A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world.
Since Cyclone Gabrielle, much of the Lake Waikaremoana/Te Urewera Great Walk has been under water. The lake levels are 30 percent higher than capacity, and the extent of damage to the track is unknown at present, but is bound to be extensive.
It’ll take two weeks for lake levels to drop to a point where they can assess the state of the track, and the situation means the walk has had to be closed for the rest of the summer season.
Te Urewera for Tūhoe (TUT) chair Tāmati Kruger says he’d like Genesis Energy, which operates hydroelectric power stations around the lake, to lower the level of the water. He does, however, acknowledge that this might lead to problems further downstream.
Double cancer sufferer walking Te Araroa Trail
Having two unrelated cancers in your teens is astonishingly rare. But that’s what Wellington’s Caity Kane had to fight, and continues to do so.
The now 20-year-old has no left-field of vision due to a tumour in her brain and the subsequent craniotomy, and faces an uncertain future. But that doesn’t stop her from fighting and achieving.
She’s walking the entire 3000km of Te Araroa Trail to raise money and awareness for the NZ Cancer Research Trust. Setting off from Cape Reinga in October, she’s now halfway through the South Island. Read Caity’s full amazing story here.
“The idea they could get removed or fall into disrepair is not acceptable”
As Wilderness has already reported, funding for the Backcountry Trust, which supports volunteers building and maintaining huts and tracks, might be cut this year.
Stuff has spoken to several volunteers about why this can’t be allowed to happen. One of those is Greg Wilson, of Permolat Southland, who says: “We do it because we love the outdoors. You end up working with a lot of people with a mindset of leaving things for future generations.
“Funding is a big issue for us … the idea they could get removed or fall into disrepair is not acceptable. I think back to when I was young and these huts were here. A lot of these huts were built by trampers and hunters.”
Another volunteer, Karen Nicholson, argues that the huts are part of New Zealand’s history. Read the full article here.
Fears new chairlift will cause dangers for climbers
Queenstown climber Guillaume Charton believes a proposed chairlift at The Remarkables Ski Area will pose a risk to climbers.
NZSki has asked DOC for permission to replace its current lift with one that brings skiers 50 metres higher. From there, it’d be possible to ski down to frozen Lake Alta, which sits on conservation land.
“You can imagine the risk there with skiers zooming down when there’s low visibility into this conservation area,” argues Charlton, who says snow cavers, ski tourers, climbers and those using snow shoes all frequent Lake Alta in winter, and that numbers have increased in recent years.
Other climbers have also expressed concerns about the plans. Read more on this here.
Have you paid forward an act of kindness?
Here’s a special kind of currency that might be applicable to all of us who love the great outdoors. And that’s paying forward an act of kindness offered by a stranger who wanted nothing in return.
Take the case of Parker Lindo, who sprained his ankle on a tramp in Colorado, US. When he hobbled to a road, someone he’d never met gave him a lift all the way back to his car.
He refused fuel money, merely asking Parker to pay that favour on when he next encounters someone who needs help.
It wasn’t long before he encountered his chance to do just that. Listen to this story at MPR News.
