Features, The Life List, Wild winter
It’s cold, wet, white, and dark. Now that you know the downsides to winter, you can begin to appreciate the good: it’s quiet, spectacular, spiritual, and white. These 21 trips – day, overnight and...
A group of trampers has helped restore a historic Ruahine hut after furniture in the hut was destroyed by vandals. Built in 1958, Top Maropea Hut is one of the...
After 70 years, Auckland Tramping Club has had to hand over the keys to its lodge on Mt Ruapehu. The SnowSport lodge was gifted to a trust representing five central North...
Wanaka Search and Rescue volunteer Phil Melchior has been awarded a life membership to the service. Melchior has been a search and rescue volunteer for 16 years and was head...
Get your photo displayed on our last weekend page and you’ll receive Storm leather cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Find entry criteria here. Click on an image...
Tramper Tracey Hall, 38, is heading to Machu Picchu to fundraise for multiple sclerosis. She talked to George Driver about how tramping has helped her manage the disease How did...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria...
Letter of the month Not more helicopters I don’t really want to have to wax cantankerous about what really is a laudable goal, getting more people out into the hills,...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can...
Letter of the month The diversity on our doorstep Many families these days have to fund an overseas school trip for their children. But how many Kiwi parents are aware...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can...
Letter of the month Inspired to tramp with bubs Regarding the article ‘Babe in the woods’, thank you for the motivation to change my status quo. I am the father...
More than 100 whio ducklings have been sighted during a recent survey in the Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane Conservation Park in the central North Island. DOC Ranger Jacob De Vries said...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can...
Letter of the month Moving from the fast lane Five years ago I left New Zealand to move to London. I thought it was the right thing to do for...
We’ve trawled through nearly 800 entries to find the winners of this year’s competition. Interestingly, the ‘Huts and camping’ images that stood out to us this year were all taken...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can...
Letter of the month Great ranger on Great Walk My wife and I had the pleasure of tramping the Heaphy Track recently. Everyone we met on the track was friendly...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission...
Letter of the month Weed control website needed The story about the hut bagging website got me thinking about doing something similar for noxious weeds and wilding pines. I admit I...
Get your photo published here to receive a tub of Storm Leather Cream to waterproof, condition and shine your tramping boots. Learn more about Storm at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria...
Letter of the month Waiting it out Sitting around the table in Whakapapaiti Hut on Easter Weekend, my daughters (11 and 14) listened as their dad and I discussed our...
The Four Sisters Walk in Northland’s Waipoua Forest is to be temporarily closed. The Department of Conservation and Te Roroa (kaitiaki over Waipoua Forest) have announced that the Four Sisters...
The growing number of walkers exploring the Te Araroa trail has been a cause for concern among outdoor users who find huts over-fill and facilities rundown, but off the trail,...
The Budget 2019 has received backing from some of New Zealand’s largest outdoors groups. Forest and Bird chief executive Kevin Hague has welcomed this year’s increase of funding for the...
Rescue Coordination Centre NZ is reminding Kiwis to carry a distress beacon this long weekend. Manager Mike Hill said the team is ready to respond 24/7 should a beacon be...
Letter of the month The few giving the majority a bad name It’s a sad fact that any backcountry hut three hours or less from a road end, particularly if...
Land in Wairoa Gorge in Nelson Tasman region that contains forest of high ecological value and an internationally-renowned mountain bike park has been gifted to the people of New Zealand. ...
Forest & Bird’s rat trapping experts have said official maps showing areas where this year’s mega-mast is occurring demonstrate more aerial 1080 is needed to control predators. They are pleading...
After an alliance spanning 54 years, Federated Mountain Clubs will resign from Mountain Safety Council. FMC president Jan Finlayson says the resignation – effective from July 1 2020 – is...
Gift guides, Father's Day, Features
Stuck for ideas for what to get Dad this Father’s Day? Wilderness has you sorted. Macpac Limitless Short Sleeve Tee $79.99 Made for fast-paced activities, the Limitless range is a...
Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz. Click on an image below to view the...
Letter of the month Hypothermia never far away Two articles in the June issue – one about the Timber Trail cycle trail which was billed as an ‘all-weather track’ and...
Ten years of the Waiheke Walking Festival will be celebrated with 10 days of walking from November 15-24. The Hauraki Gulf island’s annual walking festival, which is one of the...
Whether by accident or intention, it is almost impossible to tramp without leaving a trace. But some sins are greater than others, and when Wilderness opened its ‘leave no trace’...
A health and safety policy clarification has delivered a win for access and a sigh of relief for landowners. The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 had previously caused...
Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found...
Microspikes to the rescue In January 2012 I walked the Three Passes from Lake Kaniere to Arthur’s Pass. I’d taken my boots for a spin the prior weekend and noticed...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Te Araroa Trail
Six iconic Te Araroa Trail locations have been immortalised on postage stamps, with the release of an NZ Post stamp series celebrating some of the stunning locations found along New...
Wilderness was once again recognised at the Magazine Publishers’ Association awards in early September. Alistair Hall was named Best Editor and Kathy Ombler was named Best Journalist in the Consumer...
*** VOTING HAS CLOSED. WE’LL BE ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS IN THE DECEMBER 2019 ISSUE *** Voting is open in the 2019 Wilderness Reader’s Choice Outdoor Awards – which brand, hut,...
Thanks for voting! We’ll be announcing the winners in the December 2019 issue. Until then, happy trails!
It’s a feeling everybody can relate to – the stomach-plunging, heart-stopping moment you realise you’ve left something vital behind on a tramp. Wilderness asked contributors to fess up and share...
Wilderness was once again recognised at the Magazine Publishers’ Association awards in early September. Editor Alistair Hall was named Best Editor and Kathy Ombler was named Best Journalist in the...
The Southern Lights have been captured from an unlikely northern destination – Taranaki’s Pouakai Tarn. Usually only seen from the South Island, the Aurora Australis display was a dream come...
Move over Tongariro – there’s a new volcanic crossing in town. The $19.3 million Taranaki Crossing Project has been given the green light and is set to open in December...
An FMC grant scheme is helping Duke of Edinburgh trampers to take their expeditions to the next level. The Adventurous Journey Grants scheme is aimed at trampers undertaking their Duke...
Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found...
Harp and fiddle duo Mickey O’Donnell and Michelle Doyle are walking the Te Araroa Trail to promote their new album by playing gigs along the route and raising money for...
Packrafts are an inherently stable vessel and it’s possible to hit the river and blunder through. But a capsize can see rafters suddenly swimming in rapids they wouldn’t dream of...
Location awareness is the knack of staying in tune with your surroundings for accurate navigation, writes Noel Bigwood While you are walking it’s important to look, listen, feel and smell...
1996. That was the year we started. Facebook and Google didn’t exist. There was no Netflix, Twitter, Instagram or Uber. Sean Fitzpatrick was the captain of the All Blacks and...
On a grassy knoll high above Karekare Beach, you could spread out a blanket and stare up at the stars, amazingly clear on some nights. During the day, the knoll...
A new hut has opened in the Bay of Plenty’s Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park. The 12 bunk Te Whare Okioki is a collaborative project led by the Kaimai Ridgeway Trust,...
A moment which brought a Kiwi videographer to tears has won him a major photography award. Coromandel’s James Muir snapped the emotive image of an Antarctic iceberg on a “dream...
Mountain Safety Council’s tramping safety video series has been hailed as a success, following an independent review. The videos promote safety across 12 popular tracks that are prone to accidents,...
DOC has opened the summer season with updates to their online booking system and price increases for some of the backcountry’s most popular huts. Ten DOC campgrounds and five huts...
Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found here....
Letter of the month Pirongia proof of 1080 effectiveness In regard to Kevin Hague’s request for trampers to speak up on the benefits of 1080, a friend and I started...
From stocking fillers to essential outdoor kit, the Wilderness guide to Christmas has something for every budget. Post-it Extreme Notes $10Perfect for leaving messages in the outdoors, these notes can...
14 prizes – 14 winners! Buy a subscription to Wilderness this December or January, and you’ll be entered into the draw to win a share of more than $5000 worth...
It was five years ago, and we had returned to our Kiwi mate’s place in Mt Eden after watching a rugby game at Eden Park. In high spirits, fuelled by...
A four-wheel-drive club in Wellington is transporting predator traps to remote locations that would otherwise need to be delivered by helicopter, writes Diana Noonan. They’re the clubs we love to...
Te Araroa thru-hikers are being urged to take The Trail Pledge this season. Developed by the Te Araroa Trust, the pledge asks trampers to respect the environment, Māori culture, private...
LandSAR NZ is launching an online community hub called Friends of Search and Rescue (FOSAR). The forum will coincide with a dedicated donor programme that will allow supporters to commit...
DOC’s trapping skills have been collated and published for the first time in A Practical Guide to Trapping. The guide teaches best practise trapping techniques for mustelids, rats and possums,...
Two North Island tramping clubs have celebrated their 50th anniversaries. Auckland’s Pukekohe Tramping Club and Parawai Tramping Club – which caters for the Paraparaumu and Waikanae areas – both marked...
Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz.
Letter of the Month TA Trail needs more money Reading Katrina Megget’s story ‘A trail of two halves’ had me reminiscing about my own experience walking the Te Araroa Trail....
The popular Mount Somers Track in the Hakatere Conservation Park is seeing fewer walkers, but a greater number of bed nights at the two huts on the circuit. Both Pinnacles...
Kit out your kids this summer with these gear recommendations. Outdoor Research Kid’s Helios Sun Hat $49.99Lightweight fabric with UPF50+ sun protection, foam-stiffened brim that floats, moisture-managing headband to pull...
Christchurch climber Lauren Smith shares her death-defying escape from a 600m fall near Arthur’s Pass. “I don’t trust this rock.” Those were the last words I said before tumbling 600m...
Waikato Tramping Club will celebrate its 70th anniversary in May this year. There will be an afternoon tea and dinner function in Hamilton as well as a tramp on Sunday...
One of New Zealand’s most spectacular butterflies is silently slipping away, and trampers might be able to help save it. The endemic forest ringlet is the only butterfly in its...
Waikato Tramping Club members have pulled more than 2000 wilding pines from the slopes of Mt Tarawera. Twenty club stalwarts were bussed onto the lower slopes of the mountain and...
It’s a shock to know that in summer, the biomass of wasps in South Island beech forest weighs more than birds and rodents combined. It’s a reason ‘Wasp Wipeout’ is...
Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz.
In the December 2019 issue, expat American Matt Kambic lamented that since moving to New Zealand he had not seen many red rocks – a much-loved feature of the hiking...
When the sleep deprivation kicked in, so did the hallucinations. Deep in the Tararuas, endurance tramper Maree Sandbrook started seeing some real oddities in the forest, including a seal, a...
The George family has stopped walking the Te Araroa Trail after 685km. The Melbourne family of parents Daniel and Kelly, Gabrielle (15), twins Holli and Asha (14), Rex (13) and...
Lydia Bradey, the first woman to climb Mt Everest without supplemental oxygen, has been awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit. The honour came as a complete surprise to the...
Drone operators are flying in the face of aviation laws in Wanaka. Despite a local ban, three unauthorised drones have been reported to the DOC hotline at the popular Roys...
Get your photo published here to receive a double pack of BPA-free, biobased plastic Sporks worth $13. Learn more about Sporks at ampro.co.nz.
Letter of the Month The humble rubbish bag Recently I read about how day walkers are the most vulnerable in survival situations as opposed to those going on longer overnight...
Author and super-tramper Geoff Spearpoint enjoys chasing fine weather in the hills with a light pack and good friends. Here’s what he packs. StoveI’ve used an MSR Whisperlite above the...
It’s while reading George Santayana’s essay, The Philosophy of Travel, that I discover an eloquent answer to the question which rubs like sand in my brain during all long walks:...
A rugged weekend of volunteering turned into a life mission for a Wellington couple. By Geoff Whittle you won’t be alone if you’ve never heard of the ‘Apias’. It’s a...
Hundreds of Kiwis are expected to take part in the Himalayan Trust Summit Challenge this month, but for George Hillary, the fundraiser is personal. He’s grown up seeing his grandfather being rather...
The recovery of two bodies from the Makarora River has prompted a reminder to take extra precaution near flooded waterways. Kevin Kum Fike Lee, 22, of Dunedin and a woman,...
Congratulations to all the winners in our super summer subscription promotion. Our 14 winners took home a share of more than $5000 worth of the world’s best outdoor gear, supplied...
With the track closed ahead and washed away behind, Dave How had no choice but to hunker down at Mackenzie Hut. He and 10 others had left Routeburn Falls Hut...
Get your photo published here to receive a SOL survival blanket worth $19.80. It weighs only 100g, but will reflect 90% of radiated body heat. Learn more about SOL at...
Every time we judge the photo competition, everyone at Wilderness sits around the computer and starts dreaming of their next trip as one glorious location or wildlife encounter after another...
Ash from the Australian bushfires is still visible on many of the South Island’s glaciers, according to NIWA scientists. NIWA and Victoria University of Wellington scientists completed their annual post-summer...
New Zealand hasn’t yet been hit hard by Coronavirus – touch wood – but second-hand effects are being felt across the outdoors sector. Hiking New Zealand director Anne Murphy said...
The increasing frequency of monster storms has DOC concerned for the future of Great Walks. For most of February, the Routeburn, Milford and Paparoa tracks were completely or partially closed...
Three keen Wellingtonians have splashed and dashed their way through a classic Tararua route in record time. The trio of Lee Denhaan, Dave Leppard and Tim Sutton completed the Chamberlain...
A beloved ‘dog-box’ bivvy in Ruahine Forest Park has been replaced by the Backcountry Trust. Toka Bivouac, which sits on a high shelf on the Ngamoko Range, was installed by...
Get your photo published here to receive a SOL survival blanket worth $19.80. It weighs only 100g, but will reflect 90% of radiated body heat. Learn more about SOL at e.ampro.co.nz.
Letter of the month It’s never too late Despite a brief flirtation with tramping in my twenties, I sadly did not really discover its delights until my mid-fifties when I was...
Covid-19, Walkshorts, Web exclusive
Trampers are being asked to stick close to home while the level 4 Covid-19 alert is in place. The plea coincides with the closure of all DOC huts and campsites.DOC...
In a much-needed dose of good news, the 18th New Zealand Mountain Film Festival is set to run in a reduced capacity, beginning in Wanaka from June 26 to 28....
The Department of Conservation will resume limited field work when New Zealand moves to COVID-19 Alert Level 3, while the public will be able to enjoy low-risk, local outdoor activities....
A Christchurch gallery owner has welcomed New Zealand into Alert Level 3 with a poem displayed in his gallery window. The poem was written by famous E-biker, artist and punk poet...
As well as being Wilderness’ roving editor, Shaun Barnett is a renowned tramper and Wellington-based writer and photographer. “I’m fortunate to be able to make a modest living out of...
Four gift ideas for outdoor women. PETZL Borea $135A durable, versatile helmet suitable for climbing, mountaineering, caving, canyoning and more. The design, sizing and headband harness allow it to be...
Without whipped cream and full milk, decent hot chocolate is hard to achieve in the backcountry, but that doesn’t mean trampers have to resort to instant. Horopito inferno Horopito –...
The companies displayed on this page all represent products and services that have appeared in Wilderness over the past year or so. They represent a fraction of the companies that...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Looking for a new challenge this year (or for the remainder of your life)? How about ticking off the Wilderness 100? Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness 100 – an annual list of the best trips in the country. For the website version of this feature story, we’ve broken the trips...
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,...
We asked readers to share how they brought the outdoors indoors during lockdown. Here’s a few of the entries. Get your photo published here to receive a SOL survival blanket...
Letter of the month I returned to the trail, too Thank you to Nikki Slade Robinson and others who contributed to ‘Return to the trail’. Hearing other women’s stories is...
The New Zealand Conservation Authority is backing Eugenie Sage’s proposal to revitalise the economy with nature-based jobs. In an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, NZCA chairperson Edward Ellison...
Guidelines for overnight tramping have been released, but there’s still no clarity around whether huts will be open under Alert Level 2. Kiwi trampers eagerly anticipating the potential shift to...
The NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival will forge ahead in Wanaka and Queenstown next month with a flexible schedule, designed to suit any level of Covid-19 lockdown. The plan...
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...
For Elli Kämpf and Anouk Loman, quitting the Te Araroa Trail was like leaving a chapter in a book unfinished. After meeting on the trail near Kaitaia, the south-bound pair...
The register wasn’t the only document signed on Chris and Felicity Hawke’s wedding day. The keen tramping couple, who tied the knot at Lake Rotoiti last November, snuck in a...
Conservation has been a big winner of the government’s Covid-recovery budget – the largest spending package in New Zealand history. The $50 billion relief budget has allocated almost $1.1b to...
Get your photo published here to receive a SOL survival blanket worth $20. It weighs only 100g, but will reflect 90% of radiated body heat. Learn more about SOL at...
Letter of the month Track times and tectonic plates Your correspondent David Holroyd revives the hoary issue of track walking times. When I worked as a park ranger, track users...
After months of uncertainty, tickets for the New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival will go on sale on Monday. The reshaped festival is scheduled to run live in Wanaka...
Walkshorts, Web exclusive, Great Walks
A record-breaking opening week of Great Walk bookings for the 2020/21 season has smashed expectations. Even though the Milford and Routeburn track bookings are yet to open, 6267 Great Walk...
You’re never too old to get involved – that’s the attitude of a handful of retired Rangiora residents doing their bit for conservation. Charles Upham Retirement Village residents Lynn Andrews,...
Paparoa Track bookings have rekindled frustrations for walkers unable to book the Moonlight Tops Hut. Fewer than 30 dates between October 1 and April 30 have bunks available in the...
Get your photo published here to receive an SOL survival blanket worth $20. It weighs only 100g, but will reflect 90% of radiated body heat. Learn more about SOL at...
Letter of the month Good advice Earlier this year I was considering walking an upper South Island tramp. Settling on the St James Walkway, I searched the Internet for likely...
A hut at Lake Daniell in the Maruia Valley, which has been a popular “first tramp” for generations of Kiwi families, has been rebuilt and is now open for use....