Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Wilderness

MORE THAN 1000 TOURISM operators are suspected of operating illegally without a concession or breaching concession conditions and 30 aircraft operators are being investigated following a DOC crackdown. The department has been policing concessions at popular tourist sites in the South Island for the second year in a row last summer as part of an increased focus on compliance. Under the Conservation Act, any commercial operation on conservation land requires a concession. The maximum penalty for flouting the law is five years imprisonment or a $300,000 fine. Over the summer, staff checked the concessions of transport and guiding operators at sites in Central Otago, Queenstown, Fiordland, Haast and South Westland. Out of 3542 checks, there were 816 cases where operators were breaching their concession conditions and a further 163 were…

IN MARCH 1970, tramper Paul Harrow awoke to find he wasn’t alone. A granite-grey gecko with coal black eyes had decided to join him on the slopes of Mt Tarahaka on the Seaward Kaikoura Range. Swimming in the billy left outside the tent, the gecko was an easy catch and Harrow decided to take it home. Word of the critter got around and the key descriptor of its black eyes eventually made it to the right ears – ears which immediately realised this wasn’t just an unusual gecko, but a specimen then unknown to science. This happy accidental discovery of the black-eyed gecko is not unique for New Zealand’s lizards, a realm where the words ‘data deficient’ are scrawled beside many specimens. New species – including the orange-spotted gecko found…

BOGGY, BARREN AND BATTERED by landslides, the Valley of the Trolls couldn’t be better named. Dotted with icy blue pools, giant boulders and an array of alien alpine plants, it’s a place to stretch the imagination, and despite being less than an hour from the Great Walk highway of the Routeburn Track, you’ll likely have it to yourself. Bookended by lakes Wilson and Harris, the valley is accessed by following a well-trodden trapping line from the Lake Harris bluffs, just before the Routeburn Track veers towards Harris Saddle. The valley floor is extremely boggy when wet, but brave the track to its head and you can climb a sheer route to the spectacular Lake Wilson. To the true left of the waterfall, a steep gut heads straight up, running parallel…

IF YOUR LIKING is for a short and easy hike around a seaside headland through native forest accompanied by the ever-present sound of the sea, and often the wind, then I can recommend one of my favourite morning-before-breakfast-walks in Abel Tasman National Park – the Headlands Track. It is true that you can fit it in before breakfast without feeling like you are on a hunger march and it is also true that it is accessible to all ages and abilities with just minimal planning. This planning entails checking on the low tide time so that you can do a nice, neat round trip across the small estuary at the top of the beach and so avoid a long detour, mostly on roads, around the back of the Totaranui campground.…

LIVING IN NEW ZEALAND, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to wild places. You can live anywhere and still be able to get in a car and be in a forest, beach or river valley within a couple of hours. My favourite place to enjoy the outdoors has changed as often as a spring weather forecast. As a university student, Nelson Lakes was the perfect learning ground for a tramper and wannabe alpinist. Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park then clinched the top spot as I searched out more challenging trips, through its glaciers and mountain passes. Then I made my first trip into Cameron Hut and fell in love with the jagged peaks and open grassy landscape of the Arrowsmith Range. And there the Arrowsmiths remained, in my top…

This muesli packs a punch with extra protein from chia seeds, calcium from tahini and good fats. You can mix up which seeds you use, add nuts or other dried fruits. If you don’t like the taste of tahini, replace it with any nut butter. PROFILE Prep time: 5min Cook time: 20-25min Makes: 10-12 cups Cost: $10-15 RECIPE 5 cups rolled oats 1 cup pumpkin seeds 1 cup sunflower seeds ½ cup flaxseeds, ground ½ cup chia seeds, ground 1 tsp ground ginger 2 cups coconut thread ⅓ cup tahini ⅓ cup honey ⅓ cup water ½ cup dried apple pieces METHOD Preheat oven to 180℃ and combine oats, pumpkin and sunflower seeds on a large baking tray. Mix through ground flax and chia seeds along with ginger. Place tahini,…

A catching feature is an identifiable feature that you expect to find if you overshoot another feature you are looking for. For example, a bend in the track may be just past a track junction. If you come to the bend in the track, you know you have missed the track junction. This is a particularly useful tool for ensuring that you don’t overshoot junctions or huts. Here are two examples where you might use a catching feature: 1. TO CATCH A HUT Waiharuru Hut sits on the shore of Lake Waikaremoana. But if you miss the turn-off you can overshoot it. The bridge just past the hut forms a catching feature if you inadvertently pass the hut, If you reach the bridge, you’ve gone too far and need to…

Comfort Padding is provided in key areas to soften the impact of trail walking and absorb pressure from your boots. Areas that are frequently padded are the heel, arch, toes and the shin. Moisture management Dry feet are less likely to blister or overheat, and a good sock will complement a boot’s lining by creating a gap which allows moisture to be drawn away from your foot, through the boot lining, to be released into the air. VENTILATION Ventilation panels help feet remain cool and speed the wicking process to ensure they remain dry. SEAMS Chafe-free seams lay flat against the skin to reduce pressure points and rubbing. Composition All socks have different blends of synthetic and natural fibres. The exact mix will determine the quality, durability and comfort of…

THE FEW GIVING THE MAJORITY A BAD NAME It’s a sad fact that any backcountry hut three hours or less from a road end, particularly if the walk is not too strenuous, will suffer from some sort of abuse. After years of hunting and tramping, I have also found the further one tramps into the hills the better the people that you meet frequenting the huts become. I sympathise with your author Hazel Phillips who recounted negative experiences with hunters she met at Oamaru hut (‘Second hand socks and snowy tops’, June 2019). I have seen this type before. They always come in groups of two or three and it seems they are unable to hunt solo or walk in any further than three hours. They take up most of…

WANAKA-BASED ASPIRING GUIDES has been sold to a local couple. Vickie Moses and Lukas Kirchner bought the 25-year-old guiding business in late May. Both have lived in Wanaka for nine years and though they are keen outdoors people, the purchase is their first foray into the guiding world. Moses is an organisational development consultant and Kirchner is a plumber. The couple have two sons, Jeremiah and Samuel. “The reason both of us ended up in Wanaka is because of the outdoors,” Moses said. “We both climb a lot and Lukas is a very accomplished mountaineer, ice climber and backcountry skier.” The couple intends to have a hands-off approach to running the business for the next two years. “The team is doing such a great job without us poking our noses…

THE SILENT MENACE quickly creeps up on you, but if my experiences are anything to go by hypothermia is poorly understood by many. When I was in form one, we lost a valued friend and classmate to hypothermia. He died while climbing on Mt Egmont. None of us will forget returning to class on Monday to the empty desk, to say nothing of attending his funeral. Tiny left a lasting impression on all who knew him. We were given conflicting advice on how best he could have been helped at the time. In my Teachers College days, tramping with a group of students from accomplished to novice trampers, one of our group showed the early signs of hypothermia while climbing Mt Robert. Graham, our experienced group leader, was quickly on…

IT WAS QUITE POSSIBLY the coldest night I’ve ever had in the mountains. I had walked the Tama Lakes Track and carried on beyond the track end which overlooks Upper Tama to pitch my tent on the ridge leading to Pt1650. Clear skies led to a heavy frost and in the morning I found everything had frozen. I boiled snow for a hot drink, packed up and journeyed on, traversing the ridgeline towards Mt Ngauruhoe. Morning cloud scattered and a bluebird day ensued. It was quiet on the tops, the only sound coming from the crunching rocks under my boots. And the view was majestic – I couldn’t take my eyes off the looming volcanic cone of Mt Ngauruhoe. Later in the morning, I was again struck by the silence,…

LOOKING OUT the window of the ski club lodge on Mt Ruapehu’s Whakapapa side, I eyed up a route I’d been ‘finger tramping’ on the topo map for a potential ski tour. Although the snow level at this altitude wasn’t much to write home about, up top it was blanketed in white – a veritable winter wonderland. It would be icy, for sure, but that’s what crampons and an ice axe are for – and what’s a North Island winter adventure without a little ice, after all? As I was dreamily gazing at my beloved mountain, fellow ski clubbie and keen ski tourer Ken asked to join me. Ken is one of those enthusiastic, super-fit blokes and I knew he’d be a good candidate for a big day out. (Ken’s…

Prep your bed EARLY Down provides much less insulation when it’s compressed, so it pays to get your sleeping bag out as soon as you claim a bunk or get your tent up. Give it a good shake out, and unzip it to air out if there is a chance it’s damp. The temperature will drop during the night, so make sure you keep extra layers, socks, gloves and a beanie next to your bed – nobody likes a midnight pack rustler. A headlight never goes astray either. It’s harder to facilitate getting warm gear out of your pack when you wake up cold and half asleep and I’m often inclined to just roll over and ignore the chill – but in my experience, it always wins eventually. Throw another…

CONSERVATION STATUS Native and ‘naturally uncommon’. FEATURES The Australian coot is best described as a duck-like water bird. They are dark grey to black over their entire body, but instantly recognisable by a bright white bill and frontal shield. Another distinctive feature is the bright red eyes. Both males and females are alike with the juvenile birds having duller and paler colouring and brown eyes with smaller frontal shields. Their dimensions average out at 38cm long and around 550g. TIPS BIRD SPOTTING Coots spend a lot of their time out in the middle of the ponds or lakes they reside on. As such, they can be hard to identify from a distance, especially if other water birds are about. If you take a look at their movements, they can be…

AN INVISIBLE DILEMMA IS PLAGUING THE OUTDOOR APPAREL INDUSTRY. A growing body of research has shown that synthetic microfibres – found in a range of outdoor garments – are contributing to concerning levels of pollution. The tiny fibres are shed by garments in the wash, making their way into waterways, and eventually to the ocean where they can be consumed by small organisms. Researchers have estimated that a single load of laundry can release hundreds of thousands of microfibres, which are unlikely to be filtered on their wastewater journey to the ocean. Being a recent revelation, the outdoor industry is playing catchup on the issue – and major companies in New Zealand and abroad are pledging to do their part to reduce microfibre pollution. The synthetic wave revolutionised outdoor apparel,…

Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…

IN THE WILDERNESS, you depend heavily on your gear. It has to be reliable, but what happens when your most important piece of kit – your footwear – fails? Just such a scenario befell me and a person in my tramping circle in the past year. Both of us had the misfortune to see the soles of our boots delaminate – simply peel away – without warning. My boots, a three-season flexible-midsole model, were around eight years old, used on a couple of trips a year (i.e. infrequently), were cleaned and oiled before storing away, worn to cross rivers but always dried naturally afterwards. While walking the track to Mueller Hut, I suddenly fell heavily and dislocated my shoulder. I could not understand why I fell. But once we started…

WHAT IS SHAPED like a dog kennel, built on stilts and best occupied only with a good friend? Bivs, bivvies or bivouacs – whatever you like to call them – are miniature versions of huts, many of them constructed during the deer-culling era more than 50 years ago. Some are so small that you can only just sit up in them and usually offer space for just two. Others, like Brass Monkey Bivouac, are slightly larger and can accommodate a standing tramper, even if the top bunk will only comfortably hold a hobbit. They may be diminutive, cramped inside and sometimes a little damp, but there is no doubt that many of these tiny shelters occupy some of the best backcountry locations you’ll ever visit. And during adverse weather, they…

WENDERHOLM REGIONAL PARK has a fascinating history. The first people to enjoy the area were the Polynesian ancestors of Māori. Later, descendants of the Tainui and Moekaraka canoes explored the Puhoi and Waiwera Rivers, fished and built gardens. Little remains from those days except shell middens and place names – Wenderholm’s sandy spit is still called Te Akeake and the headland is Maungatauhoro. Wenderholm’s current name was bestowed on the area by a friend of Robert Graham, who bought the land in the 1840s, and means winter home in Swedish. The Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi Track, starts near Couldrey House, an attractive, two-storey colonial house. Originally built by Robert Graham in 1857, it was added to by subsequent owners before becoming almost derelict. The Couldrey family restored the house during the…

NOTHING COMPARES TO THE FEELING OF BRINGING A MISSING LOVED ONE HOME. The closest buzz LandSAR dog handler Dave Krehic can relate it to is the first rugby try of childhood. It’s an emotional high that’s kept him volunteering for 19 years, and it never diminishes. Even now, after nearly two decades, Krehic is experiencing career highlights. Just last month, he and his dog Enzo – a German wirehaired pointer – were deployed to find a tramper lost from a trail around Ashburton Lakes. A search team found prints in a riverbed, and Enzo was brought in alongside tracking dog Zeke to scour the valley. “We cast areas where he we thought he might have come out of the riverbed, and checked around huts near that area. By finding nothing,…

HANDRAILS A handrail is an identifiable linear feature that helps guide where you intend to go. For example, if a track is meant to stay on one side of a river, the river becomes a handrail. You may lose the track, but you are not lost as you have your handrail to guide you. Here are two examples where you might use a handrail: 1. On track The track from Mitre Flats Hut shows the track on the true right (the right side when looking downstream) of the Waingawa River. The river makes a useful handrail if you find yourself off the track. Keep the river on the true right and you’ll be heading in the general direction you wish to go. You may find yourself on something that looks…

Run time Battery life is related to output; the more powerful the torch, the more power-hungry it is. Run-times shown in this feature are for the highest and lowest light settings OUTPUT AND RANGE Measured in lumens, light output can be adjusted for the conditions from a low 10 or 25 lumens for reading, up to 600 lumens for finding your way on the trail. Output also dictates range. Low-output models are useful work lights around the campsite or hut, while high-output headlamps are better for night tramping or spotlighting. Straps Straps should be soft, comfortable, washable and wide enough to support the weight of the headlamp. Most straps use a sliding adjustment that can be tightened or loosened easily on the go. Some models, with heavy rear-mounted batteries, have…