WALK1200KM

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Off the Beaten Track

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Looking down Pinnacle Spur from Pt1470 to distant Blue Range, with Bannister top left. Photo: Peter Laurenson

Bannister, Tararua Forest Park

Wellington Hikes

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Peter Laurenson

A tramper, occasional climber, photographer, editor and writer, Peter has been adventuring for more than 30 years.

By Peter Laurenson

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July/August 2026

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Peter Laurenson

A tramper, occasional climber, photographer, editor and writer, Peter has been adventuring for more than 30 years.

By Peter Laurenson

Bannister is one of our 75 Top Trampers’ Peaks. View all peaks in the list. Charles Bannister was the first professional guide to escort climbing parties to the summit of Mt Holdsworth from about 1889. He grew up exploring the Tararua Range and was involved in establishing Mt Holdsworth Track, about which he wrote a guidebook. […]

About the author

Peter Laurenson

Peter is a tramper, occasional climber, photographer, editor and writer. His adventures, spanning 30+ years, come together on his website ‘OccasionalClimber’. Richmond-based, Peter is editor of FMC’s Backcountry and has published three books: Occasional Climber (2013) and Khumbu (2021) and Aotearoa Light (2025).