A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world.
Stunning pictures by three New Zealand photographers have been featured in the world’s best aurora images for the year. Paul Wilson, Richard Zheng and Jordan McInally are amongst the top 25 chosen in this year’s Northern Lights Photographer of the Year by travel photography blog Capture the Atlas.
“The journey to capture these images was physically challenging but worth it. With a 30kg backpack containing photography gear, a tent, and other essentials, the journey was physically demanding. It was pretty cold, especially as the temperature dropped below freezing, not to mention random gusts of wind,” said Wilson.
Dunedin-based Zheng has been living in New Zealand for four years, having arrived from China. The amateur photographer said it was a “great honour” to be selected. Queenstown’s Jordan McInally “had just enough time to rush to this local spot with a painfully steep ascent, watching beams start to dance across the horizon as the sunlight was fading”.
See all the images and read the story from Stuff.
DOC halts fire alarm roll-out
The Department of Conservation has announced that plans to roll out heat detectors to all backcountry huts with six or more bunks have been paused pending further work on legislative requirements, practicalities, costs and user safety.
Federated Mountain Clubs welcomed the decision, saying it has been working closely with DOC on the matter and believes that under the Building Act 2004, the exemption for fire alarms in backcountry huts is still legally valid. FMC sees the proposed rollout as unnecessary and costly. It would have a negligible impact on safety and a negative impact on the “basic and wild” experience of those using the huts.
“We commend DOC on its decision to pause the heat detector and smoke alarms rollout. It’s heartening to see DOC taking feedback from FMC on board and we look forward to working alongside the Department to ensure the longer-term plan has a commonsense approach and is in line with the relevant legislation,” FMC President Megan Dimozantos said. Read the full story from Wilderness.
7 of the best pub walks in Britain
Fancy a pint after a walk? In Britain, a ramble and a country pub is a classic combination. So much so that The Great Outdoors has tasked their writers to put together a list of the best pub walks in Britain. The result is seven walks ranging from 6km to 25km in length.
Some of the highlights include the Tan Hill Inn, Britain’s highest pub, Scotland’s mountain pub the Clachaig Inn near Glen Coe one of the best places for hiking in Scotland and a Welsh village with two sixteenth-century pubs via a hike up Cadair Berwyn. Read the full list from the The Great Outdoors.
Eleven hikers killed as volcano erupts in Indonesia
Eleven hikers have been found dead near the crater of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano after it erupted last week, rescuers say. There were 75 hikers in the area during the main eruption but most were safely evacuated.
Marapi spewed a 3km (9,800ft) ash cloud into the air, dimming the sky and blanketing surrounding villages in ash. It is among the most active of Indonesia’s 127 volcanoes and is popular among hikers.
Three people were rescued near the crater before the search was suspended. They were “weak and had some burns”, said Abdul Malik, head of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency. Forty-nine climbers were evacuated from the area earlier in the day, many of whom also suffered burns.
Video footage of Sunday’s eruption showed a huge cloud of volcanic ash spread widely across the sky, and cars and roads covered with ash. Read more from the BBC.
Aussie mum’s clever cleaning trick for camping
With no dishwasher in sight and limited water, cleaning dishes can be challenging when camping. However, Queensland mum and nurse Leanne has developed a simple yet “brilliant” sponge hack to making cleaning outdoors a breeze.
All you have to do is cut a full-size sponge into tiny squares, soak in dish soap in a ziplock bag and let them dry out. When you need it, simply pull one out of the bag, wet it and use it as a soapy sponge to clean your dishes.
Leanne shared a video of herself using the soap-soaked sponge to clean dishes and cutlery during a camping trip. “So handy when we used it on our recent camping trip. This was my first time doing it and it’s a great little hack,” she said.
The footage has been viewed more than 17,900 times, with many describing the cleaning method as “genius”. Watch the video at 7News.
