A refreshing descent

December 2016

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December 2016

Descending the Waingawa River from Mitre Flats Hut. Photo: Peter Laurenson

Descending the Waingawa River from Mitre Flats Hut in Tararua Forest Park during the record-breaking heat of last summer, was a slower but more interesting and refreshing alternative to the up-and-down, root-ridden bush trail on the true left of the river.

Camera settings Nikon P7800, F8, 1/80sec, ISO 100.

Peter Laurenson

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).

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