Wilderness March 2016

GENTLEMEN’S DISAGREEMENTS A very worrying stat emerged from a chat I had with the Federated Mountain Clubs: that 30 per cent of access points to public conservation land are not legally binding. In fairness, it was an ‘I was told this once by a bloke from DOC’ kind of stat, but one that if anywhere near close to reality, will make every tramper twitch with angst. While ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ with private landowners may have opened access to a whole host of land that would otherwise be next to impossible to reach, it’s more than a tad worrying these could be removed at the whim of the owner. Having spoken to landowners around the north-western corner of the Ruahines, this concern is not unfounded. Some were of the opinion that trampers…

CARRYING A PLB FOR WOMEN WHERE TO WEAR a PLB is something I have contemplated at length (‘How to carry your PLB’, December 2015). After taking into account the position of pack hip belts and chest straps, garments worn, tramping conditions and the need to have the PLB on your person at all times, the result has been my under-boobs-band. The PLB is worn sideways attached to a band, is tucked out of harm’s way, allows for full use of your arms and is comfortable enough to forget it’s there. To make a band and attach the PLB will require a little sewing. All you need is a strip of elastic band wide enough to accommodate the PLB’s pouch and long enough to stretch around your torso, and the hooks…

SEND YOUR PIX Get your photo published here to receive a set of four Light My Fire Sporks – one for you and three for your friends! Learn more about Spork at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…

83 SUPPORTING 33 OBJECTING Submissions received by LINZ to a proposal to change Canterbury’s Nigger Hill to Kãnuka Hills. Similar figures apply for changing Niggerhead and Nigger Stream to Tawhai Hill and Steelhead Stream respectively KAKAPO NUMBERS SET TO… BOOM It’s been a hugely successful summer for kakapo, who have been friskier than ever before. Those at DOC observing the sex lives of these flightless parrots are delighted to have registered 21 mating females (at the time of writing). This includes a Fiordland kakapo called Kuia, who has never bred before, but is hugely important for widening the gene pool; the majority of birds originate from Stewart Island and are closely related. DOC predicts kakapo nests may number 15 by the end of the summer with 30-40 kakapo chicks; significant…

Do you have a favourite hut? Do you have an outdoor hero? Do you know a youngster who’s achieving incredible things in the great outdoors? Is there an outdoor store or brand that you truly trust and goes beyond the call? Now’s the time to give them the credit they deserve. Nominations are open and the more compelling you make them, the more likely your nominees are to be selected as finalists. This year we have two new categories: Young Outdoor Person of the Year, rewarding youngsters who have achieved great things, either personal goals or by helping others or the environment; and we’re also looking for New Zealand’s favourite hut of 2016. You might like the location, the suitability for its surroundings, a cool feature which stands it out…

Hotdogs on a stick are a bit of a culture shock to those visiting New Zealand; approximation of meat coated in grease-saturated batter, then dunked in ketchup. They look more like severed limbs than food. But Kiwis share a great affection for them, presumably based on happy childhood memories of school fairs and games of rugby. Likewise, backcountry trips of yesteryear ensure trampers and hunters share a similar affection with the old four and six bunk huts built by DOC’s predecessor, the New Zealand Forest Service (NZFS). These huts are as basic as you get – four walls and a roof, traditionally built with an open fire and painted ‘survival orange’ (not a dissimilar colour to those impaled hotdogs). They were purely functional, with no thought given to the likes…