Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i Wilderness

TONGARIRO GREAT WALK HUT TO BE REBUILT The aging Oturere Hut on the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk is set to be rebuilt and expanded. A DOC spokesperson said the 51-year-old hut is nearly at the end of its life and “isn’t at the Great Walks standard”. “It was fit for purpose in 1970 but no longer meets the demands put on it by serving both hut users and campers,” the spokesperson said. DOC is contracting an architect to design a replacement for the 26 bunker but DOC wouldn’t comment on how much the new hut would cost. However, tender documents show the budget is around $1 million and construction should start in March 2023 and be completed by the end of June. The new hut would be expanded to…

Thanks to our generous partners, we’re able to offer these amazing prizes for our Walk1200km participants throughout January. It’s simple to win: everyone who is registered for the challenge goes into the draw. Register at www.wildernessmag.co.nz/walk1200km and start walking! Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite $300 The Mountain Trainer Lite is a lightweight, nimble, summer alpine approach shoe for hikers and trekkers, who like to pick up the pace in any terrain. Learn more: www.bobo.co.nz. ACR ResQLink PLB $470 Safety Partner Plan my Walk by the Mountain Safety Council is offering participants the chance to win a personal locator beacon. This is an essential device for all your trips, no matter how short or long. Plan your walks and stay safe at www.planmywalk.nz. Bridgedale Midweight Merino Performance Fit $42.99 An award-winning sock…

Walking has helped to minimise the frequency and intensity of my migraine attacks and the Walk1200km challenge is a fantastic opportunity for me to push towards more adventurous hiking. I live with chronic migraine. Frequent migraine attacks bring head pain, nausea and brain fog. There’s no cure for this common but misunderstood, under-researched and often undiagnosed neurological condition. I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors, but living with chronic migraine increases the importance of regular exercise. Over past years my migraine attacks have transitioned from episodic – about one attack a month lasting for three days – to chronic. Most days I have some degree of head pain; some days just a dull ache, on others it feels like my head is being squeezed in a vice. Thankfully, walking has helped to…

Tramping with older, more experienced children is great fun especially with the right gear, attitude, preparation and teamwork. Planning the trip is half the fun and ensures everyone is psychologically prepared for the journey ahead. Now you’re past those “can you carry me” days, you’ll be able to pick more challenging tracks and venture further into the backcountry. Older children will enjoy helping choose the tramp, researching the track and the huts and deciding which food and gear they’ll need. While you’re still the responsible adult, you’re now a team that works together, giving each other moral support and companionship. Older children may still enjoy games like ‘I spy’ or knock-knock jokes, so be a good companion and humour them even if it means researching a few jokes beforehand. A…

THE MOERANGI TRACK STARTED LIFE AS A TRAMPING TRACK THAT LOOPED AROUND A GROUP OF THREE HUTS DEEP IN THE HUIARAU RANGES. BUT IN 2009, THE TRAIL WAS UPGRADED BY DOC INTO AN AMAZING MOUNTAIN BIKE TRACK. The trail passes through the towering ancient podocarp forest of Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane Conservation Park. Environmentalists saved Whirinaki from clear felling in the early 1980s. Its tree ferns, crystal clear water catchments and prolific birdlife still await walkers and bikers. The best direction to ride the Moerangi MTB Track is clockwise, starting from the remote Okahu Road end. It delivers long magical descents with the least amount of climbing. For more singletrack riding, try the return trip for a whole new set of climbs, descents and stunning vistas. This can also work with…

The awa (river) The van driven by Hayden Potaka, Unique Whanganui River Experience director, picks me up outside the Whanganui War Memorial Centre on a breezy Saturday morning. It’s just after 6.30am. The streets of the river city are empty. Behind the van is a trailer carrying a single red canoe, a Canadian Discovery 169 named Rimu. A young man in a woolly cloak jumps out of the passenger seat so I can ride upfront with Potaka. “Mōrena, I’m Hone,” he says with a smile, before curling up on the back seat and closing his eyes. I learn later that Hone Turu, my cultural navigator, has just finished a three-day stint guiding a group of Whanganui rangatira (leaders) down the middle reaches of the Whanganui River. I’m the next guest…

Author and tramper Michelle Campbell completed Te Araroa with her partner in 2017 and has written a book about the experience, Meeting Papa: a journey on Te Araroa. Her gear includes a mix of lightweight and comfort items for summer season tramps. Here’s what’s in her pack. Tent I have an MSR Hubba Hubba NX tent with an additional footprint. It’s a lightweight package that provides a surprising amount of space. Like most lightweight tents, it’s suited for fair-weather tramps and the footprint has proved to be mostly decorative in poor weather. HIKING POLES Sturdy and reliable, my Black Diamond poles were an awesome upgrade from lightweight Fizan poles that broke under the pressure of rugged Kiwi tramping. Sleeping pad My Therm-A-Rest Neoair sleeping pad was a real treat when…

Sarah McIlroy “I want to say a big thank you for inspiring me and other New Zealanders to get out and get moving with Walk1200km. “I love walking and last year started doing some overnight tramps with friends. This love has just grown and has become a little addictive. So when the Walk1200km challenge hit my letterbox, I jumped at it. “I have struggled with fibromyalgia for the last 11 years. The condition causes chronic pain and fatigue, and when a flare-up hits, I can be wiped out for a few days. However, I have been determined to help relieve symptoms and ward off flare-ups through diet and good self-care. A big part of that is being active (even on the days my body says ‘no!’). Some days it’s 4km…

ON STEWART ISLAND’S North West Circuit, there’s a sense of relief in stepping onto a beach. At last, a firm footing and the opportunity for rapid progress compared to the boggy slog found inland. The proximity of Little Hellfire Beach to Mason Bay increases the tendency to rush towards the bigger beach and a hot brew at the hut. But that would be a mistake. Here, track markers are washed up fishing buoys, bleached ropes and frayed nets and they signal the arrival at Little Hellfire. As far as Rakiura beaches go, this has it all: the tannin-stained and driftwood-choked creek mouth, coloured rocks, a significant dune system and community of plants including many which are threatened. The mānuka scrub keeps its head down against the prevailing westerly, the stunted…

GLACIAL lakes, lush beech forest and snowcapped mountains have endowed Nelson Lakes National Park with a reputation for supreme beauty. Few, however, venture a short way over the St Arnaud Range, crossing the Rainbow Road into the Rainbow and Leatham conservation areas. These seldom-visited places hide beautiful bush-clad valleys with names like Hellfire and Misery, the valleys themselves being surrounded by the alpine wonderland of the Raglan Range. It’s a spectacular playground for adventure beyond the well-trodden trails over the hill. The trip over the Rainbow began with waves washing over the bow of the Awatere, part of a ritual familiar to North Island trampers crossing Cook Strait to Te Waipounamu. Our van bounced through the fords and potholes of the Rainbow Road towards the Wairau Swingbridge. By the time…

THE road from Christchurch up the east coast to Blenheim and Picton is one of the country’s busiest. Winding through the Hunderlee Hills most drivers wouldn’t notice an innocuous rural road, just over the Conway River, which leads to the coast. Nelson woman Liz Griffiths has been taking this road for years, knowing it leads to a hidden part of the country few people know exists; a pocket of pastoral land where two families have been inviting hikers to walk their farms and see the world through a new lens. “I remember the first time I did the Kaikoura Coast Track,” says Griffiths. “We stopped at the cattle yards, right beside the sea, and just offshore the water was awash with hundreds of dolphins, jumping and spinning. It was one…

HOW WE BREATHE has a big impact on calming our nervous system. I remember being in Tararua Forest Park and taking a wrong turn. When I realised my mistake, my heart rate increased and I was immediately stressed. It’s easy to become panicked when off-course in the middle of nowhere. In these situations, our brain searches for a way out. In my physio clinic, this is where I discuss breathwork with my patients; breathing, paying attention to each breath, noticing the depth and rate. Breathwork has two branches: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system is the ‘accelerator’; the ‘fight or flight’ response to threats. Physical and mental changes occur, such as an increased heart rate, shallower and faster breathing and blood rushing to our extremities. The…

Keen Ridge Flex Mid WP $349 / 1210g (m/w) Features: The uppers are formed from a combination of waterproofed leather and synthetic components. There is a novel ‘Bellows Flex’ rubber insert designed to relieve pressure on the top of the foot and provide more long-term durable dynamic flex than leather. Keen’s own waterproof lining is used, along with a gusseted tongue and a lacing system that tensions a webbing strap that helps hold the heel in place. Interestingly, the heel cup also has a textured ‘pillow’, which contributes to a firm heel lock. It’s a feature I hadn’t seen before. 4/5 Fit: Keen footwear is known for its broad sole and roomy toe box, which tends to suit average-to-wide feet well. I’m normally a UK8, sometimes a UK8.5 but these…

MERRELL NOVA 2 KIDS $119 Breathable textile upper and secure hook and loop closure designed especially for kids, reinforced toe, non-marking outsole with M Select Grip, recycled linings. www.merrell.co.nz THE NORTH FACE VECTIV ENDURIS $270 Ultra-distance running shoe with Vectiv forward propulsion, dual-density Pebax footplate, midsole rocker geometry, air-mesh upper, padded tongue, TPU overlays in the toe and heel, internal heel counter, Surface Control rubber outsole. 632g (m), 556g (w). www.thenorthface.co.nz HOKA ONE ONE TORRENT 2 $249.95 Made from recycled UNIFI Repreve yarn derived from post-consumer waste plastic and featuring an engineered mesh upper, PROFLY dual-density midsole, sticky rubber outsole with multi-directional lugs, 5mm drop. 528g (m), 430g (w). www.hoka.co.nz THE NORTH FACE VECTIV INFINITE $300 A responsive trail shoe for long-distance running in technical terrain. Featuring a dual-density footplate,…

Get your photo published here to receive a Victorinox Escort keyring pocket knife worth $22. Learn more about Victorinox at e.ampro.co.nz.…

I’m chasing a goal Sarah White says she likes chasing a goal, so, not content with the Walk1200km challenge, she upped the target to 1560km. Wellington librarian Sarah White says she likes “ticking boxes and having a goal”. Last year she visited 55 backcountry huts to mark her 55th year, so when she heard about Walk1200km she latched onto the new challenge. “I respond well to checking things off and having a goal in mind,” Sarah says. To mark her 56th year, she plans to walk 1560km – 30km a week – and has been exploring her backyard in Eastbourne. “I’ve always done a lot of walking, but it’s definitely an incentive to do more weekend trips. It’s a great incentive to get more active and get fitter.” She’s been…

Here are some of the lovely photos we’ve received in the Walk1200km ‘Photos of Summer’ competition. You’ve got until January 10th to submit your entries to be in with a chance of winning a Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90 camera worth $599. Enter the ‘Photos of Summer’ photo competition to win this compact, pack-ready travel camera. Simply sign up to Walk1200km on the Wilderness website and send in your photos to walk1200km@ lifestylepublishing.co.nz.…

The unique thing about sea kayaking is being able to conceal yourself in the landscape. Paddling can be silent and the kayak will glide through the water leaving only small ripples behind. And, once on the water, there’s much to see that can’t be seen from shore. It’s not uncommon to see kina, sea cucumbers, pāua and starfish on the rocks below or to have a curious seal swimming in your wake. Kayak’s move at nature's pace, often the same speed as diving birds, seals and dolphins. Kayakers can interact with wildlife without disturbing it and some interactions can leave a life-long impression. Here are some ideas for South Island wildlife encounters. 1 PADDLING WITH TAWAKI IN FIORDLAND Tawaki, or Fiordland crested penguins, are a bucket list bird. The rainforest…

PORANGAHAU/MT ROBERT is the northernmost summit of the Travers Range. Its easy access from the alpine township of St Arnaud makes for a popular day tramp. Following the Pinchgut Track is the most direct approach to the 1421m summit but, unsurprisingly, it’s something of a gut buster. Paddys Track provides a gentler alternative. It winds over the north-facing slopes of Porangahau, climbing gradually and offering grand views over Lake Rotoiti. The final push to Bushline Hut is steeper, but is softened by a number of switchbacks. The hut makes a fine place to enjoy lunch before pushing on over the tops to Mt Robert. En route historic Kea Hut is passed. It was built in the 1930s by men who later formed the Nelson Ski Club and has been beautifully…

THERE ARE many reasons you may need to seek shelter overnight or even during the day, which is why some form of emergency shelter or tent should be taken on every trip. SURVIVAL ‘SPACE’ BLANKETS OR BAGS These are waterproof metalized plastic sheets or bags and may have additional fabric insulation. They can trap 80-90 per cent of heat lost by a body due to radiation, water evaporation or convection. Blankets or bags are not expensive and weigh less than 100g. The lighter ones will provide less warmth and are more prone to tearing, especially to shred when nicked. Some are very crinkly to sleep in. Most will fit two people. A bag will prevent air gaps when sleeping, but a blanket is more versatile. It can wrap around you…

MARMOT WOMEN’S ANNIKA LS $139.95 Combination of abrasion-resistant nylon fabric for durability and stretch for mobility, UPF 30 sun protection, roll-up sleeve feature, continuous underarm gusset, shirttail hem with a zippered pocket, front patch pockets with button closure. 160g. www.marmotnz.co.nz MARMOT WOMEN’S RAINA SHORT $99.95 Nylon fabric for stretch and durability, PFC-free DWR finish, UPF 50 sun protection, front and back pockets with snap closures. 330g. www.marmotnz.co.nz MARMOT WOMEN’S LA LINEA PULLOVER $129.95 Tencel fabric wicks moisture and dries quickly, stretch construction and raglan sleeves, hidden security pocket behind the kangaroo pocket, UPF 30 rating, shirttail hem. 325g www.marmotnz.co.nz MARMOT WOMEN'S KLUANE HYBRID TIGHT $189.95 Stretch fabric at the back of legs and waistband, gusseted crotch, abrasion-resistant nylon fabric, PFC-free DWR finish, UPF 50 sun protection, zippered hand and back…

What was your goal in collecting tramping writing into an anthology? It was to show the diversity of the tramping experience and the ways people have expressed that diversity. Even if someone isn’t into tramping, I hope they would read the book and at least understand why people might want to do it. There’s that great comment from Geoff Spearpoint about it seeming like a purposeless eccentricity, so I guess I’m trying to answer that in some ways. It’s a new book, but is it something you’ve been working on forever? It’s really the book I wanted to have when I was starting to tramp as a teenager in the mountains of Hawke’s Bay. I really craved to read about other trampers’ experiences, but I couldn’t find any. I gradually…