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

Shocking footage in this Exploresweb article shows a group of hikers running for their lives during a volcanic eruption in Indonesia. They had just reached the rim of Mount Dukono when smoke started to billow toward them.

Government drones caught the terrifying incident on camera earlier this month. The dozen or so hikers can be seen scrambling down the steep sides of Mount Dukano as huge plumes of grey smoke and ash pour out of the top of the crater and roll down the slopes.

Incredibly, everyone escaped to safety and no injuries were reported.

Kiwi cyclist wins gruelling mountain race

Christchurch’s Joe Nation rode to victory in the gruelling 2000km Silk Road Mountain Race, through Kyrgyzstan, in just six days. It was an unsupported race, meaning no crew to restock you along the way and no soliciting help from locals; any assistance must be freely given and unplanned.

Nation told RNZ’s Checkpoint he was very pleased with his victory but was dealing with swelling and soreness. The race was the hardest he had ever done, especially because of the hot temperatures and high altitude.

“It’s just repetitive up and down and up and down and to be honest, most of those passes don’t have too much of a path at the top, so you’re carrying your bike on your back and slipping over and doing all sorts of stuff just to get over it,” he said.

Nation said cyclists tried to be as lightweight as possible, so he slept in a bivvy and in a lightweight sleeping bag. For re-supplying food, the cyclists visited small shops along the way across Kyrgyzstan. Read the full story from the Otago Daily Times.

Tramper drowned trying to rush TA

Petr Čech, a tramper who drowned in the Wairoa River near Nelson last May had put pressure on himself to complete the 3000km trek within three months.

Coroner Heather McKenzie said Čech was last seen by another Te Araroa tramper at Hunters Hut on May 4, 2023. Čech told the tramper that he wanted to reach Tarn Hut that day, and set off on the 24km walk estimated in the trail notes to take 13.5 hours. There had been heavy rain, and the other tramper had changed his plans due to the poor weather.

The NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) considered Čech’s plans to walk to Tarn Hut that day as “overly ambitious, given the multiple river crossings, steep terrain and elevation changes”.

The report detailed how he had already experienced at least two problematic river crossings. He was swept downstream when crossing the Arrow River in Otago and had to be rescued by helicopter after activating his PLB. Čech had also posted on Facebook about crossing a river near Hanmer where he said the water levels were up to his neck. Read the full story from RNZ.

Hiking group gets Whangārei wāhine out of their comfort zone

The idyllic and sometimes challenging hiking trails across Tai Tokerau are serving as the perfect way for Northland women to meet new people and get out of their comfort zones.

Northlander Becky Keen established a hiking group for wāhine in Whangārei and beyond after noticing women on a national hiking Facebook page were looking to connect with others within their regions.

“I just stopped doing what I used to do on the weekends [like] going out until two o’clock in the morning. And to be honest, I just wanted to meet other people in Whangārei who were interested in just getting out into nature and doing some wholesome stuff on the weekend,” she said.

The first hike took place at Mangawhai Cliffs Walk in October last year. Fast-forward to now and Keen has attracted a membership of more than 400 on the page.

Both amateur and experienced hikers are welcome, as are a range of ages and fitness levels, she said. “It’s been really cool actually connecting with people that I probably wouldn’t have connected with in my community otherwise.” Read the full story from the NZ Herald.

The ‘Yosemite of Pakistan:’ epic hiking destination with hardly any tourists

The ‘Yosemite of Pakistan’ receives just 1 per cent of the trekkers who queue up to reach the peaks of Nepal – yet the experience is even more immersive

While Nepal attracts around two million trekkers each year, fewer than 20,000 people come to Pakistan for adventure tourism. When you consider that it has three of the world’s great mountain ranges – Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush – including the second-highest mountain, K2, and five of the 14 “eight-thousanders” (peaks over 8,000 metres), it begs the question, why?

A soup of misperceptions, safety concerns, negative media coverage and no active tourism authority tends to leave Pakistan off the table for many travellers.

However, that could change. Visa fees have just been scrapped for arrivals from 126 countries. Pakistan saw a 115 per cent increase in foreign tourism last year – easier visa applications could help attract more visitors.

Australian Mark Daffey, a seasoned traveller and trekker, exclaims: “It’s unreal; usually the mountains are in front of you like a wall but here, they’re all around us.” Read the full story from iNews.