In the December 2019 issue

Features

18 Outdoor awards
Meet the winners of the 2019 Wilderness Reader’sChoice Outdoor Awards

42 ‘Best hut’ in the world beckons
The route to Ivory Lake Hut can take tops trampers at least three days, but it’s worth it

50 Magic carpet ride
Mountain biking Wellington’s Skyline Walkway and Red Rocks Track

54 Christmas gift guide
Get a head start on 2019’s best outdoor stocking fillers

58 Pioneering a new kind of trail
Are the West Coast’s dual cycle and walking trails working?

72 Fractured earth
Exploring the geothermal wonders of Mt Tarawera

Trips

26 See more… 
Four places that inspired poets

28 A deep dive into Taranaki
Lake Dive Hut, Egmont National Park

30 Reflecting a giant
Lake Surprise, Tongariro National Park

30 The source of the Routeburn’s Earland Falls
Lake Roberts, Fiordland National Park

31 A place for contemplation
Maungahuka Hut, Tararua Forest Park

32 Endless possibilities
St Arnaud Range Tarns, Nelson Lakes National Park

34 A taste of the tropics
Lake Taharoa Loop Track, Northland

34 Big, bold and beautiful
Lake Browning, Waitaiki Historic Reserve

36 The long pathway’s highlight
Beuzenberg Peak, Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park

38 Golden views
Basin View Track, Flat Top Hill Conservation Area

40 A land rebuilt
Park Walk, Whakanewha Regional Park

41 Heritage hike
Otatara Pā Historic Reserve, Hawke’s Bay

Skills

64 Photo school: Turn down the volume
65 Wild cuisine: Mini polenta pizzas
66 Bird spotting: North Island kōkako
67 Navigation: Navigating in a whiteout

Gear

68 Broken in
Wilderness staff and gear reviewers test their kit for you

Gear guides

70 2020’s best sandals

Regulars

4 Editorial

6 Pigeon post
Letters to the editor

8 Last weekend
What did you get up to last weekend?

10 Walkshorts
News from the wild

12 Wilderness word
Enter our crossword competition to win great prizes

14 Near miss
Unexpected river walking means a night out in the Te Urewera bush

16 Wild conservation
Meet the Wellington 4WD club that’s driving out predators

22 Sunset, starlight and sinister spirits
Foregoing a bunk for a night walk to The Pinnacles in Coromandel Forest Park

24 Getting started
An unlikely tramper turns her wilderness dreams into reality

82 Track chat
Liz Light on the best bird-watching spots in New Zealand