Letter of the month

Wilderness inspiration for young and old

I recently caught my 14-year-old daughter Sophie reading old issues of Wilderness. I wrote to the magazine in December 2015 about getting inspiration for family tramping and Sophie was four when she did her first tramp, to Peach Cove Hut. Twenty-nine tramps later, she has done the Rees–Dart, Hollyford and St James in addition to several Great Walks. This year, she has started her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, and for her recent birthday she chose tramping and we took her and four friends to Pinnacles Hut in Coromandel Forest Park. It was the first tramp for a couple of them so hopefully she is passing on the tramping bug. She has dreams of us doing the Dusky Track next summer, although we might leave that till her 11-year-old brother has slightly longer legs! In the meantime, we are making plans for a South Island trip for some new challenges.

– Jane de Ville

Jane receives an Italian, hand-made Old Bear Classical knife worth $80 from www.ampro.co.nz. Readers, send your letter to the editor for a chance to win.

Retail therapy 

When I first read the story ‘Gateway to adventure’ (November 2024) about Emily Russell and the all-woman team at Nelson’s MD Outdoors, I made a note to visit the next time I was in New      Zealand.

Six months later I was about to embark on the Abel Tasman Coast Track and spent a couple of days in Nelson beforehand. Without hesitation my husband and I headed to MD Outdoors to get some last-minute gear for the trip.

We entered the shop to a staff member greeting us with, “hello, sweetie”. Wow! What a wonderful way to start the day and our adventure on the Abel Tasman Great Walk.

Thank you Wilderness – or should that be thank you, sweetie?

– Kath Brain, Melbourne

MD Outdoors is now a WildCard partner, so subscribers can get a great discount when they shop there.

Greenstone–Caples Circuit recommended

We tramped the four-day Greenstone–Caples Circuit over Otago anniversary weekend. The huts were fabulous and full of people enjoying the area. We enjoyed the diversity of trampers and routes – TA hikers, families and people connecting onto the Routeburn. The track is in great condition and traverses varied terrain over classic river flats and through beech forest, and the bird life is excellent. The weather was favourable, with a small amount of rain that cleared just as we got to McKellar Saddle. It was logistically a very easy trip as it is a complete circuit with the first and last days short enough to allow for travelling. Highly recommended.

-Judith Bateup

Our routes, your trips

I recently walked the Lagoon Saddle tarns trip recommended in Wilderness (Jan/Feb 2025).

It was my niece Libby Walker’s first wilderness camping trip, and we loved watching the moon rise from our spot near the tarns. It was fun taking the fairy lights to make sure the tent was comforting while stags roared all around. 

– Richard Hayman

Richard receives a meal from Real Meals. Readers, when you do a trip that has been published in Wilderness, let us know to receive your prize, too.

Timaru River Track alternative

Should tracks be upgraded to meet walkers’ expectations, or should walkers adjust their expectations to fit the track? ‘Te Araroa’s Most Treacherous Track’ (June 2025) brought this dichotomy into focus.

There are plenty of tracks around the country which could be described as ‘treacherous’, ‘scary’ or ‘one-slip-and-you’re-dead’, and yet most of us simply accept that these tracks are for experienced (or brave) trampers. There have been many fatalities on backcountry tracks, including some on Te Araroa, but rarely is it deemed that the track is at fault.

I have been through the lower Timaru River and tributaries (although not the section of track referred to in the article) and agree with Mark Woods’ opinion that the crumbly geography makes upgrading the track almost pointless as the sides of the valley are constantly eroding. It is a rugged area – seldom visited until Te Araroa was routed through.

A quick glance at the map shows a possible, although much longer, ‘safe’ route along the tops between Top Timaru Hut and Pakituhi Hut. Indeed, Moir’s Guide South mentions ‘If Timaru River is high, it is possible to climb above the bushline and pick up a 4WD track on the range between Timaru River and Breast Creek.’ 

Possibly Te Araroa Trust could highlight an alternative route without making it officially part of the trail?

Maybe the problem is not so much with the track as with walkers’ expectations of finding a well-worn and well-defined trail along the whole of Te Araroa, such as one would find on decades-old thru-hikes like the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail. Maybe the Timaru River track is fine as it is and should simply retain the classic ‘experienced trampers only’ warning.

– Heather Jenke