Elke guides a client up Mt Sefton. “There are no gondolas here,” she says. Photo: K Payne

In her father’s footsteps

Features, Wild People

A long-time Wilderness contributor and freelance author, Kathy writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation.

By Kathy Ombler

Elke Braun-Elwert was at a crossroads: join the family guiding business or leave the mountains to work in science. Her father’s sudden death set her on a career in the mountains.

There was a whiteout on the glacier. A party of eight skiers turned up at Tasman Saddle Hut wanting to stay the night because they couldn’t find their camp, 45 minutes away. They had no food, no sleeping bags, and the hut was already overflowing. Fortunately, a guide at the hut was able to help […]

About the author

Kathy Ombler

Freelance author Kathy Ombler mostly writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation, and has contributed to Wilderness for many years. She has also written and edited for other publications and websites, most recently Federated Mountain Club’s Backcountry, Forest & Bird, and the Backcountry Trust. Books she has authored include Where to Watch Birds in New Zealand, Walking Wellington and New Zealand National Parks and Other Wild Places. She is currently a trustee for Wellington’s Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust.