As burgeoning tourism puts pressures on our conservation estate, Kathy Ombler compares visitor services in US national parks to New Zealand, and looks at what options DOC might consider to manage pressure points and infrastructure funding In the visitor centre at Swiftcurrent, Glacier National Park, I watched a ranger issuing backcountry campsite passes to two […]
About the author
Kathy Ombler
Freelance author Kathy Ombler mostly writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation, and has contributed to Wilderness for many years. She has also written and edited for other publications and websites, most recently Federated Mountain Club’s Backcountry, Forest & Bird, and the Backcountry Trust. Books she has authored include Where to Watch Birds in New Zealand, Walking Wellington and New Zealand National Parks and Other Wild Places. She is currently a trustee for Wellington’s Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust.
The 2026 Wilderness Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition
Green Point Hut, Gamack Conservation Area
Oboz Katabatic RT Low
Mud, sweat and tears in Longwood Forest
Every Tararua hut reviewed and ranked
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