Innehållsförteckning för June 2021 från Wilderness

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WESLEY PIGG hopes that by reaching Pinnacles Hut in a wheelchair he can convince others that they can achieve things they never dreamed were possible. Wesley enlisted the help of eight friends to help him achieve this seemingly impossible first tramp, which took eight hours up, and six hours down, on a stormy weekend in April. The 26-year-old physiotherapist has been a paraplegic for the past five years due to a genetic spinal condition and said he was inspired to reach the hut after seeing photos of the views on the popular, and steep, Coromandel tramp. The first challenge was convincing his friends it was a good idea. “I approached a couple of friends with the idea and they all said straight out, not going to happen,” Wesley said. “But…

FOGGY PEAK, 1741m, has long been a must-do summit in Canterbury. Its steep slopes, though not at all technical, provide a moderate challenge and a serious fitness test as they ascend via several false summits and a long summit ridge to finally top-out on the broad almost flat summit. In winter, the peak takes on a different shade and can present more serious challenges, such as deep snow, icy crusts requiring crampons and ice axe, avalanche conditions, especially windslab on the upper slopes, and extreme cold. The climb starts easily enough from the summit of Porters Pass as it winds through lumpy tussock outcroppings and loose scree. However, the gradient soon steepens and the broad exposure of the ridge increases. It is important to try to stay on the rather…

IN 1894, A KIWI TRIO GOT WIND OF PLANS BY AMERICAN EDWARD FITZGERALD TO BE THE FIRST TO SUMMIT AORAKI/MT COOK. GUY MANNERING AND MARMADUKE DIXON HAD CLIMBED TO WITHIN 60M OF THE SUMMIT IN 1890, AND LOCAL CLIMBERS FELT IT SHOULD BE NEW ZEALANDERS WHO CLIMBED THE PEAK FIRST. So three locals got an expedition together – Tom Fyfe, George Graham and Jack Clark – and won the race, summiting at 1.30pm on Christmas Day in bitingly cold winds. The weather presented such pressing challenges to the human condition that the next day the Kiwi climbers simply abandoned their camp on the upper Hooker Glacier, under Harper Saddle, and bailed for the safety of The Hermitage.  Eighteen years later, in 1913, the whole camp was discovered 6.4km down the…

MOST OF US are familiar with returning late from a tramping trip, only to be faced with work the next morning and a hectic week ahead leaving little time to wash dirty gear and prepare it for the next trip. But taking the time to clean and maintain your gear will prolong its life and streamline packing for the next weekend adventure. WASH YOUR WATERPROOFS To maintain the function of technical waterproof clothing, wash it after trips especially where there’s been a lot of use. Sweat, sunblock and dirt can block a membrane’s pores, making clothing less effective when it’s next used. Contamination can also cause the fabric to delaminate. Dry clothing in a tumble dryer occasionally, as the heat helps redistribute the durable waterproof repellent (DWR) coating on the…

Toaks Ultralight Titanium Stove and 700ml Pot Set $189 Used by: Contributing Gear Editor Mark ‘patience is a virtue’ Watson Used for: 12 months My go-to stoves over the years have been the MSR Whisperlite and more recently a Jetboil. I’ll pick from the two depending on the trip and/or the country I’m travelling in. Last year, I added a third choice to my stove stable: an ultralight titanium methylated spirit burning stove. The primary reason for the addition was to have an even lighter stove option for weight-conscious adventures where hot drinks and food are still desirable. At 159g, the Toaks is indeed light and with the burner unit, pot stand, windshield, pot grip, lighter and some tea bags all fitting inside the pot itself it’s also very compact.…

RANGE This is the distance in metres that the beam reaches. The range figures shown in this feature are for the lowest and highest light settings. STRAPS Comfort is key, so straps should be soft and wide enough to support the weight of the headlamp. Most straps use a sliding adjustment that can be tightened or loosened easily on the go. Straps can be removed to wash away sweat and grime without damaging the lamp. OUTPUT Measured in lumens, light output can be adjusted for the conditions from a low 10 lumens or 25 lumens for reading or early-morning starts where you don’t wish to disturb others, up to 750 lumens for finding your way on the trail. ON/OFF The torch should be simple to operate with either a button…

ROUTEBURN IN A DAY Further to the web-exclusive story ‘The Routeburn in one day’ (March 1), this may be of interest. On November 22, 1986, Russell Prince and Ross Redpath started from The Divide on the Milford Road and ran the track in just over 7hr – return! Russell and Ross were together at Glenorchy in a time of 3hr14min. Russell finished at The Divide in 7hr08min and Ross in 7hr20min. Not a bad effort, eh? - Ray Willett DOGS HAVE NO PLACE IN NATIVE BUSH I enjoy reading Wilderness and the encouragement it gives to everyone to enjoy New Zealand’s outdoors. However, the article ‘A tramper’s best friend’ (April 2021), encouraging people to take pet dogs on tramping trips, was disappointing. New Zealand has amazing scenery and forests, mountains…

TRAMPER NUMBERS on some of the country’s rockstar tourist tracks have plummeted due to Covid-19, while some local tracks have seen a boost in numbers, according to DOC. The department released figures for tracks and huts around the country over summer, which showed huge declines on tracks popular with international tourists. Visitors to Milford Sound were down 78 per cent on 2019/2020 while Franz Josef Glacier and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing were both down 72 per cent. Numbers on the Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier walks were also down 67 per cent. DOC visitor centres saw a 59 per cent reduction in visitors, falling from 640,000 to 262,000. But tracks popular with Kiwis or near cities were mostly stable or grew. The Pilgrims Way Coastal Track at Godley Head near…

DOC SAYS dogs have been poisoned after eating meat laced with rat poison laid along tracks leading to a Waikato hut and the department is calling for help to find the culprit. DOC Maniapoto acting operations manager Graham Kimber said the poisoned baits were found on three tracks – Leitch’s Track, Waikawau Track and Mangatoa Track – leading to Leitch’s Hut in Whareorino Conservation Area, south of Kawhia. Kimber said the baits were discovered by a member of the public in August, An alert was placed on the department’s website and DOC stopped issuing permits for people to take dogs into the park. Signs have also been placed at the track entrances. “We believe it’s rat bait of the kind found in supermarkets or stores,” Kimber said.“The bait has been…

FROM LAKE CLEARWATER village, the track curves around the eastern edge of the lake on a four-wheel-drive gravel track. This first part of the trail is suitable for all fitness levels, with even ground and a mild gradient. It is wide enough for people to walk three-abreast. After following the lake for approximately 30-minutes, a wooden footbridge crosses Lambies Stream, from where there are views of Lake Clearwater to the left. Then, a sign directs hikers to leave the main trail to reach the summit of Mt Guy (1319m). Cross a stile and follow the orange markers to the base of the mountain. These markers guide walkers for the remainder of the trail. The ground is initially flat and even underfoot, but after a brief, gradual ascent, steepens considerably. Large…

THE SPECTACULAR Whakapapaiti Valley and its namesake hut is a fantastic destination for an easy day or overnight trip. Typically accessed via the Whakapapaiti Valley Track (2.5hr from Whakapapa Village), there is also a shorter, easier route (90min from Bruce Road), well suited to family groups or those simply wanting quicker access to the valley. This route is a good option for those seeking a low-risk overnight trip in full winter conditions as it allows plenty of time to enjoy the sights and snow underfoot. Following a section of the multi-day Round the Mountain Track, begin at Scoria Flat car park, approximately 5km up Bruce Road. The first kilometre is nontechnical, crossing two small creeks and maintaining a fairly flat gradient over rocky terrain. Already sitting at about 1450m in…

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SLEEP SYSTEMS have come a long way since I started tramping 15 years ago. The cheap-as-chips and paper-thin closed-cell foam (CCF) mattress was the quintessential bedding of my first Duke of Edinburgh missions. Just marginally better than the bare ground, the mats offered little in the way of insulation or padding, but at the time, there were few other options, and on every trip there would be a bright blue mat rolled and hitched to a dozen unwieldy packs carried through the bush, ready to roll down hills whenever the troupe stopped for lunch. Today, inflatable mattresses are a far more common sight in the backcountry – and for good reason. Plush, and well insulated, they can offer incredible comfort and warmth for minimal weight and bulk. But they’re not…

It’s great to see more plus-sized gear is becoming available (‘Go big or go home’, May 2021). I’m a big person (160kg) and am completing an overnight tramp every month this year as a way to lose weight. Lots of gear I have bought is heavy and bulky – my only winter piece of clothing is a big wind-stopper fleece that weighs 1500g. I know I won’t find anything filled with down that fits me. My raincoat only just makes it round my puku and it always seems to take up way too much space and weight in my pack. I have some tips for my fellow plus-sized hikers: • Pack light where you can so you have more room for your raincoat and warm gear. • Hunting stores stock…

A NEW 55KM cycle trail linking Clyde and Cromwell via the rugged Cromwell Gorge opened in May. The grade 1-2 trail follows Lake Dunstan, linking the vineyards of Bannock-burn through to the start of the Otago Central Rail Trail in Clyde and the new Roxburgh Gorge Trail via Alexandra. It includes spectacular sections cantilevered over Lake Dunstan, weaving between the Cairnmuir and Dunstan mountains and around enormous schist cliffs. Work on the $6m trail began in 2019 and was expected to open last year, but was hampered by issues with rockfall and delays from Covid-19. It forms part of the $26m New Zealand Cycle Trail Project, linking the rail trail with Queenstown via the Kawarau Gorge and to Wanaka via the Clutha River.…

THE 111-YEAR-OLD Hooker Hut has reopened in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park six years after it was removed due to the crumbling moraine wall. The hut, the oldest in the park, has been restored and relocated to a terrace in the Hooker Valley, about 20-minutes off the popular Hooker Valley Track and about a two-hour walk from the White Horse Hill campground. The eight-bunker, which opened at the end of April, has a fire, gas cooking and a large deck. Bunks can be booked for $15/ night. Aoraki operations manager Sally Jones says the hut is accessed via a short unformed marked route to retain its sense of isolation and to discourage people from visiting it as a day walk, but it will still be very accessible. “It’s a wee walk…

The range is a place of glittering tarns, undulating tussocklands and secretive rock wren. AN ASPECT of tramping I most appreciate is when the landscape reveals itself in ways you hadn’t expected from looking at the map. A map will give you a reasonable sense of the landscape’s bare-bones: how steep the route might be, whether or not that river has a gorge, where the bushline ends, and what spurs end in sub-alpine scrub. But within those broad motifs, infinite variations exist; surprises and delights awaiting discovery when you actually don boots and visit these places. I well remember my delight descending the track from Waiatupuritia Saddle in Kaimanawa Forest Park, hearing the promise of a rushing stream that suggested something which might be worth photographing. However, I was unprepared…

FROM THE ROAD END, head up the small bank toward the trees and the Hawdon River, where there is a sign pointing to the Hawdon River Track. At this point, off to the right, is another sign indicating the start of the track to Woolshed Hill (1429m). The track pleasantly meanders its way through the forest for about 500m to the site of Kidson Lodge. Cross the clearing, staying on the left and at the far side, is a white pole with a DOC marker on it. Head left and begin the ascent. It is a pulse pumping start, but the gradient eases slightly after about 100m, but don’t be fooled into thinking the quad-burning bits are over. The track weaves its way amongst the trees while steadily climbing up…

THE WALK STARTS at the far end of the car park along a rocky trail lined with alpine plants such as hebe and tussock. An impressive concrete tunnel is reached after about 850m. This is designed to protect walkers from rockfall and slips from above. At its end is a narrow pathway bordered with more hebe and alpine plants on one side and a rockface, covered in lush moss, on the other. The trail becomes less apparent as it enters the gorge. Here, walkers are surrounded by large boulders and rocks and will need to carefully rock-hop through this area. The gorge section is very short – around five minutes. Though the trail is indistinct, track markers lead the way uphill to reach the far side of the gorge. In…

Worry added weight to already weary knees. As I limped my way down into Siberia Valley, the short conversation bounced around my skull with my heavy footsteps. Had I asked enough questions? Did my tone sufficiently allay my uneasiness? And could I live with myself if he ended up a statistic? It was around 4pm when my group of six and I encountered the solo tramper. I had spied him a quarter-hour earlier from my steep perch, just a tiny Gore-Tex insect crawling along the track below. I assumed he too would be descending, reasoning that nobody would tackle Gillespie Pass this late in the day. We had been walking since 10am, and we were spent. The pass is a real doozy; 900m up from Young Hut and then 1000m…

IF YOU FEEL that you can’t read a map, the best thing you can do is practise often. Take a map with you on all your walks, no matter how short and get used to using it. You can download maps from the LINZ website, or find an alternative free online source to print and practise with. Let’s see what we can learn from the map above, showing the track to the popular Rocky Lookout in Tararua Forest Park. If it confuses you, try concentrating just on the road, rivers and track. It becomes much less confusing that way. 1. Orient the map. When you arrive at the car park, take out your map and orient it so it is aligned with the features on the ground. Note that the…