While a month of quarantine may appeal to home decor magazine readers, Wilderness readers will find time away from the outdoors tough. Here are six ways to bring the backcountry home. 

Let your lawns go

Let’s face it, with no visitors in the next month, who are you trying to impress? Let your kikuyu express itself and let your clover flourish. The bees will love you for it, and if you pop your gaiters and boots on and close your eyes, you can pretend you’re wading through tussock.

Get by on single-ply

The only toilet paper trampers should be stocking is single-ply – the unreliable scourer of the… ahem… backcountry. With this highly uncomfortable, high risk for low reward paper, you can get the long drop experience at home. True conservationists can get by on a single sheet, but beware the dreaded tear – sometimes it pays to fold.

Binge-watch the trilogy

Jokingly or not, most Kiwis have threatened to pull off a Lord of the Rings marathon at least once. With a month of quarantine ahead, you’ve got the time, and you’ve run out of excuses. Grab your quarantine buddies, bake a loaf of lembas bread, pour a pint of ale, and prepare for nine hours of hairy-footed wanderlust.

Hit your hills

Because of our turbulent geological past, a bloody big hill is never too far away for most Kiwis. Throw some weight in your pack, don your boots, and get acquainted with your local lumps. With any luck, your screaming calves will keep your pandemic anxiety at bay, and come next tramping season you’ll be fighting fit. Remember to keep a safe distance from fellow trampers.

Throw those curtains wide

With the motorways eerily quiet and far fewer planes in the sky, why not make the most of the improving air quality by opening up your windows and doors to let the breeze in? Go the extra mile by keeping your curtains open overnight – without morning commutes to get you out of bed early, you can take the opportunity to wake up with the sun and fall into a natural sleep cycle.

A good pandemic pitch

The campsites are closed, but fear not – the backyard will remain open – until further notice. Wake your neighbours with the hammering of tent pegs and bother the birds by camping on their breakfast buffet. If it’s warm enough, ditch the tent fly and admire the glow of the streetlights from the comfort of your inflatable mattress, and keep an ear out at night for the sweet sounds of street rats stalking the compost heap.

Bring the hut home

If you’re craving hut life in your time of quarantine, the solution might be to bring the hut feels home. Try cooking by candlelight or reading with a headlamp, or for that expert level, turn power off at the mains and stash damp boots around the living room for that authentic hut musk.

• How are you bringing the outdoors indoors during the next few weeks? Send us your photos for our last weekend ‘lockdown’ special.  Pix should clearly show who is in the photo. Email to lastweekend@lifestylepublishing.co.nz.