Wilderness November 2024

This month I curled up on the couch with Shaun Barnett’s new book, A Wild Life: Photographs from the backcountry of Aotearoa. His exquisite images span three decades and depict not only a life’s work but also the extraordinary diversity of our natural landscape. There’s a quiet grace to the photos, and as I turned the pages I was left in awe of all there is still to explore. I also had a chat with Shaun’s long-time publisher and friend, Robbie Burton, about the book and their collaborations (see Track Chat, p80). Earlier in the month I attended the funeral of a friend’s father. Like Shaun, he was devoted to his family and community, found his life’s purpose early on and never deviated. He was a volunteer firefighter for more…

ANTIHISTAMINES A GAME-CHANGER It was good to see the article ‘Five tips to save you from sandflies’ (Walkshorts, September 2024). Namu (sandflies) were a true bug bear in my first few years of tramping. I was that person whose bites would result in large, itchy welts, 2–3cm in diameter and last a miserable five days. It made me somewhat paranoid about namu entering a tent or hut if a door or window was left open. Stops for breaks were always short-lived with me moving around frantically to try and avoid being bitten. I tried Dettol and baby oil, which seemed effective, but my partner said it was like walking alongside a public toilet. I have used the other tactics suggested, but they don’t make for a relaxed trip and all…

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

WALK SHORTS DOC’s Buller District team has begun work to improve the start of the West Coast end of the Wangapeka Track beside Little Wanganui River. This is one of only two tracked access points to the western side of Kahurangi National Park, the other being the Heaphy Track. Erosion washed away an unformed legal road next to the Kahurangi National Park in 2013, meaning access to the final part of the track was now over private land. Herenga ā Nuku, the Outdoor Access Commission investigated creating an easement over the land to preserve this access, but due to a decline in track use no further action was taken. By 2019, however, several hundred trampers each year were using the track from the western end and the landowner was concerned…

Many huts that are used as tramping accommodation today were historically used by shepherds and musterers working isolated areas of farmland. Here are some that are easy to visit. Kaweka Forest Park Early Māori living in the eastern Kaweka foothills gathered food from the nearby forests. Ngāti Mahu and Ngāti Hinepari set up transient camps near the Mangatutu and Mangatainoka hot springs, and the Upper Mohaka River was an important source of tuna or eels. European colonists modified the area considerably and grazed merino sheep over the entire range. Some of their early huts remain. Iron Whare is a small hut made from vertical slab tōtara and is thought to have been built in the 1870s by musterers who carried the materials in to the site. It is the oldest…

There’s a new tool to help with planning backcountry hikes or mountaineering adventures, and it’s free. LINZ has upgraded New Zealand’s basemaps, and peaks and plains can now be viewed in 3D across the country. LINZ head of location information Aaron Jordan says this latest development will help build understanding of New Zealand landscapes through easy-to-view detailed contours, hill shades and slopes. “New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world where this type of service and the underlying data is available at no cost to users,” he says. It will help “connect people with parts of the country that are difficult to access, or which they’d love to visit from the comfort of their own home”. The upgrade allows users to zoom right down to one-metre resolution…