Some Walk1200km participants are using the challenge as an opportunity to practise walking meditation. Focusing on the act of walking rather than the destination can, paradoxically, encourage us to keep going long after we might’ve given up. It’s one of the many benefits of walking meditation, a practice taught by the late Buddhist Zen monk […]
About the author
Leigh Hopkinson
Wilderness deputy editor Leigh Hopkinson spends the weekends in the hills with her whānau and weekdays as a journalist and editor. She has a Graduate Diploma of Journalism from the University of Canterbury. A keen tramper, rock climber and newbie mountaineer, she has written for magazines and newspapers on both sides of the Tasman. She’s originally from the West Coast and now lives in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
The 2026 Wilderness Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition
Otamatapaio Hut, Oteake Conservation Park
Why we’re putting on weight
A lofty location for Brass Monkey
Dirt bike trial on Tongariro Northern Circuit gets approval
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