Innehållsförteckning för April 2019 från Wilderness

WHEN YOU SPEND more than 100 days in the wilderness each year, as many of the trekking and mountain guides who contributed to our ‘Secrets of the guides’ feature on p52 do, you develop a keen sense for what works and what doesn’t. For instance, you’re less likely to eat dehydrated meals and opt instead for fresh food because it’s more nourishing, fulfilling and more likely to put a smile on people’s faces. As Dave McKinley from Alpine Guides says, “I’d take three days of fresh food before I start sliding into the dark side” of dehydrated meals. McKinley’s number one tip for fresh food: spring onions, of which he says “there’s a lot of flavour for very little weight”. I’ve long been a member of the dark side, refusing…

A PROUD CONSERVATION history will be front and centre at the Herbert Forest guided walks day on April 14. The North Otago podocarp forest is likely the last of its kind on the east coast of the South Island – saved from logging operations in the ‘60s by concerned forest rangers. The open day will be run by North Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club (NOTMC) and will include guided walks of up to four-and-a-half hours duration. “We want to introduce people to this unique piece of indigenous forest and introduce people to the idea of tramping,” said NOTMC president John Chetwin. The club’s last open day in 2017 attracted around 80 people, with “everybody from kids in backpacks to people in their 80s” enjoying the range of walks. While the…

WAIHAHA HUT is much more than the sum of its parts. It doesn’t offer sprawling mountain views or inspiring architecture, but it feels like home the moment you emerge from the bush and spot it across the small clearing. Like a Disney cottage, it sits by a babbling river in a hug of protective native bush – smoke lazily leaking from the chimney if you’re lucky. The track follows the river through its many phases over the volcanic landscape, undulating as it winds upwards through dense forest. A few viewpoints of waterfalls, rapids and valleys make for a varied trip, and a wide flat of stunted tree growth midway reminds of the Tongariro landscape. The hut sits on the Te Araroa Trail, and the Waihaha River is a stone’s throw…

THE HOLIDAY BEGINS before the ferry grinds to a halt at Otehei Bay wharf, scattering stingrays on its approach. Deeply set in its headlands, the gorgeous bay is a sheltered haven for boats, lounging visitors and fish. Sizable snapper and kingfish guard the wharf – tempting even the honest to ignore the no fishing signs – and bird song greets the ears of disembarking passengers. Thanks to the pest control work achieved by Project Island Song, walkers have a good chance of spotting rare birds here; saddleback, pāteke, tui, North Island robin and whitehead inhabit the forested areas of the island. It’s a step back in time. A 7.3km track covers most of the 208ha island. The walk map – colour-coded like a subway route – can be overwhelming to…

In a state of sandfly-induced madness, we stumbled around the car park trying as quickly as possible to work out last minute logistics. What should go where and who would carry what. Recklessly throwing pieces of equipment into our backpacks, manically waving our arms and cursing loudly, we worked fast, before the winged devils could completely drain the blood from us. It was drizzling as we started out along the southern banks of the wide and gently meandering Karangarua River. We were on the We(s)t Coast, and it was apparent. My hiking companion, Chris, had attempted this tramp a few years prior. But two days into the trip he’d been turned back by a series of high bluffs. After days spent pouring over topomaps, consulting weather forecasts and gaining route…

Suze Kelly, Adventure Consultants On food: Kelly recommends planning your meals in advance and bringing lots of snacks. “If you’ve got your snacks handy, you’re more likely to pop one into your mouth as you go rather than having to wait until you stop.” Kelly’s preference is for sweet treats like gummy bears and snakes. “They’re good to share when you see the people around you are beginning to fade,” she says. For dinner, it’s about keeping it tasty. Kelly likes to add spices, toppings and other condiments to her dehy meals. She chooses Local Dehy, a Wanakabased company that makes vegetarian meals. “They’re really tasty and a lot of thought goes into them. You don’t have to do too much planning when you have one of those.” On walking:…

Lowe Alpine Aeon 35 $299.95 / 35-litres / 940g Features: The pack uses Lowe Alpine’s low-bulk adjustable Flexion Harness. It has a mesh and moulded foam back panel and a hipbelt with cut-out mesh-lined pockets for extra ventilation. There is top and side access, a large front mesh pocket, two side stretch mesh pockets and hiking pole and ice axe attachments. The fabrics used are light 100D and 210D nylon. 5/5 Fit: The harness length can be easily adjusted to suit different users, so I found it a perfect fit with the shoulder straps sitting nicely to distribute the weight of the pack across my shoulders and the hipbelt cupping my hips. 5/5 Comfort: On lightweight day trips, carrying around 5kg, I hardly noticed the pack.…

1- JETBOIL FLASH 2.0 $239.95 Boil in seconds, not minutes with the Flash 2.0. Lights with the click of a button and in just 100-seconds can provide two cups (500ml) of boiling water. The cooking cup clips onto the burner, preventing accidental spills, and the fuel canister tripod ensures overall stability. 371g. www.jetboilnz.co.nz 2- THE NORTH FACE GLACIER ALPINE PULLOVER $150 Feel good about what you're wearing with this lightweight fleece made of recycled material. The hood provides extra warmth and the drop-tail hem adds just enough coverage where it's needed. www.thenorthface.co.nz 3- MACPAC UBER LIGHT DOWN JACKET $189.99 The Uber Light provides plenty of warmth without the bulk. High quality down allows the jacket to be packed into a tiny stuff sack for use on-the-go. Perfect for urban adventures,…

GREAT RANGER ON GREAT WALK My wife and I had the pleasure of tramping the Heaphy Track recently. Everyone we met on the track was friendly and enthusiastic about having the privilege of experiencing this wonderland. However, the highlight for me, as far as human interaction is concerned, had to be the DOC Ranger – Vince – at Perry Saddle Hut on our first night. Vince was fantastic at mingling with the people enjoying the comforts of the hut (including those brave enough to camp outside on a very wet and windy night). He would meander around each group with a genuine interest in the people and what their intentions were while they were on the Heaphy. Later that night, Vince talked to the whole hut collectively about the Heaphy…

GIVEN NEW ZEALAND’S often tortuous, sometimes even torturous, terrain, it’s perhaps not surprising that many more names feature ‘Devil’ in them than ‘Angel’. Steep, nasty, overgrown, downright dangerous – any number of backcountry places sport hellish names that no doubt reflect someone’s bad experiences. Curiously, the North Island seems to have far fewer – one being Devil Creek, a tributary of the Tararua’s Waiohine River. The South Island has dozens. For example, Devils Thumb – a prominent knoll near the start of the Wangapeka Valley, in Kahurangi National Park. Further south, the Big Devil and Little Devil creeks merge near Twenty Five Mile Hut on the Rees-Dart Track, in Mt Aspiring National Park. Even Fiordland’s heavenly Milford Track has its dark side; the Devils Armchair, a blunt-faced peak with steep…

WITH A STEEP climb to the tree-line, where waterfalls tumble down the sheer rock walls of 2300m peaks, the Glacier Burn Track is a portal to a rugged alpine world. This seldom-visited tramp near Glenorchy is a perfect warm-up for the Greenstone-Caples, Rees-Dart or Routeburn tracks, or a great day trip in its own right. But with 506m altitude gain in just 3km, you have to earn the burn. From the small roadside car park, the marked track almost immediately crosses the ankle-deep Glacier Burn Stream. The track continues along the river flats for about 100m before entering beech forest. A thick carpet of ferns lines the forest floor and the well-formed track begins to climb. The incline soon steepens, following a ridge high above the Glacier Burn, which can…

With more than one million people expected to visit Piopiotahi/ Milford Sound this year, it’s incredible to fathom the iconic landscape was once considered nearly inaccessible. Today, it is easily reached by car in less than two hours from Te Anau, but wind the clocks back before the 1954 opening of the Homer Tunnel, and there was no road access at all. Go back further still, before the 1888 discovery of McKinnon Pass, and the only access was by ship. A carefully managed 14,000 visitors now walk the Milford Track every year, following in the footsteps of pioneering settlers who found and forged the route some 74 years after the sound was discovered, kickstarting the tourism boom for New Zealand’s most recognisable postcard location. Prior to pākehā discovery, however, it…

Keen Women’s Terradora Waterproof $269.98 / 640g Features: A well thought-out shoe with all the basics but no unnecessary gimmicks. It has lightweight mesh and synthetic uppers paired with a non-marking rubber outsole. Foot stability is provided with a shank and dual-density PU footbed. The shoe comes with a waterproof/breathable membrane. 4/5 Fit: These are narrower than most Keen models, but they still felt somewhat wide on me, although this caused no issues. 4/5 Comfort: Very comfortable straight out of the box, with excellently-padded insoles. The only minor discomfort was the laces. The extra loop of fabric on the second eyelet is intended to improve an already excellent heel lock, but it doesn’t allow the laces to flex which can lead to pressure points. 4/5 In use: Although…

Therm-A-Rest NeoAir UberLite $419.99 / 250g Features: This is the lightest air mattress available. It’s a simple product with just a handful of features. It uses Therm-A-Rest’s triangular core matrix insulating technology – two stacked layers of triangular baffles that help create a stable surface and limit heat loss – and it has a single inflation/deflation valve and comes with an R-value of 2.0. 4/5 Weight: Is it really 250g? When it’s inflated, it’s hard to tell because it feels like it weighs nothing and practically floats in the air when it’s manoeuvred around the tent. It’s 100g lighter than Therm-A-Rest’s NeoAir XLite – the previous lightest air mattress in the company’s stable. But unlike the XLite, the UberLite doesn’t come with a ThermaCapture lining to reflect radiant…

GREASY CANYONS, deep forest, and lots of wet are par for the course on any tramp into, or out of, the Styx River on the West Coast. This beautiful valley is actually part of the famous Three Pass Route, across the Alps from Canterbury to Westland and we were heading out of the catchment after a five-day hike through the mountains. We had come in over Hokitika Saddle, the upper Wilberforce Valley and Browning Pass down to Styx Saddle, and had just spent the night up at the nicely situated Grassy Flat Hut. The track down the Styx is well-marked, but has a moderate ascent through some gorgy sections, particularly in the mid regions, and there is even the odd fixed chain to guide trampers safely above the boisterous river.…

THE CRAIGIEBURN RANGE provides ample opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Boasting five ski fields and 12 named peaks above 1800m, there’s plenty to keep skiers and trampers happy, all within an easy hour or so’s drive from Christchurch. The two highest peaks are Mt Enys (2194m) and Mt Cloudsley (2107) and a great day trip involves a loop connecting these two peaks. It’s an honest day walk involving around 1900m of total climbing and 20km distance, but you’ll be well-rewarded for your efforts with panoramic views of the Canterbury high country and the Southern Alps. For those who like off-track travel, it’s perfect as most of the route is on untracked ridgelines. Starting behind Castle Hill Village, the Hogs Back Track leads to a high terrace. The route then branches off…

THE NORTHERN RUAHINE, accessed from the Napier-Taihape road, is an area steeped in colonial history. Much of the area was farmed in the late 1800s and evidence is still present in the form of huts and tracks. The trip to Dianes begins on a silent track through sections of pine, which are the legacy of NZ Forest Service attempts to control erosion in the area. After a small climb to Komata Peak, the track then heads south with easy tramping along flat ground. It then drops steeply some 700m to the Taruarau River which marks the northern boundary of Ruahine Forest Park. The Taruarau is waist-deep in normal flows but you could easily become stranded on either side if it’s been raining. Fortunately, there are campsites either side of the…

1 Rab Microlight $349.95 The Rab Microlight was one of the first micro-baffle down jackets available when released for the winter season of 2008. “The original brief was for a piece which packed so small that it could be stuffed into its own pocket, and clip to a climbing harness,” Rab’s Ben Manwaring says. “Most down jackets at the time were mid-weight and designed to be worn as static insulation. With the trend moving towards lighter and faster alpinism, we saw an opportunity to produce a lighter, more packable down jacket.” The jacket’s key materials are mostly unchanged, but minor upgrades throughout the jacket’s history have kept it from dating, including an upgrade to hydrophobic down and zip pockets. Manwaring puts the product’s success down to its versatility. “It can…

Craghoppers Nosilife Adventure Long-Sleeved Shirt $139.95 / 250g (m), 200g (w) Features: The shirt’s main selling point is its sun and mosquito protection. It offers UPF50+ sun protection, an extendable collar where an extra flap can be lifted up to cover more of the neck and mesh-lined shoulders with a large vent. The fabric has been impregnated with Nosilife – a permethrinbased insect killer. There are five pockets, including a hidden zippered security pocket and a large zippered and mesh-lined Napolean pocket. 5/5 Fit: The size medium fitted me in all the right places – across the shoulders and the arm length was good, allowing me to raise my arms without the sleeves riding up. But the cut is quite loose – it’s a formless shape that doesn’t…