Evening light warms the alpine basin and golden tussock of upper Highland Creek. Photo: Mark Watson

Highland haven

Waypoints

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Mark Watson

Mark is Wilderness’s gear editor and a dedicated storyteller, documenting his adventures in both words and photos.

By Mark Watson

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September 2025

View more by author

Mark Watson

Mark is Wilderness’s gear editor and a dedicated storyteller, documenting his adventures in both words and photos.

By Mark Watson

Like many Otago ranges, the tract of mountains between the shores of Lake Wānaka’s Glendhu Bay and the Wakatipu Basin has a distinctive topography that’s almost geometric with crisp spurs plunging from the peaks into incised valleys, interrupted by cliffs of schist. It’s the narrow ridges in particular that are the hallmark of the Motatapu Track […]

About the author

Mark Watson

Wilderness gear editor Mark Watson divides his workdays between graphic design, writing and photography. His passion for tramping, climbing, cycling and storytelling has taken him all over Aotearoa and the world in search of great trails, perfect moves and epic light. He has published four books and his photographs have featured in numerous publications. Especially motivated by long distance travel, he has tramped Te Araroa and cycled from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.