Although low, the likelihood of women experiencing sexual harassment or assault while tramping is real nonetheless. If we find ourselves in a scenario where another person’s behaviour makes us feel unsafe, what can we do about it? Earlier this year a woman was assaulted on the popular Rangituhi/Colonial Knob walking track in Porirua. Detective Sergeant Ben Evans told […]
About the author
Leigh Hopkinson
Wilderness deputy editor Leigh Hopkinson spends the weekends in the hills with her whānau and weekdays as a journalist and editor. She has a Graduate Diploma of Journalism from the University of Canterbury. A keen tramper, rock climber and newbie mountaineer, she has written for magazines and newspapers on both sides of the Tasman. She’s originally from the West Coast and now lives in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
The 2026 Wilderness Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition
Otamatapaio Hut, Oteake Conservation Park
Dirt bike trial on Tongariro Northern Circuit gets approval
Adventurer and author Dunc Wilson
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Sexual harm in the backcountry
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September 2025
About the author
Leigh Hopkinson
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Subscribe!
Each issue of Wilderness celebrates Aotearoa’s great outdoors — written and photographed with care, not algorithms.Subscribe and help keep our wild stories alive.