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

A pair of hikers on the Te Araroa trail have been fined for trespassing on a section of a Southland farm. Te Araroa Trust, the group which manages the trail, said it supported the decision.

“One walker was heading south through the station and deliberately left the marked trail to take a shortcut through an active logging site,” trail manager Dan Radford said on social media. “The second was caught crossing the station by bike to meet the other walker.”

Trust executive director Matt Caldridge said it was very unlikely the shortcut was taken by accident. The pair would have had to ignore warning signage, advice provided by the trust and gone off a marked trail, he said.

Despite the unfortunate nature of the incident, it was an anomaly amongst walkers. Caldridge could not recall another time when a walker on the Te Araroa trail had trespassed. “We had 3000 walkers on the trail last year and this season and so to have two trespassers – the first time we believe walkers have been trespassed, so it’s incredibly rare.” Read more from RNZ.

Barking dog helps rescue owner who fell 60m off Hawaii hiking trail

A hiker who fell 60m down a steep slope off a marked trail in Hawaii was found and rescued thanks to her barking dog. The Honolulu Fire Department said in a release it received a 911 call on Monday about a missing hiker on Lanipo Trail. First responders began a rescue operation, searching on foot and from above in a helicopter.

Other hikers separately reported that a barking dog was on a steep slope without an owner, the fire department said. The helicopter spotted the dog, and a rescuer rappelled about 6m down the marked trail to grab the distressed animal. 

Rescuers found the owner under thick foliage about 30m below her bag, according to the fire department. After receiving basic life support treatment, the 35-year-old woman was strapped into a rescue stretcher and airlifted to the park around three hours after the initial 911 call. Read the full story from NBC News.

Saudi amputees establish first hiking group

A Saudi team of amputees has taken the first steps in establishing the Kingdom’s first hiking and mountaineering group for people with prosthetic limbs.

At the helm of this pioneering endeavour is Salman Al-Buraidi, a scout leader and prominent figure in Saudi Arabia’s hiking community, collaborating with Abdullah Al-Ghunaim and Abdulrahman Al-Juraisi.

Al-Buraidi said the idea for the expedition arose during an autism awareness campaign where he met Mutaib Abu Ardhain, an amputee whose enthusiasm for hiking sparked a pivotal conversation. Witnessing Mutaib’s tenacity and athletic spirit in the face of adversity sparked the idea for a hiking squad dedicated to people with disabilities.

Al-Buraidi emphasized the overarching goal of encouraging people to not only overcome physical problems, but also to rediscover the joy of life, create social bonds, and reintegrate into society. Read the full story from Arab News.

A new 46km hiking trail is coming to Gondwana Rainforest

Looking for hikes across the ditch? According to the NSW budget, $57 million has been allocated to a new treetop skywalk and 46km hiking trail as part of the proposed Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk in the Gondwana Rainforest. 

Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk will consist of two parts. The first will be a 46km trail that will explore the Gondwana Rainforest and will cater to both beginner and experienced hikers with a two-day loop and a four-day loop options. There’ll be new campgrounds, huts and lookouts for hikers to kick back and relax in. 

The second part will feature an impressive treetop skywalk, called the Rainforest Arc Centre. The soaring curved walkways will gently snake through the forest canopy offering unparalleled views of the Gondwana Rainforest. A completion date for the plans is yet to be announced, but construction is set to begin later in 2024. Read the full story from Delicious.

Pierce Brosnan pleads not guilty to hiking off-trail in Yellowstone

We reported earlier this month that star Pierce Brosnan was charged with illegally entering Yellowstone National Park’s thermal area. Now he’s pled not guilty to the charge. 

The 70-year-old was initially scheduled to appear in court on 23 January for the 1 November incident. However, a Wyoming judge granted his request for a virtual hearing on 20 February.

A US attorney for Wyoming cited Brosnan over two alleged infractions. One was for walking into a restricted thermal area, the other for wandering into Mammoth Terraces, a hilly conglomerate of hot springs near the northern boundary of Yellowstone.

Mammoth Terraces is one of the park’s hundreds of thermal features, which vary from spouting geysers to gurgling mud pots, and water soaring up to 79C. Federal rules require national park visitors to stay on designated walkways, and violations are punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $8,000NZD. Read the full story from the BBC.