Pigeon Post, October 2013
Letter of the month: More tips for family adventures Thanks for the family focus in the August 2013 issue. I really enjoyed the article ‘Through the ages’ for the glimpse it...
Letter of the month: More tips for family adventures Thanks for the family focus in the August 2013 issue. I really enjoyed the article ‘Through the ages’ for the glimpse it...
Wilderness asked Mike Hill from the Rescue Coordination Centre for his advice on where to carry your personal locator beacon (PLB). He suggests to place your PLB either in a zipped pocket of your trousers...
The bowline knot is a straightforward, secure loop that’s useful for tying a tarp or hammock to a tree. It’s also useful in a rescue situation, looping rope around a...
This conundrum has left many a multiday tramper pondering whether a morning coffee is wise, given the risk of cold dehy meals for the rest of the trip. Of course,...
Often the highlight of a great trip in the hills, backcountry lakes provide idyllic camping spots, bracing dips and scenery second to none. We take you to 15 of the...
Climb, Fix, Fell A party of four climbers had a memorable – and active – Labour Weekend, topping out on Mt Arrowsmith, 2781m, making repairs to Cameron Hut and felling...
Letter of the month: The power of Wilderness With a four-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son, opportunities for my husband and I to get out tramping have been limited in recent...
For those new to tramping, it can be tough to figure out what you need to pack – and what you don’t – on an overnight or multi-day trip. Meghan...
If you’ve got to the age when reading glasses are a part of your life, you have a handy little trick to impress your smug, better-sighted tramping counterparts who have...
Meghan Walker looks at the impact made by philanthropic trampers and mountaineers who have fostered outdoor recreation long after their deaths Michael Taylor lived for the outdoors. Former president and...
Wilderness readers have spoken, and the nominations have been compiled into a stellar list for this year’s Outdoor Awards. Each nominee was chosen from a lengthy list of entries, whittled...
A bill that would give 260 DOC rangers greater power to protect endangered wildlife is now open for public comment. The Wildlife (Powers) Amendment Bill will grant rangers additional powers...
DOC is increasing the daily limit of helicopter landings from 14 to 80 on the Ngapunatoru Plateau at the head of Tutoko Valley in Fiordland National Park. It’s a development...
DOC has announced its plan to reopen the Dart Track later this year. The popular track has been closed since January 2015 after flooding caused a large slip on the...
A group of volunteers and DOC workers have finished work on the Soper Shelter tent Camp in Kahurangi National Park. With its wooden frame and canvas walls, the camp is...
Foraging for food isn’t about looking through rubbish bins, it’s about finding organic and healthy fruit, herbs and even roadkill in wild and urban environments. Meghan Walker goes in search...
Absolute Wilderness co-founder Andrew MacDonald is taking backcountry cuisine back to basics, one ingredient at a time. One of the most magical parts of tramping is the moment you prop...
It’s already time to start planning next summer’s Great Walks: 2016/2017 bookings for the country’s most popular tramps open the first week of May. Bookings for the Whanganui Journey, Routeburn...
If you’ve ever gazed longingly at a swiftly moving river while on a long and arduous tramp and thought there must be an easier way down the trail, you’re in...
Wilderness takes you to the largest hut in New Zealand, the Pinnacles Hut in the Coromandel Forest Park. We spent one night in the 80-bunk lodge, chatting to trampers and...
An overnight trip to Pinnacles Hut – many a tramper’s first time hut experience – is the perfect introduction to our new podcast series, Sounds from the Trail This month,...
Kelly Purdie is walking 4500km around the South Island, educating people about Juvenile Parkinson’s Disease along the way. Wilderness catches up with her at kilometre 1385 For Kelly Purdie, walking 4500km...
The Green Party has challenged the National government to increase funding for the Department of Conservation. According to the Parliamentary Library, funding for the department has dropped consistently over the...
In an ongoing effort to draw attention to mismanaged conservation funding, the Green Party has released a report that shows a lengthy list of DOC structures that are unsafe or...
If the snowy tops are tempting this winter, it’s a good idea to become well-versed in the ways of avalanche safety. The Mountain Safety Council has teamed up with Epic...
Our second Hut Life story is from Panekire Hut, perched high above Lake Waikaremoana in the Te Ureweras. When Wilderness visited the 36-bunk hut, it was a beehive of activity,...
Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk, Te Urewera When trying to make a last-minute booking for a Great Walk over a long weekend, one has to be flexible. But with its plethora...
Even as DOC plans to increase helicopter flights to the Ngapunatoru Ice Plateau from 10 to 80 a day, the intrusion of these loud flying machines in backcountry areas is already...
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, and...
After falling down a ravine with a pack full of snarlers, Don Stevens was plucked from the Tararuas in the nick of time thanks to a new high-flying satellite network....
The 14th annual New Zealand Mountain Film Festival is just around the corner, set to bring together a group of inspirational mountaineers, climbers, authors and filmmakers for one week in...
A group of trampers, hunters, mountain bikers, and environmentalists converged for a Federated Mountain Clubs workshop in the Kaimai Ranges to discuss how to improve their local stomping grounds.
It’s now even easier to explore New Zealand’s backcountry, with an improved online mapping system that allows for personalised route-planning. Designed by the New Zealand Walking Access Commission, the Walking...
Otaki Gorge Road has reopened after a long and messy bout of slips and instability in the area. The road in the Tararua Forest Park was closed due to concerns...
Most who opt for a career in the outdoors go down one of two roads of employment; either education or adventure tourism. Whether you choose, a career in education or...
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 Sash...
Going for a tramp makes us feel great, so it’s little wonder mental health professionals are turning to the outdoors as a way to treat patients The Japanese call it...
A zoologist-turned-filmmaker gives the world a glimpse into the pristine northern Canada backcountry, where conservation efforts and the mining industry are at odds When Simon Lucas set out into the...
Hear stories from trampers, kayakers and day-trippers at the beachfront Anchorage Hut in Abel Tasman National Park.
The Department of Conservation has announced an ambitious plan to make New Zealand predator-free by 2050. The development of a public-private partnership company, Predator Free New Zealand Limited, with $28m...
The elusive rock wren/tuke population in Fiordland is bouncing back thanks to a successful ongoing predator trapping programme. The Southland Section of the New Zealand Alpine Club’s (SSNZAC) trapping project...
The Ministry of Primary Industries has just released aerial drone images of trees in Waipoua Forest displaying signs of kauri dieback disease. Jay Harkness, the communications spokesperson from the Kauri...
DOC’s Battle for our Birds project is now getting underway in Fiordland. The pest control programme, which involves a combination of aerial 1080 and predator traps, will commence in Arthur...
We have another double pass to give away for the Auckland premiere of Paddle for the North, showing at the Mercury Theatre on Friday, August 26. To enter to win,...
Do you really need heavy, high–top boots for all your tramps? Wilderness readers share their opinion These days, trampers are spoiled for choice when it comes to footwear. There are a...
Once considered a pest to be eradicated, kea are now nationally endangered. Meghan Walker finds out how conservationists are taking steps to save the inquisitive alpine parrot Kea are cheeky....
Tackling the Tararua’s S-K route is already a feat in itself, but could you do the 80km journey in less than a day? High in the Tararua Forest Park, there’s...
Not long ago, Nick Allen had limited mobility and could only get around with the help of a wheelchair. Now, he’s climbing peaks in the Himalayas and redefining what it...
A developer’s plan to build 750 new houses in Okura has been dashed after strong public outcry There’s an oasis of bush on the North Shore. Nestled between suburban neighborhoods,...
The Nature Heritage Fund turns 25 this year. The fund, designed to help landowners, government and communities safeguard their local ecosystems, has granted protection for 1.3 per cent of land...
Walkshorts, Wild Families, Free Articles
If the thrill of tramping through crispy white snow isn’t enough to get the kids excited for a winter tramping trip, how about taking a toboggan to spice things up?...
The recent rescue of the Czech woman from the Routeburn Track has raised awareness about tourism safety in the New Zealand outdoors. Pavlina Pizova survived a month in the hut...
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...
The popular Mount Alfred Track near Glenorchy has been closed to public access. Mount Alfred/Ari (1375m) is part of the Earnslaw Station, a 6000ha section of pastoral land leased by...
The company that has gained the exclusive concession for guiding on Mt Alfred/Ari says it wants to use the area to promote conservation and environmental stewardship through guided walks. The...
If you’ve ever been to Franz Josef Glacier in the peak of tourist season, you’ll recall the throngs of visitors on the trail and nearly constant buzz of helicopters overhead....
We timed our trip to Cameron Hut to coincide with winter’s first big snow. Before tackling the track, we camped a night at Lake Heron under perfectly clear skies. –...
It’s one of the most important pieces of gear you’ll haul up the mountain, and should be treated with respect. Here are a few tips on how to care for...
Two hugely successful film trilogies have changed how New Zealanders identify with themselves and the outdoors. By Meghan Walker What was New Zealand before it was Middle-earth? Back in the...
Known as ‘The Bird Lady’, Sylvia Durrant has been nursing sick and injured birds for three decades. Cat bites, concussions and broken legs: these are just a few of the ailments...
A developer’s plan to build 750 new houses in Okura has been dashed after strong public outcry There’s an oasis of bush on Auckland’s North Shore. Nestled between suburban neighborhoods,...
There’s growing concern over safety for conservation workers as activists plan to observe Anti 1080 Day on Saturday, October 8. Dr William Rolleston, president of Federated Farmers, says anyone who...
Heavy snowfall from winter storms has done a number on Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park. Several tracks were damaged, making access to tracks and huts difficult. DOC has 16 current...
DOC is accepting submissions for comment on a proposed hydro scheme on the Waitaha River, near Harihari on the West Coast of the South Island. Westpower Ltd, a power company...
Are adrenalin-inducing sports and summit selfies objectifying nature and feeding our egos, or helping create a new generation of conservation-minded outdoors people? From an early age, Craig Potton had a...
From the Galapagos to Great Barrier Island, Sustainable Coastlines co-founder Sam Judd is cleaning up beaches and waterways with help from surprising places It was a shark bite that changed...
In an off-the-cuff Q&A session, Department of Conservation director-general Lou Sanson floated the idea of imposing additional Great Walk fees to help alleviate the pressure the tracks have come under...
If you’ve been waiting for the next public holiday to tick the Tongariro Alpine Crossing off your bucket list, you might have to take public transportation to get to and...
There are changes in the works for paper maps, and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) wants your input. With more people turning to digital maps, LINZ is considering changing the...
Update (16 Nov): DOC says that overall, most of its facilities appear to have escaped damage from the Kaikoura earthquakes, apart from some tracks nearer to the epicentre. Rangers are...
This five-step process will help you determine your direction of travel. 1. Find your location on the map using visual cues such as hills, valleys, or waterway 2. Use the compass...
Taking it back to basics, Meghan Walker signs up for a bushcraft course to learn the A-B-Cs of tramping I have a confession to make. Even though I’m A) in...
From blister protection to rooftop camping and social networking for outdoor enthusiasts, these young entrepreneurs are making their marks in the outdoors industry. The first time Beth Eastell and Joel Hedges saw a...
Te Araroa Trail, Wild People, Free Articles
Wilderness meets a crop of this year’s aspirant Te Araroa Trail walkers The Te Aaroa Trail officially opened five years ago, and since then, almost 800 peope have attempted the...
Last week’s earthquakes have destroyed two backcountry huts and damaged others in the northern South Island. DOC reports that Barratts Hut and Barratts Bivvy in the Kaikoura region were swept...
The tramping community is mystified over the deaths of two men in Tararua Forest Park. According to police, the men, ages 32 and 39, were on an overnight tramp to...
While most people were at home in their beds when the 7.8-magnitude quake hit on the northern South Island, Andy Milne was asleep in his bivvy sack on Kowhai Saddle,...
The North Face is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year; the outdoor outfitters company, started by American adventurer Doug Tompkins, opened its doors in 1966 in San Francisco. Despite humble...
Two popular huts in Hawke’s Bay are adopting a new bunk-booking system to help cope with the increasingly busy summer months. The 13-bunk Rangiwahia Hut and 20-bunk Sunrise Hut in...
A group of volunteers has spruced up a little old hut on the West Coast in preparation for the upcoming summer months. The Buller Tramping Club spent a weekend working...
Brando ‘Wildboy’ Yelavich has returned from a 30-day solo tramp around Stewart Island. Yelavich, who is known for his walk around the coastlines of both the North and South islands,...
In multicultural Auckland, where refugee students rub shoulders with immigrants and other ethnic minorities, the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award helps people from diverse backgrounds assimilate into New Zealand society....
We check in with those walking Te Araroa Trail this season and find the mud of Raetea Forest a challenge for everyone Bettina Grotschel, 34, Germany Start date: October 14...
A crowdfunding campaign has helped save a vital slice of regenerating wetland in Auckland THE MATUKU Link is not pristine, insists John Staniland. Rather, it’s the result of many decades of...
Christmas came early for one Te Araroa hiker. When Canadian Jen Hanlon arrived in Auckland, she got the news that every traveller dreads: her luggage was missing. Hanlon had lost...
The number of people who are carrying and activating rescue beacons is on the rise. There were 230 land-based beacon activations in 2016, 152 of which necessitated rescues. Nationwide, the...
A helicopter company has been given a concession to land in two backcountry Southland parks. Te Anau Helicopter Services will be allowed to land at specific huts in the Takitimu...
From abseiling down waterfalls to cliff jumping into deep blue pools, canyoning offers an experience few have tried PERCHED ON MASSIVE boulders amongst pools of sparkling waters at the top of Sleeping God...
Penny Webster has finished her 37-year mission to bag all of New Zealand’s 3000m peaks Despite climbing 24 of New Zealand’s 3000m peaks, mountain climber Penny Webster still calls herself...
We check in with those walking Te Araroa Trail this season and find rest is on everyone’s minds Maria Weinmann, 43, Germany, and David Kleber, 50, USA Start date: November...
A group of Canterbury volunteers have given the Curtis Memorial Hut a makeover. Mike Lagan of Geraldine received funding from the Outdoor Recreation Consortium to make some improvements to the...
Two huts in the Canterbury region have a new coat of paint, thanks to volunteers from the New Zealand Alpine Club and DOC. A group of eight painted Tarn and...
If you can prove the South Island kokako is still out there, you could be looking at a $5000 reward. The South Island Kokako Charitable Trust is offering the reward...
In an effort to enhance and promote the Oparara Basin on the West Coast, DOC is considering a design plan which may include building a walkway, creating a light show...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
The busy trail to the Coromandel’s Cathedral Cove has become a much faster undertaking, with the entire 2.5km track now sealed. The Department of Conservation chose to pave the walkway...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
UPDATE: In a midday press conference, Prime Minister Bill English said experts were describing the Port Hills fire as “contained but not controlled”. According to the Christchurch City Council, he said there had...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
An outdoor recreation advocacy group is promoting the proposal that a tourist levy be enacted to help pay for conservation. Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of New Zealand (CORANZ) co-chairman...
For those who regularly head into the backcountry, a personal locator beacon (PLB) is an essential item Where to buy Most outdoors stores will sell PLBs, and a few will...
From ad hoc hiking groups formed online to decades-old tramping buddies, a look at how leadership can make or break a tramping trip. There’s a phenomenon in tramping that Noel...
Te Araroa Trail, Free Articles
Our Te Araroa hikers embrace the beauty, ruggedness, and unpredictable weather of the South Island. Bettina Grotschel, 34, Germany Start date: October 14 Bettina Grotschel is in the heart of the South Island,...
With his rest stop full of lollies and fruit, Sam Pepper is one of the most popular trail angels on the Te Araroa Trail. For the Peppers, the summer months...
After several years of being closed, the Dart section of the Rees-Dart circuit has reopened. The Dart Track closed in January 2014 after a landslide blocked a significant portion of...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
Tasman Saddle Hut is getting some much-needed maintenance. DOC workers have taken advantage of a fine weather window to get crews and supplies for renovations to the high-altitude hut in...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
It’s now easier to rescue people on Mt Egmont/Taranaki: DOC has installed 107 snow poles to help search and rescue teams find people. Egmont National Park senior ranger Dave Rogers...
A few DOC offices around the country are using a clever method for collecting information about hut use. Known as occupancy calendars, they are bright yellow notices posted in huts,...
We’ve all been there: you’ve packed the night before your trip and when you lift your pack to check its weight, a heavy feeling of dread rests on your shoulders...
Saved from the axe over 50 years ago, Herbert Forest is one of the last native forests of north-east Otago. In the 1960s, a small act of defiance saved what...
Often under a scrutinous eye, DOC handles an extraordinary number of decisions about the conservation estate. Meghan Walker looks at how these decisions are made, and if there’s a need for greater...
Meghan Walker tackles the Greenstone-Caples Track and finds it a cruisy and idyllic alternative to the nearby Great Walks Unless you plan your tramping holidays half a year in advance, it’s...
Teens in Tauranga are learning search and rescue skills to help diversify an aging volunteer base. There’s a trend among search and rescue volunteers. They tend to be mostly male and over...
Te Araroa Trail, Free Articles
Our first TA walker reaches Bluff, while others have to pull out early Bettina Grotschel, 35, Germany Start date: October 14 Bettina Grotschel has finished the trail, celebrating after 133...
About 200 Te Araroa walkers stopped at trail angel Sam Pepper’s famous rest stop this season. The Peppers set up a small booth stocked with refreshments and lollies to help...
Two years after the Mountain Safety Council quit providing skills courses, tramping clubs and alternative providers have stepped into the breach. Meghan Walker looks at the options For Dunedinite Tania...
What would it be like to throw away your watch, sell your belongings and move into the wilderness, full-time? Miriam Lancewood talks about her off-the-grid lifestyle Seven years ago, Miriam Lancewood and...
Three more of our Te Araroa walkers have finished their journeys; Michelle Campbell, Jack Faulkner, and William Penwell have all reached Bluff. Campbell and Faulkner ran into a dozen other...
In the spirit of inspiring people to get outside and to raise money for earthquake-damaged schools in Nepal, a group from Christchurch has put together a cookbook of outdoor meals....
A group of volunteers recently spent some time sprucing up Wilderness’s 2016 Hut of the Year, Ivory Lake Hut. The remote hut sits at the headwaters of the Waitaha River,...
A landscape architecture student from Wellington has created a redesign of the Hollyford Track to make it wheelchair accessible. Matt McKone, an avid tramper, completed the redesign for his master’s...
The climbing community is shocked by the deaths of New Zealand Alpine Team members Conor Smith and Sarwan Chand, who fell during a climb on April 24 in the Darran...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
The New Zealand Alpine Club has recommended that the New Zealand Alpine Team consider an independent review of the accident that claimed the lives of team members Conor Smith and...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
Powell Hut in Tararua Forest Park is being rebuilt next summer, and DOC wants public input on how it should be built. The 28-bunk hut is on the Mt Holdsworth-Jumbo...
Features, Mountain biking, National Parks
As e-bikes gain in popularity, Meghan Walker looks at the pros and cons of allowing motorised bikes in national parks At first glance, the bike I was about to hop...
Aided by unusually idyllic weather, Scott Sinton paddled 150km through Fiordland’s Doubtful Sound. About a year ago, Scott Sinton was on a boat tour in Doubtful Sound. While puttering around...
The South Island Kokako Trust has had about 50 reports of possible encounters since they announced a cash reward for the rare, possibly extinct, bird. In January, the trust announced...
The New Zealand Alpine Team plans to conduct an independent review of the accident that claimed the lives of team members Conor Smith and Sarwan Chand over Anzac weekend. Both...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Free Articles
A guided walk company wants to build a private lunch shelter on the banks of Lake Howden on the Routeburn Track Great Walk. Ultimate Hikes has applied for the concession...
If you own a personal locator beacon (PLB), you may be breaking the law. It’s a legal requirement to register PLBs, but according to the Rescue Coordination Centre of New...
Graeme Dingle, a lifetime mountaineer and leader in outdoor education, has been knighted for services to youth. Dingle, 70, known for opening the first Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC) in New...
New Zealand seems to be one of the few places in the world where water can still be drunk straight out of backcountry streams, free from worry. Or can it? ...
What if conservation was turned into a game? Kill a rat, get a point: that’s the premise of Squawk Squad’s pest control programme. For Fraser McConnell, getting people to care...
Sarah Hay is one of New Zealand’s best rock climbers, and could be a contender for Tokyo 2020. It’s an uncommon origin story; how does one go from being a...
The new Cathedral Cove sealed walkway has sustained a major slip following heavy rain in the Coromandel Peninsula. The walkway was sealed in late 2016 to make it an easier...
A draft plan has been released to help lay new groundwork for Te Urewera, the national park-turned-independent legal entity. As a result of the 2014 Te Urewera Act, which established...
Nominations are open for this year’s Wilderness Outdoor Awards; click here to nominate your favourite hut, brand, retailer, or outdoor hero. Last year, Wilderness named Ivory Lake Hut ‘Hut of...
Letter of the month E-bikes no conundrum Anti-rationalists always seek to establish the idea that there are valid counter-arguments for every plain fact, and that to ignore such arguments is...
Access to recreation on private land is on shaky ground, with landowners increasingly denying access based on perceived health and safety liabilities. Meghan Walker investigates whether those fears are justified,...
A new school offers a different type of education – one focussed on outdoor play. It’s 11am on a Monday morning at a little school next to the bushy Clevedon...
The Auckland Tramping Club is looking for new ownership of its Mt Ruapehu SnowSports Lodge. The 32-bunk lodge was built in 1948 and has been maintained and managed by the...
The increased number of Te Araroa Trail thru-hikers has boosted local economy in trailside communities. According to Te Araroa Trust chair David McGregor, the 550 walkers over the past year...
Impress your friends and embrace ingenuity with these handy hacks. 1. Keep your pots rust-free You know those little silica gel packs that seem to be in almost everything you buy?...
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 my...
For those who regularly head into the backcountry, a personal locator beacon (PLB) is an essential item. Where to buy Most outdoors stores will sell PLBs, and a few will even offer...
Libby Bowles is cycling around New Zealand, inspiring children to ‘tread lighter’ and help reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean. For the past month, Libby Bowles has been biking around the North...
I wake at dawn, roll over, and pull back the curtain just enough to see the smoke rising from a nearby campsite. It’s nearly 7am, which means it’s time to...
Walkshorts, Features, Great Walks, 25th Anniversary
You got this,” I tell myself, as I plunge my paddle into the murky brown water. We are five minutes into our three-day canoe trip down the Whanganui River and...
Whanganui River Journey, Features, Great Walks
When a friend said he wanted to do the Whanganui River Journey, but couldn’t get more than a weekend off work, my husband and I jumped at the chance to...