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

Track builders have been given the go ahead to build the 35km Kawarau Gorge Trail, a cycleway that will link the Dunstan Trail with the Gibbston Valley and Queenstown’s cycle network.

It means the planned trail from Queenstown all the way through to Dunedin – which would be the longest contiguous cycle trail in the Southern Hemisphere – is a step nearer.

Funding for this leg of the project has been in place since 2018, and consent had already been given, but an objection was taken to the Environment Court and an agreement has now been reached.

Building a trail along the unforgiving terrain in the Kawarau Gorge will be tricky, but according to Central Otago Queenstown Trails Network Trust executive trustee Janeen Wood, the hardest bit has already been achieved.

“This funding has been in place since 2018. So what’s been embarrassing is questions from Treasury wanting to know when is the project ready to go, but it’s been held up with the bureaucracy of bits and pieces and consenting. But we’re through that now so that’s really good.” Read more at RNZ. 

Great news for Coromandel walkers and cyclists

A pedestrian suspension bridge is to be built, linking the popular towns of Pauanui and Tairua on the eastern side of the peninsula.

In addition, it’s hoped the 6.4km Tairua River Trail will be extended to 15km for walkers and cyclists. The plans are to link it with a Tairua-Pauanui ferry service.

The new additions to the trail are set to cost $5 million, and Te Hikuai District Trust are hoping to get most of that money through fundraising, rather than from the council. Read more at Stuff. 

Drivers ignored ‘critically endangered bird’ signs on Crate Day

Around 70 4WDs gathered at Ashley River in Canterbury for the annual Crate Day (celebrating the first Saturday of the summer). They ignored signs warning that the river was home to endangered species such as the black-fronted tern and the banded dotterel, whose nests and eggs could be destroyed by such activity.

However, the department felt it was unsafe for them to approach those in the vehicles, after they were met with aggression last year.

“Our staff definitely would have liked to be on the river, but it was our choice to not put staff on because we were concerned for the staff’s safety,” said DOC’s Sandy Wong. “It is quite a threatening situation when you’ve got lots people with vehicles, intoxicated.” Read more at Stuff. 

Tramper crawls for two hours with broken ankle

In the UK a tramper who was scrambling up a Welsh mountain fell when a rock came loose and landed on his ankle.

His ankle was broken and, when he called for help, he discovered the helicopter was being used for a more urgent call.

Instead, the mountain rescue team set up a hand line and rope, then helped the tramper climb for two hours to safer ground. They were then able to stretcher him down to a hotel.

In total the rescue took 14 hours and Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue described it as “probably our longest job of the year”. Read more at LBC. 

“I survived two weeks on half a jar of salsa”

In another remarkable survival story, a man was found by two campers after being stuck in the forest for two weeks.

The campers heard him screaming for help and found him unable to walk with swollen and infected feet. He told them he’d been lost for a fortnight and had only eaten half a jar of salsa in that time.

The man has since been flown to hospital, where he’s recovering and has offered to take his rescuers out to dinner! Read more at Backpacker.