One of the scrubby tributaries of Carmichael Creek flowing out to the misty Tasman Sea. Photo: Sam Harrison

A forgotten land

Off the Beaten Track

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Sam Harrison

Sam Harrison is a chocolate addict who tramps on the side and can’t resist a bit of type II fun.

By Sam Harrison

A trip to the West Coast’s Stafford Hut and Carmichael Plateau is a journey through time and untamed wilderness.

The West Coast has a strange power of attraction. Its wild coast, untamed rivers and dominating rainforests have attracted curious and determined visitors since Aotearoa was first settled. Māori visited the coast from at least the 1300s to gather pounamu, mainly from the waters of the Arahura River. By the 1840s, pākehā explorers such as […]

About the author

Sam Harrison

Sam Harrison is a chocolate addict who tramps on the side. When he’s not in the bush he can be found pushing paper for a government department in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Sam graduated from the University of Otago in 2021 with a Bachelor of Law, a Bachelor of Arts, a large student loan and a love of all things tramping. He is easily identified in the hills by his oversized camera and his distinctive knack for finding type II fun.