Letter of the month

Footwear sense or shame?

I recently checked my current in-use tramping footwear. 

For easy non-technical tracks in summer conditions, such as the Old Ghost Road, Abel Tasman and Silver Peaks, I prefer trail running shoes, which I wear with short gaiters to keep out debris.

For summer to mid-season on more difficult trips involving pass crossings, where route finding is likely or ankles need support and protection, I wear light boots with gaiters. 

In winter, or if I am likely to encounter snow or serious terrain and may need crampons and the use of an ice axe, I wear heavier boots and canvas gaiters.

It is important to select the correct footwear for the season and the type of terrain and circumstances likely to be encountered. When in doubt, I wear boots to improve safety margins.

It is also important that footwear fits well. When buying boots I wear thick socks (or two pairs), as feet expand when tramping. Normally, I have one pair of footwear in use in each category, and one pair breaking-in.

Is this footwear sense, or shame? Regardless, a retailer’s dream!

– Brett Smith

Brett wins a Toaks Titanium Ultralight 450ml Cup worth $80 from www.gearshop.co.nz. Readers, send your letter to the editor for a chance to win.

Disappointment at Waikaremoana

I know about Waikaremoana as my cousin is of Tūhoe descent, and I have some knowledge of the area’s history.

When I went there, however,   I was shocked to find DOC infrastructure left to rot, an absence of signage, badly damaged tracks and a lack of good maps at the visitor centre.

Worse was the lack of predator control. Lake Waikareite, which is meant to be a wildlife haven, was eerily silent.

I was really shocked at the state of Te Urewera. The visitor centre is beautiful but did not feel welcoming, and was seldom open during our stay there.

I heard stories about Panekire Hut being uninhabitable when the Waikaremoana Great Walk reopened because possums had gotten in, people being left on the side of the lake because water taxis hadn’t turned up,  and others not being able to book into Sandy Bay Hut.

– Jane Carlson

A more challenging Walk1200km

My 29th birthday was approaching when I signed up to Walk1200km in January. 

I have been reflecting on where I’ll be in a year and how many kilometres will have been walked. I wanted to incorporate more tramping into my 1200km, and so 30 by 30 was born. The goal is to bag 30 huts by my 30th birthday next year. So far I’ve been to five (including Red Hut in the Richmond Range,  pictured) and have explored parts of the country I’d never seen before. I eagerly search each issue of Wilderness for inspiration and plan every second weekend to hit somewhere new. As the kilometres and huts stack up, I’ll be able to reflect on the wonderful places I’ve walked.

What a way to measure a year! Here’s to the next 25 huts.

– Ruby Rowe

Taranaki Maunga excites 

I signed up to Walk1200km to increase fitness and be able to do longer, steeper tramps. I motivated myself by planning to walk the Pouakai Circuit. Six weeks in, foot surgery had me cancelling hut bookings. I was neither confident nor particularly motivated to complete the challenge or the circuit.

While I was recovering, a friend delivered chocolate and magazines. And there, on p20 of the March 2024 issue, was a picture of Taranaki Maunga taken from Pouakai Tarn. Within minutes I was back to daydreaming about the walks I’d like to do in the next 12 months. Well played Wilderness, well played.

– Bridget Lange

Keep on moving 

We are 69 and 73 and joining Walk1200km for the first time. Walking keeps us moving and it’s a pleasure to be out in the environment. Why wouldn’t you?

Thank you, Wilderness.

– Sandra and Garry Vercoe

Walk1200km has many benefits

We are animal lovers but live in a retirement village and are unable to have a pet. During urban walks around Timaru my partner and I have found a solution that allows us to enjoy animals by adopting other people’s cats that meet us as we pass. 

The dark grey puss with the squashed-in face accepts a greeting, but move closer and it scowls;             a pretty young tabby waits on a fence and loves a scratch along her back while she salutes us with her tail; a jet-black cat with luminous green eyes hides under its owner’s car. 

The puss with the most personality is Fluffy Bum, so named because he has a stunning long coat and vivid blue eyes. He meows loudly and sprints to the footpath to greet us, and his purr becomes a deep rumble when he’s tickled under his chin or along his back. We’ve been told his real name is Chester, and we’d love to take him home. 

While our chats with     people we meet are special, it is the cats that add an extra dimension by giving us that happy feeling to treasure as we add kilometres to our daily Walk1200km challenge.

– Lynne Kroening

Our routes, your trips

I recently climbed Norma in Lewis Pass (September 2023). It was fabulous. A good solid grunt to get above the treeline, then to be welcomed with amazing vistas all around. The view from the summit to Mt Technical was simply amazing. Thank you for showing us this trip.

– Lisa Ainley

Four of us recently walked the Otuihau Whangārei Falls track (from the January 2024 issue). Even though we left later in the morning than intended, there was enough shade. We stopped to have morning tea by the river, and the falls were magnificent.

Thanks for the recommendation!

– Gretchen Carroll

Lisa and Gretchen receive a meal from Real Meals. Readers, when you do a trip that has been published in Wilderness, let us know to receive your prize, too.