Caro crossing the slightly less exposed northern section of the cheval. Photo: Peter Laurenson

On a knife-edge

Features, Off the Beaten Track

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Peter Laurenson

A tramper, occasional climber, photographer, editor and writer, Peter has been adventuring for more than 30 years.

By Peter Laurenson

The Remutaka Range provides a less challenging introduction to tramping than the nearby Tararua Range, but even here an exciting knife-edge traverse can up the pulse rate.

Sefton wasn’t keen as he eyed the first stretch of what local trampers call the ‘knife-edge’. “Yeah, I’d like the rope thanks,” he confirmed to his dad, Simon. Ahead was a wind-scoured, hard gravelly stretch with very steep drops on either sides. It wasn’t technical, but exposure like this is not everyone’s cup of tea. […]

About the author

Peter Laurenson

Peter is a tramper, occasional climber, photographer, editor and writer. His adventures, spanning 30+ years, come together on his website ‘OccasionalClimber’. Richmond-based, Peter is editor of FMC’s Backcountry and has published three books: Occasional Climber (2013) and Khumbu (2021) and Aotearoa Light (2025).