A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world.

Sam Benastick, 20, was discovered shivering and unsteady by two oil workers after getting lost in British Columbia’s wilderness. The harrowing details are a coda to the “unbelievable miracle” of a hiker who survived 50 days lost in the Canadian wilderness.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that Benastick was being treated at the hospital in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, more than seven weeks after he was last seen heading into the wild. He was suffering from frostbite and smoke inhalation caused when his makeshift shelter burned down.

Benastick set out on what was supposed to be a 10-day camping trip; he was reported missing by his family after he failed to return home.

An avid outdoorsman, Benastick was destined for Redfern-Keily provincial park – an 80,000 hectare swathe of “lush alpine meadows, forested valley bottoms, serrated peaks, glaciers, waterfalls and large valley lakes” in the northern reaches of the Rocky mountains.

The Central Okanagan Search and Rescue, which was involved in the search along crews from four other regions, called the discovery an “unbelievable miracle”. Read the full story from The Guardian. 

Couple who revolutionised two outdoor sports give rare interview

In the ’70s, Ray Jardine changed rock climbing forever when he invented Friends. In the ’90s, he teamed up with his wife Jenny to do the same for backpacking, kickstarting the ultralight movement with their innovative gear designs. In a rare interview with Backpacker, they explain why they left the industry they helped create.

They have walked more than 40,000 km by moving at 4.5 km each hour from dawn to dusk with near-scientific dependability. The Jardines’ pace was but a byproduct of their revelatory system, which reimagined backpacking by cutting the ideal weight hikers carried by as many as 22.5kgs.

“I was not interested in minimalism,” Ray wrote in the preface of his Trail Life, the closest thing modern backpacking has to sacred scripture, “but simply a reduction in what was not necessary.”

The Jardines are arguably the USA’s most adventurous living couple. Hiking aside, they have sailed around the world, skied to the South Pole, cycled back and forth across the country in three months, and kayaked the Yukon River to the Bering Sea, just for starters.

This year Ray, 79, hopes to drive his motorcycle from coast to coast in 50 hours and from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Key West, Florida, in a month. Jenny, 66, speaks of traversing France’s GR10. Want to learn more, read the full article from Backpacker.

WWF opinion: Chronic underinvestment is threatening our greatest asset

An entry fee for Milford Sound. An appeal for private donations to save endangered species. Or what about Cathedral Cove being sponsored by Z Energy?

The Minister of Conservation’s recent proposals to charge for access to some of Aotearoa’s national parks and conservation areas have sparked an interesting debate about Kiwis’ bottom line when it comes to the commercialisation of nature.

Over 63% of our ecosystems are now threatened and 4000 of our native species are on the cusp of extinction. Aotearoa has the highest species extinction rate per capita in the world.

WWF-New Zealand and EY recently published a report looking at the costs and opportunities of halting and reversing the loss of nature in Aotearoa. It showed us that investing in work to restore and protect our indigenous biodiversity would save New Zealand more than $270 billion over the next 50 years.

The next five years are going to be crucial if we are to halt and reverse the sustained decline in biodiversity we are seeing in Aotearoa and globally.

Our precious wildlife on the brink of extinction depends on it – and so does New Zealand’s economy and our wider wellbeing. Read the full opinion piece from The Post.

Cathedral Cove walking track reopens after almost two years of repairs

Access to a popular Coromandel beach has re-opened in time for summer, after almost two years of repairs. The walking track to Cathedral Cove had been closed since February 2023 after severe weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle, caused extensive damage.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said $1.4 million in funding from the international visitor levy was dedicated to restoring the track. Potaka said the cove was important for the recovery of the region’s tourism industry. “Mautohe Cathedral Cove plays an important role in supporting the local economy. Visitors to the area are predicted to bring an estimated $12 million into the region annually.”

Thames-Coromandel mayor Len Salt said the reopening was an exciting step in the district’s tourism recovery. “We get about 250,000 visitors a year through Cathedral Cove and they come specifically to visit the Coromandel, but the iconic destination that they want to go and see is Cathedral Cove because it’s become famous all over the world, so it’s an integral part of our tourism and the economic well-being of our district.” Read the full story from RNZ.

$320,000 Abel Tasman bridge ‘a new highlight’ for Great Walk

The Department of Conservation is celebrating the opening of a new $320,000 bridge on the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk. The 56-metre Kākāwera/Torrent River suspension bridge has been two years in the making after heavy rainfall in August 2022 caused a slip, leaving the previous bridge unusable.

While the track between Anchorage and Torrent Bay reopened soon after, the lack of a bridge meant trampers had to cross the bay during low tide. DOC Motueka operations manager Mark Townsend called that “far from ideal”.

The bridge was blessed by Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Tama kaumatua last week. “It’s one of the walk’s highlight attractions so we’re pleased the construction is completed and that track can be re-opened for visitors’ enjoyment,” said Townsend.

“But I think the Kākāwera bridge also stacks up as a new highlight of the Great Walk, and having the dry feet link from Anchorage to Torrent Bay restored is worth every one of the $320,000 it cost to get it.” Read the full story from Stuff.