Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i Wilderness

GAINING THE SUMMIT of a mountain is one of the great joys and achievements of tramping. I remember during my school camp – a 10-day trip to Tongariro National Park – climbing Mt Ngāuruhoe with my classmates and then running back down the scree slopes to South Crater. I was 14 and it was a buzz. That same trip, we also climbed Mt Ruapehu. In the years since, I’ve gone back to Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu several times, and climbed Mt Tongariro, too. But I now know many mountain summits are off-limits because they are tapu (sacred) to Māori and to stand on their high points is culturally insensitive. DOC and local iwi actively discourage trampers from climbing them – especially Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro which can both be accessed while walking…

FRENCH EXPLORATION took place in the South Pacific at the same time their English rivals were also looking at colonial expansion. Given only slight changes in the historical winds, New Zealand could well have been a French colony. Here are five places where they first landed. 1.Whatuwhiwhi Beach Walk, Northland 10min return In an unlikely happening, unbeknown to both Captain James Cook and Jean François Marie de Surville, their boats passed in a storm off the northern headlands of New Zealand. In December 1769, de Surville rested in New Zealand after 54 of his crew had died of scurvy. He stayed in Doubtless Bay and collected cress and green plants. On the 27th, a storm caused his boat, St Jean Baptiste, to drag anchors and it drifted towards a reef.…

TRAVERSING A MOUNTAIN range between the historic Central Otago gold mining towns of Clyde and Cromwell, the Cairnmuir Hill Track provides an excellent vantage point to soak in ‘big sky country’. The track follows the spine of the Cairnmuir Mountains (1130m) and is surrounded by impressives ranges in all directions. The Dunstan (1667m) and Old Woman (1749m) ranges stand either side while the peaks of The Remarkables, Pisa Range and Southern Alps are also clearly in view. I walked from Clyde, but you can also start from Cornish Point Road near Bannockburn. The route is also suitable for mountain bikes. At first, it’s a 4WD track through private farmland dotted with schist outcrops, but soon the climbing begins. It’s a gruelling 400m ascent to reach the ridgetop, where the gradient…

SERVICEMEN RETURNING from Europe after fighting in the First World War were offered land in the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka valleys. The first to arrive cleared the dense bush from their holdings in 1917. With rudimentary access to this hilly and remote corner of the country, life was tough but so were the ex-soldiers and their families. Access was improved with a wooden swingbridge over the Mangapurua Stream connecting the fledgeling community with the riverboats on the Whanganui River, where all their supplies came from. With intense government lobbying, a concrete replacement that was to become known as the Bridge to Nowhere was built and the track was upgraded into a dray road. Unfortunately for the would-be farmers, the soil in the valleys was not fertile enough to sustain long-term farming…

Boxing Day 2019 was my first day back tramping after a year dominated by breast cancer. My parents and I walked the fern-green Pakihi Track near Opotiki and it was uplifting to again be boiling the billy and cooking damper. It felt so good to be back in the bush. Tramping has always been in my blood. Right from when I was a baby my parents would take me and my brother out frequently. While I haven’t done many overnighters in recent years, the bush vis still a comforting and energising place to be. I crawled through a single mastectomy, five months of chemotherapy and a few weeks of radiotherapy, hoping all the while to return to tramping. But I hadn’t realised a mastectomy and my various treatments would make…

MOST TRAMPERS will have mistakenly identified their location by misinterpreting the geographic features on the ground. This is known as confirmation bias and it can delay the realisation that they are off course, thereby increasing the danger they are in. The longer someone is off course, the harder it is, physically and mentally, to get back on track. Confirmation bias may also mean you believe you are closer to your destination than you actually are. Psychologically, it’s a blow to discover there’s still a long way to go. That’s why it is important to actively consider confirmation bias during your tramp and always be looking for features that confirm you are wrong. Here are two examples of how confirmation bias can be negated. 1. WRONG SPUR? Imagine you are tramping…

Why a mosquito census – anyone can tell you there’s too many? Our insects are in decline and we want to know what’s happening. Mosquitoes are a good model organism because the public is aware of them much more than they are of a little beetle that is hidden under leaves. We have 13 native mosquitoes in New Zealand and three introduced species. There are some native species doing OK but there are others that are so unique and so adapted to special circumstances that we don’t see them very often and we don’t know what is going on because we don’t have the data. We suspect they are endangered and before they disappear we want to know what is going on. And these mosquitoes are not a nuisance. What…

RUSTY RUAHINE BIVVY REPLACED A BELOVED ‘dog-box’ bivvy in Ruahine Forest Park has been replaced by the Backcountry Trust. Toka Bivouac, which sits on a high shelf on the Ngamoko Range, was installed by the New Zealand Forest Service between 1958 and 1960. The humble two-man bivvy had rusty cladding, leaks, and its structural tie-downs no longer met the building standard. It was classified by DOC as ‘minimal maintenance’, meaning it would be removed – not replaced – if it degraded beyond use. Backcountry Trust manager Rob Brown said the trust was contacted by Feilding man Josh Murray who had recently visited the bivvy and done a baseline inspection. “[He] approached us keen to get some maintenance work done on this biv around the same time the Backcountry Trust was…

DEEP IN THE wild heart of northern Kahurangi is a subalpine tableland that rises to 870m. Mackay Downs features numerous granite tors which punctuate peat-filled valleys of tussock. Home to Powelliphanta snails and weka, this piece of paradise is truly off the radar. Tucked away up a narrow lane on the edge of this peneplain, almost out of sight, is a standard six-bunk hut – an island of candlelight in an ocean of waving red tussock. Hard-to-find huts are a sort of holy grail for hut baggers, and a welcome refuge for those adventure seekers with competent off-track navigation skills. This iron-clad SF70 has been preserved in nearly original condition as a monument to its troubled history. In 1970, the Ministry of Works erected this building on the site of…

IT’S ALL uphill to reach Mt Hector on the Neill Ridge route. The first stretch from Waiohine Campsite on the trail that leads to Cone Hut climbs about 500m. It drops a bit as the track branches north to Cone Saddle, but then it’s back into the uphill for another 500m to reach Cone (1080m). And there’s a lot more to come. It took three hours to reach Cone, although a DOC sign there suggests 4-5 hours back to the Waiohine trail-head. (The sign also shows 6-9 hours to Mt Hector, which I thought would take me around six). On the map, the trail looks okay, but the reality is that between Cone and Neill Ridge it’s constant ups and downs, all through goblin forest. It took me a good…

OUR CLIMB TO Avalanche Peak began with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. In resesarching the trip, we couldn’t help but notice the warnings from DOC: ‘Dying to see the view?’ There have been 11 fatalities on the peak since 1933 and the route is prone to avalanches and is especially perilous in high winds or poor visibility. The final section to the 1833m summit involves crossing a knife-edge ridge. There are two routes to the summit: Avalanche Peak Track and Scotts Track, both approximately 700m apart and starting at Arthur’s Pass Village. Beyond the bushline, they become routes, marked with cairns and coloured snow poles. Avalanche Peak Track is steeper, though it is evident that Scott’s Track would be no cakewalk. The track climbs steeply through mountain beech and…

Every time we judge the photo competition, everyone at Wilderness sits around the computer and starts dreaming of their next trip as one glorious location or wildlife encounter after another is brought up on the screen. It’s a real pleasure to live so vicariously through your trips! Thanks to all who entered – more than 600 of you this year – and special congratulations to our winners who provided the following images. Before we show you the winners, here’s a selection of the ‘best of the rest’ WINNER HUTS and CAMPING Signing the hut book at Benmore Hut ALANA SAID OF HER PHOTO: ‘I enjoy the rustic, bare-bones state of the hut, the patched up walls and the sacking and platform bunks.’ JUDGES’ COMMENTS Alistair Hall: It’s a ritual we…

LOCATE YOUR LEAK Though it may not have the same ring to it, the old idiom ‘like a needle in a haystack’ could very well be replaced with ‘like a puncture on an inflatable tramping mattress’, and unless you know what you’re doing, a leak can be near impossible to find. While a larger tear will be easy to spot in the field, a microscopic pinhole is difficult – even at home. To find a leak, inflate the mattress and fold it in half to increase internal air pressure. Using a sponge or spray bottle, apply soapy water to the surface of the mattress section by section, watching for bubbles in the solution. Pay close attention to the seams and valve. If this method proves unsuccessful (and if you’re at…

Hoka One One Sky Kaha $499 Used by: Comfort-seeking editor Alistair Hall Used for: Six months When I reviewed these boots back in December, I wrote: ‘Their comfort needs to be trialled to be believed’. After several more outings, I stand by every word of my original review. The reason for their comfort is four-fold: they’re light (1016g/852gm/w), have a breathable eVent lining and super-soft leather uppers sitting on a footbed made from 5cm thick rubberised foam. That thick foam is interesting because it gives the boot a lopsided, sole-heavy appearance and adds a couple of centimetres to my height. I thought that might change my centre of gravity and make them unstable, but while there’s no denying they feel different to footwear with a more normal sole construction they…

Klymit Pillow X $49.95 Self-centering design, inflates in two breaths, 75D bottom fabric, 30D top fabric. 55g. www.outfitters.net.nz Marmot Strato Inflatable Pillow $59.95 Ergonomic flex-baffle design, welded seams, locking inflation/deflation value, carry bag. 40g. www.marmotnz.co.nz Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow $49.99 Brushed polyester cover, soft upcycled foam filling, packs small and expands when in use. 255g. e.ampro.co.nz Exped Deepsleep Pillow $44.99 (med) Ergonomic design, up-cycled comfort-foam core, brushed tricot shell. 180g. www.bivouac.co.nz…

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE Despite a brief flirtation with tramping in my twenties, I sadly did not really discover its delights until my mid-fifties when I was invited by a friend on a trip to Te Puia Hut in Kaweka Forest Park. Lovely bush, hot pools, refreshing stream, great company – I was hooked! Four years on, I have walked the Abel Tasman, Milford, Kepler and Rakiura Great Walks, the Old Ghost Road, and tramped to huts in the Tararua, Ruahine and Kaweka ranges. I have found new friendships with those I tramp with and am constantly being refreshed by the amazing beauty to be found in and above the bush. I’ve discovered a whole range of equipment and clothing that makes tramping easier, safer, and more enjoyable. I’ve discovered…

EVERY TRAMPER knows how easy it is to spend a fortune on down. For the price of a modest four-season sleeping bag and a down jacket, one could enjoy a holiday in the Pacific or a five year supply of scroggin. “Gram for gram, it’s the most expensive element in any tramper’s kit,” Macpac design manager Gavin Davidson says. But it’s a bullet we all bite, because it’s hard to beat. Literally light as a feather, and incredibly warm, it’s the ultimate insulator – proven by nature to keep warm-blooded bodies cosy in the cold. “Once you’ve tried down, it’s hard to go back – it’s so lovely to wear, it’s comfortable and it conforms to your body,” Davidson says. But why is it so darned expensive? Around two-thirds of…

ACCESSIBLE FROM Cape Reinga or Tapotupotu Bay, Sandy Bay is a small, deeply set cove nestled in a valley of bristly native bush. It’s known for its itchy whale visitors, which are said to scratch themselves on a rock protruding from the bay – adding yet more to the mysticism of the area already seeping spiritual significance. The most direct approach, and the easiest on the knees, is from the Cape Reinga car park. Take the lighthouse path, and at the first U-bend, join the path which veers east. You’ll get your first glimpse of Sandy Bay from the trailhead, but as you descend the ridge all the way to the sand, views just keep getting better. From the opposite direction, the track ascends from Tapotupotu Bay to the headland…

EVERY TIME I visit Duder Regional Park, it has the appearance of being jam-packed with people. But though the car park is overflowing, the only people I see while exploring the park are over yonder, just a silhouette on the skyline. At 243ha, it’s not the biggest park in the Auckland stable but there are multiple walking tracks and because much of the terrain is open farmland, it’s possible to roam at will on your own ‘off-track’ adventure, which is why other walkers are rarely encountered. Trampers might wonder what could possibly be of interest on a farm-style regional park. There’s only a small section of native bush so the birding opportunities are not great. But when you combine views, a remote headland, swimming beach and a wetland you’ve got…

Reliving past memories and making new ones is surely one of the joys of tramping. It was 16 years since I’d last visited Brass Monkey Bivouac, on a solo trip that included a climb of Mt Technical and a visit to Nina Hut – at the time one of DOC’s newest huts. My tales of the diminutive bivouac, the modest but challenging mountains, and the chance of seeing fresh terrain had been enough to encourage Wellington climber Peter Laurenson along on a four-day excursion. We packed a rope, harnesses and helmets, thinking we might get an opportunity to climb the north ridge of Mt Technical (1870m), and maybe an ascent of the Grand Duchess (1703m), too. The weather played the game, at first, and in high temperatures we tackled the…

Three years ago, the Department of Conservation advised visitors to no longer climb mountains in Tongariro National Park because they are sacred to local iwi. For many Maori, the mountains are their ancestors and the peaks are their ancestor’s heads – so to summit a mountain is to stand on the head. In other parts of the country, climbers and trampers are asked simply to not stand on a mountain’s peak, while in parts of Northland there are very few restrictions on how and where to climb. The closure of Australia’s Uluru to climbers in 2019 prompted a wide variety of reactions – but New Zealand’s outdoors community might have just as many mixed opinions on the topic. Federated Mountain Clubs president Jan Finlayson says the discussion around standing on…

TAKE THE HUMBLE slice of bread to the next level with these ideas for toasted sammies – they’re perfect for when your bread starts to go a bit stale. There is a huge range of cheeses and pestos available in most supermarkets if your diet requires. Prep time 5min Cook time 5min Makes 1 sandwich Cost $2-4 INGREDIENTS FOR ALL OPTIONS 2 slices of bread 1 tbsp spreadable butter or margarine METHOD Spread one side of each piece of bread generously with butter and place this side face down. Add filling while you heat pan to medium heat. Place sandwich in pan and fry on one side until golden (about 3min). Flip carefully and fry the other side until golden. Slice in half and serve immediately. Option 1 1.5 tbsp…

CONSERVATION STATUS Native species classified as declining FEATURES In general, bar-tailed godwits are predominantly brown on their upper parts and pale below, giving an overall impression of a brown and white mottled look. Males have shorter bills and are noticeably smaller (400g) than females (600g). When in non-breeding plumage, both sexes are hard to tell apart. During breeding, the males gain a bright rufous colouring on the head, neck, breast and belly, with strongly contrasting upper parts of streaked, dark and light brown feathers. A distinctive feature of the godwit is its long tapering and slightly upturned bi-coloured bill which is pink at the base and black towards the tip. BIRD SPOTTING TIPS Early September to March are the only months you will see bar-tailed godwits in New Zealand. They…