddling on the Whanganui or Abel Tasman. Focus on exercises that strengthen your arms, core, shoulders and back. Exercise: Press-ups and pull-ups help with the push/pull action of paddling. Cross train: Swimming, kayaking and stand-up paddle board can help with endurance, coordination, aerobic capacity…

AT 198CM TALL and 75 years old, Ross Harraway is often called the Gandalf of the Great Walk. “I love it,” Harraway says. “I should be retiring, but I’m still enjoying it.” And why not – the oldest person Harraway has seen walking the Milford Track was an 81-year-old, and he has heard of walkers nearing 90 completing the 54km trail. “Some 70 or 80 year olds are fitter than 20 year olds,” he reckons. Harraway has been a hut warden on the Milford Track for 14 years, mostly based at Clinton Hut. He has walked all of the South Island Great Walks and says the Milford’s point of difference is the sheer scale of the landscape. “It has wonderful scenery, no matter what the weather. The birdlife is also…

Driest period: July-September (less than 82mm of rain) Wettest period: January and October (more than 133mm of rain) Warmest month: January (9.5-20 ℃ ) Coldest month: July (1.1-8.4 ℃ ) Quietest period: November and April have less than half the number of trampers as December to March, when the walk is at capacity. BEST TIME: April April is the quietest month of the season – just 544 walkers were on the track compared with 1325 in March, when the track is fully-booked. April is also one of the driest months and has an average high of 15℃ in Te Anau. Expect some frosty starts and perhaps the odd snow flurry on the alpine sections. Temperature and rainfall figures are monthly averages from the Te Anau weather station. Temperatures on the…

IF YOU’RE walking the Rakiura Track, one of the first faces you might see is Diana Morris at the Rakiura Visitor Centre. Morris has been advising trampers about what to see on the Great Walk for nearly a decade. She says what defines the track is its wild nature: coastlines, weather and wildlife. Rakiura is the fastest growing track in the Great Walks network, with numbers more than doubling from 2748 in 2010/11 to 6663 in 2017/18. Given its growing popularity and weather, when is the best time to visit? Morris says the track is characterised by regular rainfall year-round, but winter is quieter and more settled. “Because the distances to walk are quite short, the shorter daylight hours during winter don’t have much of an impact,” Morris says. Dryer…

Pack Children’s packs should weigh no more than 20 per cent of their body weight, and Hannah is petite, so we have had to keep her pack under 5kg. Her new pack is a 30-litre Macpac Torlesse Junior with a proper hip belt to distribute the weight comfortably. The downside of keeping Hannah’s pack light is that mine is heavy! My new pack is an 85-litre One Planet Strezlecki, so has plenty of room. ENTERTAINMENT Hannah likes to take her camera and a book to read in the huts. FIRST AID I always carry sunscreen and insect repellant, a compact comprehensive first aid kit, a survival kit with a Kathmandu headlamp, spare batteries, bootlaces, Victorinox pocket knife, extra matches, survival bags, and pen and paper. Hannah has a headlamp, and…

HOW TO BUY YOUR NEXT PACK Capacity Multi-day packs are normally between 50 and 90-litres, overnight packs will be 30-45-litres and daypacks up to 30-litres. Multi-day packs will have a single or double compartment. The lid is often extendable, creating up to 10-litres additional storage. Pockets on the front, lid, side and hip belt provide ample gear storage. Harness and shoulder straps The harness keeps the load stable, directed to your hips and allows freedom of movement. A suspended mesh or ventilated foam back panel promotes airflow while supporting the back muscles. Smaller capacity packs will have a fixed-length harness, whereas larger capacity multi-day packs will have an adjustable harness. Shoulder straps Shoulder straps should curve over the the shoulders, contouring around the neck and under the armpits. Adjustable sternum…