Slow journeys
Travelling to our destination by car we tend to whizz through small towns and countryside that appear to have nothing to offer. Signposts point to sights that we know…
Continue reading...
Articles
Great Rides View all
Private walks
Kiwis pick up slack on private tracks
New Zealand’s premier private tracks experienced a difficult year, but Kiwi walkers are helping them bounce back. As with most in the tourism sector, Shaun Monk experienced some “nervy”…
Continue reading...
Going guided View all
The best guided trips in New Zealand
Most trampers know the feeling of limping into the office on a Monday morning, sleep-deprived and sore after a weekend well-enjoyed in the backcountry. “And you did that for fun? During...
Continue reading...
Surveys
Wilderness reader panel
Wilderness Reader Panel Can you help make Wilderness better by participating in semi-regular reader surveys? Please enter your name and email address below. Join the panel! Thank...
Continue reading...
Search and Rescue
Ready and waiting
I’ve been climbing for nearly three decades. During that time I’ve been lucky enough to discover and explore secluded corners of New Zealand’s unique and special Alps as well…
Continue reading...
Gift guides View all
A Wilderness Christmas
From stocking fillers to essential outdoor kit, the Wilderness guide to Christmas has something for every budget. Marmot Trestles 30 $189.95Don’t cancel your next overnight adventure just because the…
Continue reading...
Broken in View all
Review: Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Compact Plus sleeping bag liner
Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Compact Plus sleeping bag liner Details: $99.99, 263gUsed by: Trips and family-features writer Jo ‘snuggles’ StilwellUsed for: 12 months This is one of my…
Continue reading...
West Coast
Pioneering a new kind of trail
On the West Coast, mountain biking is going off. Riders are pedalling into the three big wilderness trails already in the region, while, months before it even opened, bookings…
Continue reading...
Christmas View all
A Wilderness Christmas
From stocking fillers to essential outdoor kit, the Wilderness guide to Christmas has something for every budget. Marmot Trestles 30 $189.95Don’t cancel your next overnight adventure just because the forecast...
Continue reading...
Hut tales
Tales from the backcountry
Spend enough time in backcountry huts and you’re bound to meet some interesting people. Rob Gerard shares some of his hut tales Worst night ever in a hut We arrived at D’Urville…
Continue reading...
Poll View all
Wilderness Weekly Poll, March 23
Welcome to the Wilderness Weekly Poll, where we gauge your opinions on outdoor stuff. Don’t forget, sign up to our Wilderness Weekly newsletter to get the results of this week’s poll…
Continue reading...
Wild women
Return to the trail
Boxing Day 2019 was my first day back tramping after a year dominated by breast cancer. My parents and I walked the fern-green Pakihi Track near Opotiki and it…
Continue reading...
Covid-19 View all
The future of tourism in New Zealand
A futurist games four possible scenarios for New Zealand’s tourism industry in a world that has (and hasn’t) managed to get a hold of Covid-19. The silver lining of…
Continue reading...
The Wilderness 100 View all
The Wilderness 100
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. As you’d expect with such a list, we’ve applied careful thought and discussion,...
Continue reading...
The world outdoors View all
Boaties threatening pest-free islands with pets
A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world. An island-hopping stoat has wreaked havoc in Auckland’s pest free…
Continue reading...
Walkshorts View all
Popular hot springs upgraded
The Mangatainoka Hot Springs of Kaweka Forest Park have received a modern makeover. The popular natural hot springs, reached via the Te Puia Hut track, were closed for renovations…
Continue reading...
Web exclusive View all
National Park visitor numbers may be capped
A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world. DOC is considering restricting the number of people who can…
Continue reading...
Waypoints View all
A perfect day amongst the Alps
Mount Cook Village is known for its stunning mountain views, which can be enjoyed from multiple angles and heights, no matter how hardcore a tramper or climber you might…
Continue reading...
See more View all
See more… Mountain astelia
A plant that provides foreground interest for landscape photographers. As a tramper, I naturally enjoy photographing the rolling tussock tops of backcountry ranges. Often, however, I yearn for something…
Continue reading...
Bird Spotting View all
Bird spotting: Spotted shag
The spotted shag (parekareka) is a largely marine-based cormorant that can be found roosting on cliff edges. It spends a lot of its time at sea diving for food…
Continue reading...
Camping View all
The A to Z of wild camping
Tired of cramped campgrounds and keen to foster a more symbiotic relationship with the landscape? Here’s the Wilderness guide to wild camping. By David Caudwell Have you ever been…
Continue reading...
Classic Tracks View all
Cinematic Circuit
The Gillespie Pass Circuit takes in the Young and Wilkin river valleys and crosses the 1600m-high Gillespie Pass – reached after a stiff 1000m climb. It’s a trip not…
Continue reading...
Competitions View all
Super summer subscription competition
Buy a subscription to Wilderness in December or January, and you’ll be entered into the draw to win a share of nearly $5000 worth of the world’s best outdoor…
Continue reading...
Conservation View all
Kaitiaki of the kauri
Like great lungs, the Waitākere and Hunua ranges straddle the heart of Auckland to the east and west – though they both have very different stories to tell. With…
Continue reading...
Country Walking View all
Pyramids of the peninsula
Short walks on Otago’s Peninsula promise unique wildlife encounters and scenery, writes David Barnes Otago Peninsula has had high praise from some eco-knights. Sir David Bellamy said it…
Continue reading...
Crossword View all
Wilderness 161
Complete the crossword and rearrange the letters in the blue squares to spell out the hidden solution. Hidden solution: Sustenance for tramp (10,4) January’s hidden solution: WhiteheadSupport Wilderness Since…
Continue reading...
Editorial View all
The year of seeing more
We all wait with bated breath to see what the coming year has in store. Can we reopen our borders, relax quarantine measures and will the rest of the…
Continue reading...
Features View all
New Zealand vs. Australia
Forget the rugby, and the cricket, the real test is between which country wins the battle of the tramps. Ex-pat Kiwi Ricky French, with admirable lack of bias, weighs…
Continue reading...
Fitness View all
The bear essentials
The bear crawl exercise builds core strength and stability, and it may come in handy in wild weather. The bear crawl utilises several muscles at one time and by…
Continue reading...
Gear Guides View all
2021’s water filters and purifiers
A water filter or purifier offers peace of mind and guaranteed safe drinking water at a hut, alpine tarn or stream. How to filterAlways check – if possible –…
Continue reading...
Gear News View all
Kiwi outdoor company makes masks for Covid-19
Cactus Outdoor is ramping up production of face masks in the fight against Covid-19. Initially designed for tradespeople such as builders and painters, the masks are now under unprecedented…
Continue reading...
Gear Review View all
Quilts that put insulation where it’s needed
Matthew Cattin looks into why you might want to try a quilt and reviews two extremely light options. Zoned insulation is a growing revelation in the world of sleeping…
Continue reading...
Great Walks View all
Back on the Milford
And then you see it. After months of anticipation, track closures, a lockdown, a flight, two shuttles and a water taxi, Glade Wharf emerges from the mist in the northernmost...
Continue reading...
Hotshot View all
The blue abyss
When traversing glaciated terrain, falling into a deep blue crevasse would be your worst nightmare. While exploring the Tasman Glacier, I practised some crevasse rescue techniques. Now I just need to…
Continue reading...
Last Weekend View all
Your trips, your pix, February 2021
Get your photo published here to receive a $30 Silva Pocket Thermo Compass for accurate wayfinding and temperature-sussing. Learn more about Silva at e.ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can…
Continue reading...
Mountain biking View all
Coromandel’s coasting connection
One of the most beautiful camping spots in the world can be found at Stony Bay at the northern point of the Coromandel Peninsula. Ancient, twisted and drooping pohutukawa…
Continue reading...
National Parks View all
Kahurangi National Park to grow by 64,000ha
An area twice the size of Egmont National Park is set to be added to Kahurangi National Park. In a victory for conservation, the Government announced the addition of…
Continue reading...
Near miss View all
The time I wish I had a PLB
Readers responded with harrowing tales of misadventure when we asked them to share their near misses in the outdoors. Here’s a selection of the best entries. Winning entryFrostbittenBy Danielle…
Continue reading...
Nutrition View all
Searching for snackvana
Hazel Phillips explores a range of tramping snacks that aren’t your usual fare and reaches a higher plane of culinary delights. A one thousand calorie snack. It’s either something that…
Continue reading...
Off the Beaten Track View all
Taking the high road
The ubiquitous nor’wester was howling out of the maw of the Rangitata as we set off, sending powerful dust storms across the barren riverbed gravels. We hunched into the…
Continue reading...
Opinion
No room for cry babies
When it comes to getting enough sleep in a front country hut, you really have to just hope for the best I like nothing more than to wrap myself…
Continue reading...
Outdoor Awards View all
Wilderness Reader’s Choice Outdoor Awards 2019
Your votes and been counted, and the 2019 Wilderness Reader’s Choice Outdoor Awards have come down to the wire. But there can only be one winner in each category,…
Continue reading...
Photo competition View all
2021 Wilderness photo competition
Entries are now open and we’re calling on all Wilderness readers and aspiring outdoor photographers to enter the 2021 Wilderness Photo Competition. You’ve got until March 4, 2021, to submit...
Continue reading...
Photo School View all
Capture the feels
Tramping in general, and tramping photography in particular, seem to attract people with a certain mindset. We are lovers of extra elbow room, and a mountain shared can feel…
Continue reading...
Pigeon Post View all
Pigeon Post, February 2021
Letter of the month Wild Cuisine meals inspire hut-envy Having recently completed an extremely enjoyable tramp along the Milford Track with a group of nine work colleagues and their…
Continue reading...
Ranger Secrets View all
Where rangers go
Ever wondered where are the favourite spots of those who know the backcountry better than anyone? We’ve canvassed DOC rangers around the country for their must-do, must-see tracks, valleys,…
Continue reading...
School Holidays View all
The stay-sane guide to summer holiday walks
Maungauika/North Head, Auckland In the 1880s, when the Russians were the enemy, the government constructed coastal defence systems as a deterrent. The three guns were state-of-the-art and the barrels…
Continue reading...
Sea kayaking
Island paradise
A five-day kayak circumnavigation of one of New Zealand’s most beautiful places, Great Barrier Island. When the first salty wave crashed over my face, soaking me thoroughly and blurring…
Continue reading...
Ski touring View all
There’s no business like snow business
Looking out the window of the ski club lodge on Mt Ruapehu’s Whakapapa side, I eyed up a route I’d been ‘finger tramping’ on the topo map for a…
Continue reading...
Skills View all
Reaching the masses
As the film crew unloads into the Kauaeranga Valley car park, I’m relieved to be carrying a half-full day pack. I’m used to hauling a lot of camera gear, but...
Continue reading...
Skills: Back to basics View all
How to get a warm night’s sleep
Nothing breaks the spirit like a bad night’s sleep in the backcountry. Matthew Cattin shares some advice to get you warm, comfortable and well-rested. Prep your bed early Down…
Continue reading...
Subscription prizes View all
Monthly subscription giveaway
Buy a subscription to Wilderness in December or January, and you’ll be entered into the draw to win a share of nearly $5000 worth of the world’s best outdoor…
Continue reading...
Summer camping View all
The A to Z of wild camping
Tired of cramped campgrounds and keen to foster a more symbiotic relationship with the landscape? Here’s the Wilderness guide to wild camping. By David Caudwell Have you ever been alone...
Continue reading...
Te Araroa Trail View all
The end is just the beginning
As the 2020-21 Te Araroa Trail season gets underway, Vikki Baker reflects on her experience of the trail and how walking the length of New Zealand changed her life.…
Continue reading...
The Life List View all
The ultimate tramper’s diary: January to June
January: River tubing, Tararua Forest Park Imagine a fine, warm day, the sun glinting off the rapids, the walls of a bush-clad gorge rising above, and your feet pointed…
Continue reading...
Track Chat View all
Sounding out the Dusky
The dramatic landscape and rich history of the Dusky Sound have been captured by Peta Carey in her book Tamatea Dusky. How did your fascination with Dusky Sound begin?I…
Continue reading...
Trail life View all
Inside the mind of a thru-hiker
Support Wilderness Since 1991, Wilderness has had one simple goal: to help Kiwis 'See more, do more, live more' of New Zealand. If you value our mission, please consider…
Continue reading...
Trail Running View all
Q&A: How to get into trail running
Trail running is much like tramping. Both involve tracks, dirt roads and off-track travel. The big difference is that trail running is done at a quicker pace. So what…
Continue reading...
Tramping diary
The ultimate tramper’s diary: January to June
January: River tubing, Tararua Forest Park Imagine a fine, warm day, the sun glinting off the rapids, the walls of a bush-clad gorge rising above, and your feet pointed downstream,...
Continue reading...
Walking Weekends View all
Serendipity in secluded lakes and streams
Turangi offers a unique walking weekend experience that combines solitude and exploration of the town’s unique thermal attractions Discovering hidden gems in New Zealand’s diverse landscape is one of…
Continue reading...
What's in my pack View all
What’s in my pack: Dave Mitchell
BikeMy Norco Range climbs and descends almost anything so long as I’m feeling fit and brave. It’s a far cry from the non-suspended steel frame bikes of my youth.…
Continue reading...
Wild Climbing View all
The nine lives of an Everest Summiteer
Robert Mads Anderson has just written one of the best books ever published about climbing Everest. Roger Foley interviewed the Kiwi-American climber about it. I recently read one of the...
Continue reading...
Wild Club
The young and the restless
Rathkeale College Tramping Club isn’t averse to risk-taking in the outdoors There’s a crucial ingredient in every tramping trip that goes beyond gear, food, and navigation devices. It’s trust,…
Continue reading...
Wild Comment View all
Infinite galaxies
Time spent outside helps you understand where you stand in the grand scheme of things, writes Dougal Rillstone My affair with the outdoors started with a baptism of sorts.…
Continue reading...
Wild Cuisine View all
Leftover lentil salad
This quick, easy salad is filling and fresh, and works well as a pre-packed lunch or dinner on your first day on the trail. This leftover salad is nutritious,…
Continue reading...
Wild Culture View all
New online booking platform to give trampers access to cultural hotspots
Fancy a hike followed by a hangi? That’s the premise of Book A Marae, where trampers can gain a cultural experience by overnighting on remote marae. More than 20…
Continue reading...
Wild Dogs
Paw patrol
Nothing compares to the feeling of bringing a missing loved one home. The closest buzz LandSAR dog handler Dave Krehic can relate it to is the first rugby try…
Continue reading...
Wild Families View all
The couple who sold their house and bought a motorhome to travel New Zealand
Most people might think you’re crazy to sell your house to travel the country with your newborn baby. But not Judit Angeli. She explains how and why she did…
Continue reading...
Wild Gear View all
Why your favourite tramping gear might not be available this Christmas
Unprecedented demand combined with production and freight delays means outdoor retailers are struggling to keep their shelves full. Outdoor gear retailers and distributors are advising trampers to buy their…
Continue reading...
Wild Health View all
The tramping prescription
Three Kiwi trampers open up about their health issues, and how it shapes their experiences in the outdoors At 33, John Davies’ life changed forever. After a run of…
Continue reading...
Wild heritage View all
A century of organised tramping in New Zealand
Both Chris and I uncovered many delights and surprising details about the Tararua Tramping Club during five years working on the book. Most members won’t know that one of…
Continue reading...
Wild Huts View all
Bookable bunks for budding beginners
If your goal is to convince a budding tramper they’ve chosen an enjoyable, pain-free pastime, the very least you can do is book them a bunk for the night.…
Continue reading...
Wild Jobs
A day in the life of a Heaphy Track car relocator
With its start and finish separated by more than 450km of winding roads, the Heaphy Track poses a logistics problem for riders and trampers: how to get back to…
Continue reading...
Wild Medicine View all
The Secondary Survey
The ‘secondary survey’ involves physically moving our hands over the patient’s body in an attempt to identify an injury that the patient may or may not be aware of.…
Continue reading...
Wild navigation View all
You’re not always where you think you are
Trampers often incorrectly confirm their position because it’s where they believe they are. It’s called confirmation bias and can cause a lot of problems. Recently I witnessed two examples…
Continue reading...
Wild Nutrition View all
Fine tuning your fuel
When it comes to planning your trip food, a basic understanding of nutrition goes a long way When it comes to pre-tramp food prep, I’m more of an aimless…
Continue reading...
Wild Opinion View all
The only good stoat is a dead stoat
Do New Zealanders need to rethink the way they talk about predator control? Hating possums seems to be as compulsory for New Zealanders as supporting the All Blacks. From…
Continue reading...
Wild People View all
One for the record books
While tramping the Paparoa Track, Tara Papworth met a teenaged unicyclist who believes that wherever two wheels can go, one wheel can too Macgregor Jones likes a challenge. When…
Continue reading...
Wild Photography View all
Aligning the stars
Night photography is one of the final frontiers where a dedicated digital camera still reigns supreme. But even with the best camera equipment, photographing clear images of the Milky…
Continue reading...
Wild Range View all
Kahurangi double
Burnett and Wakamarama ranges, Kahurangi National Park These two heavily forested mountain ranges stretch from the Heaphy Track to Farewell Spit, dividing Golden Bay from the upper West Coast…
Continue reading...
Wild Remarkables
Traversing the Remarkables
Scott Kennedy finds out the hard way that not all dreams can be made into reality Every day I look from my living room window the ridge taunts me,…
Continue reading...
Wild Review View all
Review: Vacuum-insulated flasks
Wilderness tests three vacuum-insulated flasks that promise to keep drinks hot on cold winter days. How we tested For both hot water tests, we boiled water and filled each…
Continue reading...
Wild romance
From the wilderness, with love
Walking side by side at an incredible location, gazing into a campfire under the stars – it’s probably not surprising that many relationships originate in the backcountry. For Wynne…
Continue reading...
Wild Safety View all
Over troubled waters
When your boots are bone dry, it’s easy to underestimate a river. Terra firma is familiar, safe, and on the opposite bank there is plenty more of it; a…
Continue reading...
Wild Survival View all
Hypothermia – the silent menace
Suspended by a rope in the flow of a frigid waterfall, SAR team member Cliff Jones decided a nap wouldn’t be such a bad idea. He’d been hanging there…
Continue reading...
Wild Town View all
Where the adventure begins
It’s a dead-end for vehicles, but for trampers it’s just the beginning. Few towns boast such rich country for exploration: the Routeburn Track Great Walk, the Rees-Dart, Greenstone-Caples, Cascade…
Continue reading...
Wild Trips View all
New Zealand’s most raucous walk
You may feel as if you have stepped into Aotearoa’s past as you walk the Wattle Track on the island sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi, in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf. Delving…
Continue reading...
Wild water
Plunging into summer
Is there anything so stirring to bravado as a high jump into water? The rush of acceleration, the stomach’s queasy lurch, the shock of the plunge, and finally the…
Continue reading...
Wild winter View all
Ice, ice, baby
“I like the way you’re looking at the ice before putting your axe in. People waste a lot of energy just bashing around wildly.” Did guide Adrian Camm have…
Continue reading...
Careers
Wilderness HQ needs two new columnists
Here at Wilderness magazine HQ, we’re on the lookout for two new columnists. Wild Cuisine: Are your tramping meals the talk of the track? We’re looking for an inventive outdoors...
Continue reading...
Getting started View all
Subscribe to outside
When the sting of a long drop hits your nostrils or hut snorers rob your sleep, tramping can seem more punishment than privilege. And who has the composure to…
Continue reading...
Access View all
Listening to the outdoors
An incredible service ensures blind and low vision New Zealanders can access the outdoors in all its forms. It’s the most amazing publishing service you’ve never heard of. Each…
Continue reading...
Out There View all
A river rules my life
On a week-long rafting trip, Mick Abbott comes to view rivers in an entirely different light Big rivers are my adversary. I’ve walked for 30km on the true left…
Continue reading...
New Trail
A Jollie good tramp
Jollie Brook Circuit, Lake Sumner Forest Park After seeing The Hobbit, my Dad and I were aching to get back into Middle Earth’s majestic backcountry. With our fitness levels at...
Continue reading...
Travel View all
Going the distance on the Bibbulmun Track
Paul Rush meets up with end-to-enders on Western Australia’s Bibbulmun Track The narrow sandy track twists and turns abruptly through tightly-packed coastal heath and offers a new surprise around…
Continue reading...
Big picture View all
Mates
The Tararua Mountain Race is considered by mountain runners as one of New Zealand’s hardest trail runs. The event goes from Kaitoke to Otaki Forks across the inhospitable tops…
Continue reading...
Outdoor careers View all
Escape the office
A job in the outdoors doesn’t have to be something you do until you find a ‘real’ job. Rewarding career paths exist for those who want a lifetime outside…
Continue reading...
Podcast View all
Family, career, and the pursuit of powder: an interview with pro skier Chris Davenport
American pro skier Chris Davenport is a busy guy. When he’s not climbing one of Colorado’s highest peaks or carving lines down the steepest slopes of the European Alps, he’s spending...
Continue reading...
Energy fix View all
Walnut truffles
A decadent treat that uses the natural sweetness of kumara and the goodness of goji berries. Profile Makes 16 truffles Cook time 30min Prep time 10min Cost $10-$15 Ingredients…
Continue reading...
Climate change View all
Finding Lake Madness
Things I learned recently about Ruapehu: A plane crashed on the Mangatoetoenui Glacier in 1952, and took 31 years to reappear, 600m from its crash site; the aforementioned Mangatoetoenui…
Continue reading...
21st Anniversary View all
21 bucket list trips: 1-7
We’ve all got a bucket list – those trips we want to tick off before we clock out – but what’s on yours might not be on ours. So…
Continue reading...
Cycle Trails View all
Ride your first cycle trail
The New Zealand cycle trails provide 22 great reasons to swap your boots for a bike. Here’s how to do it, by Jonathan Kennett New Zealand now has 22…
Continue reading...
Education View all
Provide a grid reference
It’s extremely difficult – if not impossible – to accurately describe your location on a map unless you use a grid reference. Heather Grady explains how Our maps have…
Continue reading...