The perfect introduction to tramping

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September 2023

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Alistair Hall

Alistair is the editor and publisher of Wilderness. His favourite tramping ground is Tongariro National Park.

By Alistair Hall

How many people wouldn’t have taken up tramping were it not for the Great Walks? I know of at least three, and they’re mentioned in this issue.

Teresa Moreno was 38 when she began tramping. Her debut track was the Routeburn and it spurred more tramping on other Great Walks.

Passionate hikers might love the outdoors, but it’s not for everyone. As Moreno says, the thought of sharing bunk rooms with strangers, carrying a heavy pack and not being able to shower for days can be off-putting.

And while you won’t have a shower on the Great Walks (apart from waterfalls and river swims), the facilities do mean lighter packs can be carried than when on another tramp of equal duration. There are clean huts to sleep in, some with a flush toilet. The tracks are also as good as they come, with much thought and great expense put into track maintenance and construction. Mostly, they are wide and flat, free of obstacles and the gradient is made to be as comfortable as possible.

These relative luxuries, when compared to most other backcountry tracks and facilities, can be the tipping point; motivating someone on the sidelines to give tramping a go.

Carol Stoney and Henry Boyce appreciated the quality of the Heaphy Track. When they did it in their early 60s in 2020, it was their very first tramp and they have been hooked ever since. “When you get to a certain age and have some health and mobility concerns, being able to plan, train for and complete a Great Walk is a huge sense of achievement,” Stoney says in our feature.

Without the incredible Great Walks, it’s likely these three – and many other people – would never have taken up tramping and they would not have experienced nature in such a unique way.

If you’re someone new to tramping, or if you want to introduce friends to the pastime you love, I hope you might find inspiration among the pages of this special issue. As Moreno, Stoney and Boyce prove, it’s never too late to hoist a pack and begin a love affair with the great outdoors. Those that do, invariably come back craving more.