Hannah-Rose Watt’s guidebook Wild Walks Aotearoa contains information and tips for tramping, plus 59 trips graded from simple to difficult.

I found the book uplifting, in part because it’s written in an accessible and inclusive way. Was that deliberate?

Yes. When I started out hiking it was difficult to find a resource I wanted to use. Much was written by men, for men, and contained little about other genders or inclusive ways of talking. I felt really left out of the community. As I got older I recognised how important that inclusivity is, especially when I started leading tramping club trips. Then I began leading trips for women or people who presented as women or who felt most comfortable around women. It was a cool thing to see the confidence tramping gave people. So, it was really important to make sure this book was inclusive. It’s not a book for anyone; it’s a book for everyone.

How did it come about?

I loved writing about my trips, and storytelling and sharing my adventures on social media. People often contacted me asking for recommendations. I loved answering those questions, then seeing them go out and do it. It came from that, really. There was one standout moment when I was walking to the Otehake Hot Pools and passed a woman and her children. She said ‘You’re Hannah! The only reason I am here is because of you’. That made me push forward with this project, knowing that she was creating memories for her family because of what she saw me doing.

How did you select the hikes? 

The first thing I did was create the five categories that split up the tramps into different levels, from Hikes for Tykes (easier, shorter tramps) to Heck Treks (more advanced tramps). Then I had the difficult job of culling my list of 100-plus favourite tramps down to 60, and ended up with 59!

What’s your earliest memory of tramping?

Mum and Dad took me and my brother to Lake Daniell. My dad made dehy and overdid the water, so we had mashed potato soup. It was horrific. I was about eight and it was my first overnight tramp. We got wee pocket knives and Dad taught us to whittle figurines out of sticks. I remember that and the dehy. 

Your parents were big trampers. Did that influence your book?

Mum and Dad were really into tramping. Dad would take his film camera and I don’t know how many rolls of film in one of those bombproof 90L Macpac canvas packs. I was able to look through their albums for inspiration, and I was able to ask them questions. Their favourite walk was to Blue Lake in Nelson Lakes National Park. “Hannah, you have to get there,” they said. And I finally did. It felt like such a cool thing to be following in their footsteps.

Do you have a favourite tramp?

Anything in Mount Aspiring National Park: it gives you glaciers, lakes, incredible mountains and the feeling of being ultra remote. However, the best bush has to be on the Heaphy Track, and I’ll give a special shout out to Rotomairewhenua – the most enchanting lake there is.

Wild Walks Aotearoa is available on the Wilderness website. Subscribers get a 10% discount.