Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i Wilderness

The New Year is upon us so why not set yourself a goal that will improve your fitness, body, health and mind? No matter how fit and healthy you are already, the Walkl200km challenge is the simplest, most effective way to improve your overall health and well-being. It really is as simple as putting on some shoes and heading out of the door for 45-minutes (less as you get fitter and faster) each day. I've been walking (nearly) every day now for 15 months and, hand on heart, can honestly say I've never felt better. I'm fitter, trimmer, healthier and happier. Walk1200km is about finding adventure and ‘wilderness’ wherever you walk. It's not something you can only do when tramping huge multi-dayers (though that helps). You can do it anywhere;…

WALKSHORTS The popularity of a campsite near Wellington has led to its downfall, DOC says. Graces Stream Campsite in Remutaka Forest Park has been permanently shut due to the risk of treefall. DOC says soil compaction from too much foot traffic and camping has damaged trees in the area. “It is not safe to camp there,” DOC senior ranger Robert Ashe said. Graces Stream has been a much-loved campsite for many years and the decision to close it was not taken lightly, Ashe said. The site's toilet has been removed and warning signs have gone up. Further north, campers at DOC sites in Whangārei will need to pack out their rubbish from February 1. Rubbish and recycling services have been available at Pūriri Bay, Otamure Bay and Uretiti campsites, but…

You have until March 3, 2023, to submit your best images. COMPETITION TIPS Follow these tips to give yourself the best shot at winning: * Multiple images may be submitted, but you should only include one image per email entry. *Don't send dozens of variations of the same shot – choose your favourite. *The best photos tell a story – human or animal elements can bring personality, colour and excitement to an image. * Dare to be different. Every year we get dozens of images of kea, the Kepler Track, Mueller Hut and Aoraki / Mt Cook. Find unique places and subjects, or frame classic vistas in new ways. * We use dozens of entries to illustrate stories in future issues of the magazine (which we pay for). This means…

#microchallenge7: Find the Christmas spirit on your walk Michelle Sim added some festive cheer to her walk up Mt Ada in the Port Hills. “I've done a lot of flat walking lately, so it was great to get back out in the hills and get the blood pumping.” Elizabeth Mayo enjoyed a sunset walk with her ‘reindeer’. Diana Ward found a spectacular pōhutukawa in bloom. “Who needs an artificial tree when you have a massive one like this, bathed in sunlight and full of birdsong?” #microchallenge8: Summit celebration Some “old men” (Stuart Prattley and Craig Foreman) reached the top of the Old Man Range. “Major climbing finished for the day, yay!” Karen Harper gave a wave from the summit of Mt Vernon on the Port Hills. Gina Williams was delighted…

It was spring. The mountain air was warm, the track was before us, and at first our eyes were drawn to the immense form of the volcano above. But more and more we noticed the small flowers brushing our qaiters. Delicate rosettes of white flowers perched on long stalks and emerging from tightly clustered, leathery dark green leaves. Mountain foxglove. During five days’ tramping the Around the Mountain track at Taranaki Maunga, this foxglove was an almost constant presence. The prolific plants lined the track, thriving in the moist environment. Unlike introduced foxgloves, which have large purple or white flowers, our native species is more subtle. The flowers have five lobes, emerging from a yellow-green centre with delicate hairs. When examined closely, these inflorescences are quite exquisite. According to botanist…

The small whitehead (pōpokatea) perches on the edge of a delicate, flowering branch. Bent legs suggest it could fly away in an instant. The moment seems frozen in time, and it is – because the scene is a tattoo on Gemma England's arm. “I have always had a deep appreciation and love for our natural environment and our native taonga,” she explains. “I work for a non-profit organisation where I facilitate community tree planting days, remove invasive weeds from local parks, train volunteers in predator control and educate tamariki on the importance of conservation and our native ecosystems. My tattoo is a permanent reminder of why I do the mahi that I do.” Jasmine Horton says something similar. “I got this tattoo as it reminds me to recognise my own…

MONTANE TRAILBLAZER LT20 $170 / 300g / 20l Features: This is a roll-top pack with a fully seam-taped main sack of 40D Sil Nylon ripstop, but with no reinforced areas. Wide, anatomic and breathable shoulder straps have large pockets for food or accessories. There are large stretchy mesh pockets at the sides and waist belt and a reflective overflow bungee on the outside. You can stash your walking poles while on the go, too. 4/5 Fit: It comes in one size and is designed to be worn high on the back, with the waistbelt sitting higher than with a typical pack, so its position is less critical. People with big shoulders or chests might find that the shoulder strap pockets are awkward to reach or that the upper sternum strap…

TRACK CHAT What first drew you to Rakiura? It was just another wild place I'd always wanted to visit. In 1993, friends and I hitched a ride on a fishing boat, which you wouldn't do these days. We were dropped off on a rock at Bald Cone, near Port Pegasus at the southern tip – straight in at the deep end, really. Since that first trip, has Rakiura changed? There have been increasing efforts towards conservation. An amazing community effort towards trapping around the village has seen birdlife return, even bringing the kiwi right back into the village. Ultimately, I hope I live to see the day when they have all predators off Rakiura. Why have you updated this book? When we published the first edition in 2006, the hardcover…

MURDEROUS COWS My partner and I had a chuckle at ‘Five things to consider before your next beach walk’ (October 2022). This year we visited Kahurangi Keepers House (highly recommended). As in the article, we did battle the wind on the first day and had to plan around the tides, but the wildlife was particularly memorable. A hut book entry tickled us: two trampers warned about some ‘murderous cows’. Apparently, the cows were so fearsome that the two had to dash into the dunes to escape them. We set out for home after regrettably staying only one night, and in the distance saw what had to be the terrible bovines. Without wanting to, we felt we herded them halfway up the beach. My partner was amused, I was not. They…

WALKSHORTS Public access to Ōpārara Basin in Kahurangi National Park has been restored in time for summer. Work to improve visitor infrastructure at the basin, known for its limestone formations, began in 2020 thanks to $5.7 million from the Provincial Growth Fund. Up to 15,000 people visit the area each year, and DOC said improvements were needed to keep visitors safe and minimise impact on the unique environment. Access to the basin was restricted to weekends from May 2022 while McCallums Mill Road was upgraded. The road reopened on December 1. The first 4.5km of the 16km road has been upgraded, with work on the rest to resume in May 2023. Ōpārara Arch Track also reopened in December, following construction work, with only Crazy Paving Cave still off limits. The…

‘I'm now walking for myself’ “I love to walk my dogs but it was suggested that I should also walk purely for myself, and this challenge has given me the motivation to do just that. Week one proved I can move some distance when not chaperoning my furry friends and catering to their never-ending urges to stop fora tinkle and a sniff. They still get their walks but I now also walk on my own for an hour or so, and what a difference when you can move your arms and legs free as a breeze, only thinking of yourself and the world around you. “I'm looking forward to getting fitter and tackling some of the awesome trails and hikes others are sharing.” – Monique Darge Join the Walk1200km challenge…

WAYPOINTS Possibly the only thing more stunning than Milford Sound is the journey to get there. For those wanting to spend more time admiring Ata Whenua Fiordland, a walk into the Gertrude Valley is sure to hit the spot. Pulling into the car park by the HomerTunnel to be faced with a plethora of warnings and info boards might be a bit unsettling for the unprepared. But not to worry, if you've checked the weather forecast and have one of those rare sunny days in Fiordland, you're good to go. The track is well marked and easy to follow and begins by meandering up the valley beneath impossibly steep mountains. Near the end of the valley, the beaten path climbs past sporadic cairns to cross the river just below a…

Conservation parks outnumber national parks by more than two to one, boast a greater number of huts and tracks, contain magnificent landscapes and rare ecosystems and offer fascinating human histories. Yet they are in the shadow of national parks and don’t enjoy the same level of protection or prestige. For many people, even trampers, the term ‘conservation park’ doesn’t really resonate. What are they? When were they formed? Let’s go back to 1952. New Zealand had just four national parks (Tongariro, Egmont, Arthur’s Pass and Abel Tasman), managed by the Department of Lands and Survey. In a spirit of post-war enthusiasm, new national park legislation that year led to a rush of park formation. Within 12 years, the number of national parks had rocketed to 10. The other government agency…

WILD GEAR Lusting over ultralight, ultra-expensive gear is a ‘fun’ activity for the gear obsessed. Think of the places that could be reached with an unlimited budget. Effortlessly scaling peaks and walking for days with an Instagram-able miniature pack on our backs. Like me, I suspect many trampers are brought down to earth by economic reality and a deep seeded psychological need to be frugal. Carrying an extra lOOg is worth saving $100, right? But there is another way. If you have time, patience, and determination you can be rewarded by hunting op shops for used gear. A Smartwool base layer found over 10 years ago in a dimly lit Dunedin Salvation Army store is still my go-to base layer. While clothing items are the easiest to come across, my…

OUTDOOR RESEARCH ECHO HOODIE $99.99 Bluesign-approved 100% recycled fabric with movement-mirroring stretch, mesh fabric for moisture management, UPF15+ sun protection, odour control treatment, flat seams and thumb loops. 115g (m), 111g (w). www.bivouac.co.nz REINFORCEMENT Patches of thicker material on high-wear areas, like knees and bottom, will increase the life of a garment. LONGS OR SHORTS Trousers and long-sleeve shirts and tees provide more sun protection and warmth. Zip-off trouser legs are versatile but will be slightly heavier. SUN PROTECTION The ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) measures the amount of UV light that passes through fabric. A UPF rating of 40+ or more should provide sufficient protection during summer. INSECT REPELLENT FABRICS Some fabrics are treated with permethrin to incapacitate insects landing on the fabric. MERRELL MEN'S ALDER WIND SHELL $209 Made…

Get your photo published here to receive a meal from Real Meals worth $17. Learn more about Real Meals at www.realmeals.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz.…

I'm fundraising for MHF Wendy Sullivan wants to raise money for the Mental Health Foundation because it's a ‘great cause’. THE WILDERNESS is Wendy Sullivan's happy place, so it made sense to her to fundraise for the Mental Health Foundation while doing Walkl200km. “I just thought it was a great cause,” says Wendy, a Marlborough Tramping Club member who finds time spent in nature is central to her wellbeing. “Issues around mental health don't have to be diagnosed by a doctor; we all suffer moments of sadness or get overwhelmed by the complexity of life.” Wendy realised the importance of mental health recently when she attended the funeral of an 18-year-old woman who took her own life. She has set a fundraising target of $500 and will be asking for…

PATAGONIA KID'S LIGHTWEIGHT SYNCHILLA SNAP-T PULLOVER $139.99 Double-faced pullover with a chest pocket and made from soft yet durable recycled polyester. Fair Trade Certified sewn. PETZL TIKKID 20 $59.90 Acompact 20-lumen headlamp for reading or playing. Automatic shut-off after one hour allows itto be used as a night light. www.outdoorestore.co.nz MERRELL MOAB SPEED LOW A/C WP KIDS $139 A water proof hiker/sneaker hybrid with a float foam footbed for cushioning and energy return, traditional lace closure and a non-marking outsole. www.merrell.co.nz…

WILD PEOPLE There are things Max Polglaze did that could never be done today. There are things he built as a park ranger in the 1970s and 1980s that would never get signed off by the bureaucracy and ‘processes’ that would eventually drive him from the hills he loved so much. Anyone who's tramped in Kahurangi National Park would have seen – and marvelled at – Polglaze's most famous handiwork, the Gridiron rock shelters. These nooks in the limestone that Polglaze somehow fashioned into magical sleeping quarters are the most unlikely abodes to wear a Department of Conservation (DOC) badge. Design them today and you'd be laughed out of town, or threatened with arrest. But 40 years ago things were different. Visionaries like Polglaze could innovate and leave their mark…

SLEEPING BAG I have three sleeping bags with use depending on the season and the nature of the adventure. My favourite is a Rab Summit 600, which I bought in a sale from Outfitters Store. It's a cheery shade of purple and has kept me warm on many autumn and winter nights. BIVVY The Outdoor Research Helium bivvy is my weapon of choice. I pair it with a Sea to Summit Escapist tarp, which is lightweight and can be pitched using walking poles. It's not sandfly-proof though, so it's a North Island rig only. COOKER My cooking setup is haphazard but lightweight, I've got an old pot and pot grabber from a 1990s Trangia set plus a tiny 75g Kovea fold-up cooker. I pair this with my secret ingredient: a…

Merrell MTL Long Sky 2 $259 A ready-for-anything shoe built in the Merrell Test Lab product incubator and designed for long runs. It features an internal bootie for locked-in fit, a FloatPro Foam midsole, water-draining quick-dry construction, breathable mesh and TPU upper, gaiter D-ring, odour-preventing NXT lined footbed, Vibram MegaGrip outsole. 560g (m), 440g (w). www.merrell.co.nz The North Face Vectiv Enduris ll $280 A supportive shoe providing comfort and support on rugged terrain by optimising energy return and delivering forward propulsion. It features a breathable air-mesh upper, padded tongue, no-sew TPU overlays at the toe and heel, internal heel counter and dual-density 3D TPU plate. 618g (m), 530g (w). www.thenorthface.co.nz The North Face Vectiv Infinite $330 A shoe for long distances over technical terrain. Featuring rocker midsole geometry for forward…