Wilderness April 2021

BUILD IT and they will come. That’s what Geoff Chapple, the man who almost single-handedly took the idea of a length-of-the-country trail and turned it into a reality, said in an article he wrote for this magazine in 2016. He was helping Wilderness celebrate its 25th anniversary (yes, readers, that means this year is our 30th) by reflecting on some of the momentous changes seen in the outdoors over the years. There have been few more momentous developments than the Te Araroa Trail and Chapple mentioned how on a visit to Top Wairoa Hut, in the back blocks of Mt Richmond Forest Park and reached on a difficult track, he had seen the number of TA walkers increase from just nine in 2010 to 75 in 2014. When he visited…

OUTDOORS WITH KIDS There is much to like and enjoy in the March 2021 issue. The food section was a great idea and I especially liked Jo Stilwell’s ‘Food for kids’. There’s plenty of useful information and it’s a nice chatty read. In our experience, it always amazed me how grand a piece of stale bread and Marmite tasted when I was really hungry. Matthew Cattin’s intro on ‘Highways to the trails’ is a fine start to a travel piece. But I got the chills reading Judit Angeli’s piece on taking a toddler on a road trip. Are we readers left to contemplate they actually leave the child alone in the campervan to go swimming? It’s fantastic that people introduce their children to different experiences such as a road trip…

I was packing for a weekend on Pirongia when Wilderness (March 2021) arrived and immediately rerouted for Umukarikari thanks to the beautiful photograph and description by James Anderson (‘A range of your own’, Wild Trips). It was an excellent weekend out; hot weather, clear skies, and a perfect sunset cradled between the summits of Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe. However, I have some advice for any other readers planning on doing this trip. It’s somewhat obvious when looking at the map, but there is no water between the trailhead and the summit of Umukarikari and very little shade offered once you’re out of the bushline. I only encountered a few other people on the track and one person, in particular, was searching for the beginnings of a stream that was…

Get your photo published here to receive a $30 Silva Pocket Thermo Compass for accurate wayfinding and temperature-sussing. Learn more about Silva at e.ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…

AFTER WAITING all summer for a dangerous slip to move on its own accord, engineers are now exploring options to reopen the road to Ōtaki Forks, a key entry point to Tararua Forest Park. But don’t expect access to the Southern Crossing and other popular tracks any day soon. In November 2020, the notorious Blue Bluff, close to the road end, was deemed unstable and closed, with engineers opting to wait for nature to take its course and the slip to clear. Kapiti Coast District Council access and transport manager Glen O’Connor said the council is now reviewing that option and has commissioned a geotechnical survey of the slip, expected to be completed before winter. “Depending on the survey results, we will need to come up with design options, and…

IT’S TAKEN 30 years, but the 100 Peaks Challenge is finally over for Don French. On February 21, the veteran mountaineer (pictured at right) ticked off his final summit of the New Zealand Alpine Club’s climbing challenge, the West Coast’s elusive 2557m Mt Unicorn, making him the first climber to summit the 100 peaks. It capped off a successful summer for French, who just weeks prior topped 2837m Mt Green, the penultimate climb on his list. With 1.2km of vertical rock climbing, Mt Unicorn has evaded French for years, and he has had six failed attempts at its summit. His successful season was aided greatly by excellent climbing conditions on the West Coast. “The weather windows were far bigger than we needed, which is exceptional,” French said. Both approaches were…