Trampers depart Rangipo Hut, where it can snow at any time of year. Photo: Zhi Yuen Yap

Ruapehu’s other side

Features, Off the Beaten Track

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

By Kathy Ombler

Tongariro National Park’s northern tracks typically teem with visitors. By contrast, the south-eastern slopes of Mt Ruapehu were quiet when Wilderness visited this starkly beautiful landscape last summer.

Arriving at Mangaehuehu Hut felt like the old days of tramping. A sturdy old hut where just a few locals – some up from Ohakune, a family from Raetihi and two Wellington friends – mingled on a misty evening. Later, when swirling clouds parted and we rushed out to snap the sunset hues on Peretini […]

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.