Back to the U
U Pass, Fiordland National Park Twenty eight years is a long time to wait for a second crack at a thwarted trip, and so I was pleased to finally be...
David Barnes
Naming rites
1994. It’s a glorious spring day in the head of the Mararoa. The vista of snow clad peaks of the Livingstone Range is impressive, with the crenulated crest of the...
Rock and Pillar snow shoe
Leaning Lodge, Rock and Pillar Scenic Reserve A planned winter trip to Rock and Pillar Scenic Reserve gave me the idea to give snow shoeing a try. Advice from our...
Back to where it all started
Southern Crossing, Tararua Forest Park A belief that the Tararua Range is really just a bigger version of Otago’s Silver Peaks keeps drawing me back to the place that is...
Hunter Mountains
Hunter Mountains, Fiordland National Park The Hunter Range in southern Fiordland’s eastern margin provides excellent accessible remote experiences and some really interesting geological phenomena. Situated between Lakes Manapouri and Monowai,...
Silver Peaks, Silver Peaks Scenic Reserve
The Silver Peaks may be a small range but it’s provided weekend wilderness opportunities to generations of Dunedin trampers. Encroaching forestry blocks to the east and west mean the tramping...
A Pisa cake
Meg Hut, Pisa Conservation Area I’ve learned a few things in my long association with a tramping club. Two important ones are that the best way to ensure the club...
Destroying the experience
David Barnes lays down his argument for opposing the Routeburn tunnel and Snowdon monorail projects I write this with a sense of déjà vu. In 2004, I penned a piece...
Steep track to Dunedin views
Mount Cargill Walk, Dunedin At 676m, Mt Cargill is one of the hills that dominates Dunedin’s skyline. The track up it, begins by meandering through a popular picnic area before...
A short section of the Long Pathway
Aparima Huts, Takitimu Conservation Area My first inkling that this trip wasn’t going to go quite as planned was when I saw the sign at Lower Princhester Hut claiming it...
A blast from the past
Burns Saddle Track One of the (many) great things about living in Dunedin is that you never have to go far to find somewhere good for a walk. On a...
Bulls eye on Makarora
Makarora Hut, Mt Aspiring National Park The problem with spring tramping – in the south, at least – is snow. Personally, I like to avoid plodding through it, camping on...
Forbes Mountains
Mt Aspiring National Park Many trampers who are walking the popular Rees-Dart Track won’t have thought about the fact that they are circumnavigating the Forbes Mountains. One of the southern-most...
Climbing and walking on Otago Peninsula
Harbour Cone, Dunedin The purchase by the Dunedin City Council of a 328ha farm surrounding the visually impressive Harbour Cone has given a boost to walking opportunities on Otago Peninsula....
Battered hut from a bygone age
When people think of heritage sites in the Silver Peaks, they usually think of the early tramping and mustering huts or the ‘caves’ – rock bivvies. Often overlooked is...
Forgotten lands
David Barnes argues the 30 per cent of conservation estate known as stewardship land needs better protection Those who want to mine, or dam New Zealand’s backcountry, or construct roads,...
Expectations exceeded
Ben Avon Hut via Top Dingle Burn Hut, Ahuriri Conservation Park We’ve all had those conversations. “You must do this trip”, “You’ve got to get to that place”. Occasionally, you...
Memories are made of this
Mt Alfred/Ari, Glenorchy NOTE: Access to Mt Alfred has been closed to the public. On each of the dozens of times I’ve driven around Mt Alfred/Ari – usually seeking a...
A golden Arrowtown walk
Advance Peak, Macetown Historic Reserve Much of inland Otago has a golden history. The gold rushes of the 19th century have left their mark on the landscapes, and relics of...
Wild seas and wild forest
Percy Burn Hut, Fiordland National Park For me, the Waitutu Forest was a case of love at first sight. A big trip here in 1982, which encompassed the tops...
3 trips on Motatapu Station
Music tycoon’s generous gift opens classic Otago high country for trampers. Here’re three top trips to try now Music producer and philanthropist Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange has built up quite an...
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 was...
Cold trip to a warm hut
Earnslaw Hut, Mt Aspiring National Park Where to go for a winter weekend? We were looking for somewhere not too arduous, not affected by snow – either us wading...
Lakes make the trip in Fiordland
Green Lake Hut via tops, Fiordland National Park / moderate After a night at Lake Monowai, my carload of trampers headed up the Borland Road, which was built as an...
Takitimu Mountains
Takitimu Conservation Area, Southland Treasured by Southland trampers, the Takitimu Mountains stand in Fiordland’s rain shadow, which makes them a good destination when the weather’s bad to the west. But...
Somewhere new
Ashton Hut, Eyre Mountains/Taka Rā Haka Conservation Park, Southland A trip to Ashton Hut in the Eyre Mountains takes a bit of effort, which means it is rarely visited. After a...