The collosal and dramatic Escarpment.Photo: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin Photography

A great memorial

Features, Great Walks, Paparoa Track

A long-time Wilderness contributor and freelance author, Kathy writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation.

By Kathy Ombler

Hitherto unexplored ecosystems, rainforest and beech forest, alpine tops and limestone/kaarst grandeur are soon to be revealed on the new Paparoa Track and Pike29 Memorial Track. Due to open next year, the walk also remembers miners lost in the Pike River Mine tragedy.

By all accounts the Paparoa Track and Pike29 Memorial Track is significant. It’s the first new Great Walk since 1993 and it’s the first to have two connected tracks sit under the umbrella of one ‘Great Walk’. It’s also the first to be purpose-built for both walkers and mountain bikers. The landscapes are dramatic, as the […]

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.