Stunning West Coast tramping country below Mt O'Connor and the Diedrichs Range, above Mullins Basin.Photo: Mark Watson

A walk on the wild side

Features, Off the Beaten Track

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Mark Watson

Mark is Wilderness’s gear editor and a dedicated storyteller, documenting his adventures in both words and photos.

By Mark Watson

The mountainous wilderness of Westland’s Hokitika catchments provides endless tramping combinations, from trips of a weekend to 10 days or more.

We turn off the West Coast Highway towards the mountains, passing rural homes on the outskirts of Hokitika, and then we’re into lush dairy country. After a summer in Christchurch, I had forgotten how green the grass can be. As we cross the coastal plain, the land has a frontier feel. Retired farm machinery rusts. […]

About the author

Mark Watson

Wilderness gear editor Mark Watson divides his workdays between graphic design, writing and photography. His passion for tramping, climbing, cycling and storytelling has taken him all over Aotearoa and the world in search of great trails, perfect moves and epic light. He has published four books and his photographs have featured in numerous publications. Especially motivated by long distance travel, he has tramped Te Araroa and cycled from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.