Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Wilderness

WALKSHORTS A handwritten note from the nineteenth century has confirmed the correct spelling of Milford Track's highest point. Minister for Land Information Damien O'Connor accepted in June the New Zealand Geographic Board's recommendation to officially change the name of Mackinnon Pass to Omanui / McKinnon Pass. Submissions on the proposed change were called for last year. It was noted that the pass had been named, albeit incorrectly, after explorer Quintin McPherson McKinnon. Born in Scotland in 1851, McKinnon was one of the first Europeans to discover the Milford Track route in 1888. He became a tourist guide and mail-runner on the track, and died in 1892 after his boat was wrecked crossing Lake Te Anau. The Geographic Board said it confirmed the correct spelling of McKinnon from a signature on…

It's no secret that I dislike huts. Crowded, damp, loud, smelly, they offer shelter from the elements but rarely, for me, an enjoyable experience or a good night's sleep. I think of huts as turning the ‘great outdoors’ into the ‘great indoors’, artificial barriers keeping the tramper from experiencing the natural environment. Every time i venture into the wilderness tne question comes up: what type of shelter shall I pack? Nowadays there are multiple options, each with advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type of trip. On trips below the bushline, camping under a tarp (a rectangular fly stretched between trees or rocks, open at the sides and without a floor) is one of my favourite choices. My early tarp camping was in my Otago University Tramping Club days. Almost…

WAYPOINTS The word tarn suggests cool mountain waters nestled in a shallow basin. Saying the word aloud with a rolling ‘r’ hints at its etymological origins. The term came to Aotearoa with Scottish immigrants, who use it to describe a small mountain lake. However, its origins go back even further, to when Scandanavians settled parts of what is now Scotland. In Old Norse, ‘tjorn’ means a small mountain lake without tributaries. The strict definition of a tarn is a small lake formed in a cirque carved by a glacier, sometimes alternatively called a ‘corrie loch’ in parts of Cumbria. But in mountainous parts of the United Kingdom and here in New Zealand, the term has expanded to include any small mountain lake, not necessarily with glacial origins. For example, some,…

WILD TRIPS Wilderness WALK 1200km 8km+ The start of the track to Iron Gate Hut is only an hour from Palmerston North and it's an easy(ish) four- to five-hour tramp to the hut. Parking at the Petersons Road end is plentiful; don't be alarmed at the number of cars here as the Iron Gates Gorge is a popular day-trip destination. There's a toilet and a small tarn. The track immediately descends 100m to Umutoi Creek then climbs back up to the rifle range and over a spur to reach Alice Nash Memorial Heritage Lodge in about 40min. This hut is maintained by the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association and is named after a local woman. It was built by her daughters, and information on the kitchen wall tells the story. It's…

Wilderness WALK 1200km 8.4km At almost 1000m, the Flora car park provides the advantage to climbing Mt Arthur in a day. If you fancy an overnight trip, it's possible to sleep in Mt Arthur Hut, which offers superb views over the Nelson region, or Flora Hut in the valley below. The nicely graded track sidles beneath Pt1262 to reach Flora Saddle and a junction. Head west on the left-branching Mt Arthur Walk, an undulating trail to a ridgeline climb through beech forest. After nearly 2km the trail turns northwards and climbs more steeply, zigging and zagging in places to eventually reach Mt Arthur Hut, just below the bushline. There is water here. Above the hut there is a track junction. The right branch is the marked route to Flora Hut…

Nicole Lara had been in New Zealand for two days before she headed out on her first solo overnight tramp. She'd arrived in Wellington from the United States inspired by Gillian Orrell's book New Boots in New Zealand. This is a day-by-day account of all the country's Great Walks. For Nicole, her choice was the South Island and the Abel Tasman Coast Track. “It was the first time I'd tramped solo overnight,” she says. “In fact, I hadn't even done any solo day walks and the prospect was a bit daunting. I chose a Great Walk because I knew it was going to be safer and there would be more people. “I struggle with an anxiety disorder, so the idea of going out on my own was intimidating. I ended…

Many things - weather, river levels, injury - can force a change of plan. You may need to consider going back, staying put or changing your route. Some information is difficult or impossible to access while on the trip, but if you've considered your options before leaving home, this decision-making will be easier when the time comes. FORMAL TRACKS The easiest alternative routes to identify are tracks marked on a map. However, don't assume that because a track is marked it will still be there or open for public use. It may be a farm or forestry track, or may pass through farmland and require permission. Do some homework on the tracks you might want to use as escape routes. Searching the name of a track online may yield information,…

Seeking the Light is an intriguing title; what does it mean? I wanted something that addressed seeking light in a photographic sense and seeking en-’light’-enment in the mountains. Mountaineers often scale south faces in the shade, climbing up to reach the daylight, so in the mountaineering, photographic and spiritual sense we're literally seeking the light. Do you have a favourite image from the book? The photo of Ruari Macfarlane just starting a descent of Mt Tasman / Horokoau springs to mind. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the hard ice required our absolute concentration, but we were alert to the dangers and being the most intensely tuned in to each other as I've ever experienced in a climbing partnership. We kept moving through the night to beat the…

RAB SILTARP 2 $299.95 Shelters 2-3 people and is made from waterproof Sil-Coat Cordura fabric. 16 attachment points for multiple set up options, 1 central lifter point for support with a ridge line. Stuff sack included. 2.4m × 3m. 433g. www.outfitters.net.nz DD HAMMOCKS SUPERLIGHT TARP $219.95 19 attachment points for multiple set up options, waterproof with taped central seam, ripstop nylon fabric with 3000mm PU coating. Stuff sack included. 3m × 2.9m. 460g. www.gearshop.co.nz DD HAMMOCKS 3×3 TARP $139.95 16 reinforced side attachment points, 3 centre attachment points for multiple set up options, waterproof 190T polyester fabric with 3000mm PU coating, seam taped, four pegs, stuff sack. 3m × 3m. 790g, www.gearshop.co.nz DD HAMMOCKS 3X3 PRO TARP $169.95 21 reinforced attachment points for multiple set up options, 16 eyelets for use with…

WAYPOINTS Many walkers will have been to Mason Bay, but few will have wandered around the pristine one-of-a-kind mānuka forest. This forest is home to many native birds and offers astonishing beauty and tranquillity. Tucked into the fringe of this forest, almost blending in perfectly to the evergreen foliage, is the 20-bunk Mason Bay Hut. Mason Bay is about 15 minutes from the hut, and on fine days with clear air, from the beach you can see as far as the south-east coast of Fiordland National Park. The hut is on both the Southern Circuit and Northwest Circuit tracks and can be reached by walkers in a few hours from Freshwater Hut. However, an easier approach is by plane which includes a scenic flight over the island and a landing…

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK MAPS SHOW IT AS ‘NEILL RIDGE’, BUT FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, TRAMPERS HAVE CALLED IT THE ‘NE ILL-WINCH COM BE’ Running east to west, the ridge provides a direct line across the Tararua Range from Cone to Mt Hector. In the early days of tramping, the Greytown-Mt Hector Track Committee briefly contemplated using the ridge for the Southern Crossing route, but soon decided it posed ‘too many difficulties’. Much of Neill Ridge is covered in gnarled silver beech forest, so moss-enveloped that in places no bark shows at all; a tracery of unrelenting green. The ridge traverses a number of torturous knolls, the highest being Neill and Winchcombe, gradually rising to narrow tops where trampers must navigate around precipices until they broaden, shortly…

My heart slammed to a stop as the adrenaline fizzed. I felt lightheaded, giddy, synapses firing, every sensation in overdrive. Was I coming or going? What was the day, the month? Heck, did I even care? I was mesmerised, caught in a spell. All that mattered was drowning in the glorious moment. I'd worry about coming up for air later. Falling in love does that to you. And I was falling. The dizzying, head-over-heels type of love that makes you feel alive. It wasn't a person that had caught my eye. It was a mountain range - a fantastically great and majestic one. The Kepler Mountains, as seen from the Kepler Track I wasn't expecting to fall in love when, as a naïve tramping newbie, I donned a 25kg pack…

It's 9.29am on a Tuesday in early May, and all across the country people sit anxiously in front of their computer, one hand resting on the mouse, a DOC Great Walk booking form open on the screen. A comment on a Facebook group that bookings are opening is met with cries of “No, no, no, don't remind people, it's hard enough.” The clock ticks over to 9.30am and people frantically click through the pages, entering their details as fast as they can. Credit cards at hand, everyone hopes the page won't crash at the last step and they'll join the thousands of other trampers lucky enough to bag a spot on a Great Walk for the coming season. Before that nerve-wracking booking lottery, you should do some basic preparation, especially…

S Cardamom, more earthy and slightly less sweet than cinnamon, imparts a lovely warm spice to porridge, and coffee adds a rich depth. The result is a bowl of the best of all breakfast worlds. Feel free to sub in your favourite seasonal fruit as a topping, or add a handful of nuts to change the texture. Profiles Time: 15min Cost: $5 Feeds: 2 PORRIDGE INGREDIENTS oatsortwosachets microwave oats) chiaseeds desiccatedcoconut cardamom freshlybrewedcoffeeor 2 cups water and 2 tsp instant coffee) Coconutmilkpowdersachet(enough for two serves - 500ml) datesfinelychopped bananachoppedoptional) Pinch of salt TOPPING INGREDIENTS Neutraloil tbspmaplesyruporhoney Handful nuts (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc) pearorotherfruitCoconut chips to garnish METHOD At home, combine all dry ingredients, except the oats, in one zip-lock bag. At camp,…

I'M DOING IT FOR MY BODY AND MIND For Fiona Bersani, the benefits of doing the Walkl200km challenge go beyond fitness. Fiona Bersani was already a keen walker when she joined the Walkl200km challenge. “Early on, my husband asked why I was doing it,” she says. “Taking on the challenge meant I had purpose, I looked for new and longer walks, and it increased my fitness and strength considerably.” She spotted WalklzOOkm on Facebook and joined the challenge a month before walking the Paparoa Track. “It was an excellent incentive and encouraging to see the kilometres clock up.” Fiona likes the challenge's bite-sized approach -that 3.3km a day equals 1200km over 12 months, although from the start she aimed to do better. In the end, she walked 1200km in seven…

WILD TRIPS Wilderness WALK 1200km 10km The track begins at a large parking area where there's a viewing platform with views of Katikati and the Bay of Plenty. It gives a taste of what is to come. There's a gate and through it, the track splits immediately. To the left is a 2kmlong, 400m climb, up a spur to a historic kauri dam in the headwaters of Wairoa Stream. The right fork is a gentler and longer ascent of 8km to the same point. The right-hand track immediately drops into Tahawai Stream, where a beautiful waterfall can be seen through the bush. From here it turns northwards, and walkers climb across a spur before once again dipping into the stream near its headwaters, where another waterfall can be glimpsed. All…

WILD CLIMBING SOME PEOPLE HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION TO A PLACE, AND NOWHERE IS THAT MORE APPARENT THAN TARANAKI MAUNGA. SOME LOCALS HAVE CLIMBED THE FAMOUS PEAK HUNDREDS OF TIMES. At 81 years of age, Derek Andrews has climbed Taranaki Maunga 870 times. He's collected 8077 pieces of glass during his summits and 30kg of rubbish off the mountain this year alone. It's what makes him one of many stalwarts, a loyal, reliable and hard-working supporter of the maunga doing his bit to protect it. But when asked what it is that draws him to Taranaki Maunga in particular, Andrews says it's a matter of convenience. “I can drive there in half an hour,” he says. Perhaps if he'd lived in Hamilton, his life would have been very different. He…

IF I'M HONEST, NOT EVERY DAY ON THE GREAT WALKS IS ‘GREAT’, AND SOME DAYS AREN’T WORTH THE PRICE TAG. BUT OTHERS ARE SO AWE-INSPIRING THAT SHOULD THEY BE RUINED BY BAD WEATHER, IT'S WORTH BEING A WARRIOR AND WALKING THE ENTIRE TRACK AGAIN. 1. Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut, Milford. Track It's hard to sit still in Mintaro Hut. Set beneath the formidably sheer Mt Balloon, it's the last stop before Omanui/Mckinnon Pass – arguably the most hallowed ground of the Great Walks. Trampers sleep restlessly in the shadow of the mountain, knowing Fiordland's unpredictable weather could make or break the views on the next day's walk. And what a walk it is. The climb begins immediately with gentle switchbacks ascending from the treeline. In summer, it is dotted with…