A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world.

Starting on 13 May, Great Walks and bookable huts and campsites will open for stays over the 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026 season.

The opening dates for booking will be staggered from May 13 to 28 to “give people making multiple bookings a better chance of securing their preferred slot” the Department of Conservation said.

Popular walks such as Milford Track have filled out within 45 minutes due to both international and domestic demand and DOC expects its newest walk, Hump Ridge Track, to attract the same attention.

Bookings will open at 9.30am each assigned day. The dates are as follows:

Great Walks

15 May – Heaphy Track, Kepler Track, Rakiura Track, Hump Ridge Track*

22 May – Whanganui Journey, Routeburn Track, Tongariro Northern Circuit

27 May – Lake Waikaremoana Track, Abel Tasman Coast Track, Paparoa Track

28 May – Milford Track

*Hump Ridge Track is open for bookings two years in advance.

All other accommodation

13 May – Backcountry huts, lodges, sole occupancy facilities

20 May – Conservation campsites, except Tōtaranui, Momorangi, Anaura Bay campsites

21 May – Momorangi campsite, Anaura Bay campsite

4 June – Tōtaranui campsite 

Read more from The NZ Herald and see DOC’s website for more information.

TA speed record smashed

After 31 days, 19 hours, and 41 minutes, Belgian Karel Sabbe arrived at the end of the Te Araroa trail in Bluff, setting a massive new men’s supported fastest known time (FKT) on 3000km trail.

The previous men’s supported record was held by George Henderson, who completed the route in 49 days, 14 hours, and 27 minutes in 2020. Sabbe’s effort betters the record by more than 17.5 days. He averaged an incredible 96km per day.

Sabbe is well-known in the ultrarunning community with feats such as being just the 17th finisher of the Barkley Marathons and setting speed records on the USA’s Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails.

The TA was a return to his roots for Sabbe, who said that New Zealand was where his love for ultra-distance travel started. He came to the country for six months after graduating from university and spent much of his time hiking and exploring. He returned in 2015 to race in Coast to Coast.

For the TA, Sabbe was supported by a five-person crew. Throughout the run, local runners frequently joined him in the various towns and cities he passed through. Read the full story from iRunFar.

Customers allege GORE-TEX maker knowingly concealed PFAS

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., the company that owns the GORE-TEX brand, is being sued in a class-action lawsuit over claims it misled consumers that all GORE-TEX products were free from PFAS.

GORE-TEX released PFAS-free jackets and other waterproof gear in 2021. However, the brand failed to tell customers that other apparel still contained PFAS, according to the class-action suit.

“We seek to represent anyone who unknowingly purchased Gore-Tex gear believing Gore’s promises of ‘performance for the planet,’” wrote Steve Berman, managing partner at Hagens Berman, the firm representing the class-action suit. “We believe what Gore tells its customers is untrue.”

A spokesperson for W.L. Gore & Associates said the company was aware of the suit, and provided a brief statement: “Gore stands behind its representations, statements and advertisements regarding our commitment to environmental responsibility as well as the performance and safety of our GORE-TEX products.”

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, excel at repelling water, which is why they’re common in outdoor apparel. But they’re also considered “forever chemicals” because they can persist in the environment for hundreds of years. Read the full story from Gear Junkie.

94,000 hectares of wilderness in Tasmania’s west lost to bushfires

More than 94,000 hectares of Tasmanian wilderness and World Heritage Areas have been burned across the state’s north-west and west coast since dry lightning ignited more than a dozen fires on February 3.

The fires are expected to burn for several more weeks. The region is remote and difficult to access, and authorities say a huge amount of work remains to bring the fires under control.

The large area contains a diverse array of endemic vegetation — from coastal plains to rainforest and sub-alpine woodlands — but the extent of the damage is not yet known.

Interstate fire crews have arrived to help authorities bring the fires under control, and an aerial assessment of impacted areas will take place this week. Read the story and see maps of the impacted areas from the ABC.

Community rescues DOC huts from disrepair

Instead of paying a couple of thousand to helicopter into the remote Kaimanawas, hunter Brett Stokman is flying for free. The secret? He and mates will repair a DOC hut in exchange. Backcountry huts across the country will be getting some love this summer thanks to funding from the international visitor levy.

DOC has received $4.2 million from the International Visitor Levy (IVL) to “work with others” to maintain huts and tracks over four years beginning with 30 huts this summer.

The popularity of DOC sites combined with other pressures was putting “strain” on the visitor network and creating “high maintenance costs”, DOC’s director of heritage and visitors Catherine Wilson said in a written statement.

Wilson said they needed “communities behind them” to help manage the one-third-of-the-country conservation estate. DOC has partnered with the Backcountry Trust (BCT) to deliver the work, with hunting groups like the Sika Foundation also coming to the table.

For Kihikihi-based hunter and Sika Foundation member Brett Stokman, the hut repair deal is a “win-win” situation. In the evening and early hours, they get to hunt deer, and by day, they do hut repairs and maintenance. “It’s a really cool way to do it and a nice way to get away with the boys,” says Stokman. Read the full story from Waikato Times.