Inhaltsverzeichnis für March 2020 in Wilderness

THERE’S OFTEN debate about whether tourism opportunities on the West Coast can replace the many good-paying jobs that have been lost in the extractive industries over the years. Perhaps the Paparoa Track Great Walk will provide a definitive answer. As we discover in our story, ‘More than just a track’ (p56), opportunities abound for those catering to the visitors who will go there to experience the new Great Walk. Punakaiki and Blackball, the two towns that bookend the track, are experiencing a kind of renaissance. People are moving to Blackball to open cafés and transport businesses. More people are visiting the towns, supporting existing businesses and strengthening the viability of these new enterprises. Accommodation providers are expanding their footprint to provide for more campers and motorhomes. Some people may never…

Get your photo published here to receive a SOL survival blanket worth $19.80. It weighs only 100g, but will reflect 90% of radiated body heat. Learn more about SOL at e.ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…

IF YOU’RE SEEKING accommodation with million-dollar views for the price of a hot lunch, you can’t go past New Zealand’s hut network. Like hotels of the hills, these adventurous abodes provide roaring fires, breathtaking views and a bed, all without breaking the bank. But hotels they are not. The majority of New Zealand’s huts are unmanned, meaning maintenance and spring cleaning can be sporadic, if it happens at all. A little bit of effort from visitors can make all the difference to the state of huts, DOC ranger Joe Walker says. “Treat the hut as your own, and think about the people who will come in after you,” he says. “If a visitor turns up, and sees the hut is nice, tidy and clean, they tend to respect it a…

GERARD CARRINGTON died aged just 20, but despite his youth, the young mountaineer had already made a substantial impact on the development of outdoor recreation in Canterbury. He is remembered to this day with a peak, hut and canyon in the Waimakariri Valley. From 1919, tramping clubs began to form around New Zealand, and Carrington was part of a group that established Christchurch’s first tramping club in 1925. Initially called the Canterbury Tramping Club, the group soon expanded its range of activities to include mountaineering, and eventually became the Canterbury Mountaineering Club (CMC). Carrington saw the need for shelter in the mountains and proposed a hut near the junction of the Waimakariri and White rivers, which would form a useful base for tramping and climbing trips. In 1926, he and…

HIDDEN AWAY NOT far from Lake Heron is the well-preserved and quaint Double Hut. It’s a nine-kilometre walk from the road end car park and the hut is easy to reach in three hours, which can allow the opportunity to also climb the nearby hills for epic views. Heading from the car park beside Lake Heron, the Swin River Track skirts the lakeshore on a 4WD track and winds around Lake Hill before leading to a flat tussock valley surrounded by mountains. The gradient is almost imperceptible, the track is well marked and is easy going for most hikers. The tussock, while beautiful, doesn’t provide any shelter from the elements so be prepared with your sunscreen or warm clothes as required. Watch for the geckos sunbathing in the dust and…

“WE ARE ALREADY GETTING A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE PAPAROA TRACK. THE BUSINESS IS GOING TO COME.” Even before it opened, the Paparoa Track had star billing as New Zealand’s only purpose-built, dual-use Great Walk: for walking and mountain biking. It’s set in a special landscape; traversing a mountain range of outstanding karst geology, river canyons and dense rainforests, much of it never before penetrated by track. The 55km trail crosses Paparoa National Park from Blackball to Punakaiki. It was officially opened on November 30 last year and is due to fully open in March following realignment due to a major slip on the middle section. Until then, access is only permitted in and out to Pororari or Moonlight Tops Hut. The adjoining 10km Pike 29 Memorial Track will…

It’s probably safe to assume all Wilderness readers wash their bedsheets, but when surveyed, just a third had ever washed their sleeping bag. If left uncared for, oils and sweat from your body can permeate and dampen down, affecting the performance of the bag. Martin Walker, of outdoor retailer Further Faster, says the biggest way to maximise the life of your bag is to keep it stored properly. “Most sleeping bags come with a storage sack, and it’s super important to store your bag in that when you’re not using it so the down can stay lofted,” he says. “I’ve seen people who have stored their down compressed for years, only to pull it out all mildewy and horrible.” When it comes to washing, “it’s not something you need to…

POTATOES might be a bit on the heavy side to carry, but I don’t mind in the slightest when the end result is these hot crispy fries done fresh in the frying pan. The trick is to slice them thinly and make sure you use a large pan or do them in several batches. You can vary what you flavour them with – lemon pepper, chilli flakes and powdered stock are all good options, or go for my favourite: the Kiwi classic of salt with lashings of tomato sauce. PROFILE Prep time 5min Cook time 20min Cost $3-4 Serves 2 sides RECIPE 600g potatoes 5 Tbsp cooking oil (I use olive) Salt to taste Tomato sauce, chutney or mayonnaise to serve METHOD Wash potatoes if needed, but leave the skin…

WEATHER BOMB CLOSES Routeburn indefinitely WITH THE TRACK closed ahead and washed away behind, Dave How had no choice but to hunker down at Mackenzie Hut. He and 10 others had left Routeburn Falls Hut at around 10am on February 3, tramping through torrential rain, lightning and thunder, which rumbled through the valleys. Their rainwear had soaked through, but spirits were high – despite the weather, the hut ranger had said conditions weren’t expected to exceed dangerous levels, and they were enjoying the moody atmosphere. Nobody expected the Routeburn Track would be closed indefinitely from that day. How knew rain was forecast, but its ferocity took everybody by surprise. “When we checked in with DOC at the start of the track to see if we could walk, we…

IF YOU ENJOY landscape photography you’ll know the trick to great images is to be in the right location at the right time. The rightest of times is usually the ‘golden hour’ – that time shortly after dawn and before sunset when the light is at its most spectacular. The right place can mean different things to different people, but ideally, it will involve magnificent scenery. But reaching these kinds of vantage points at sunrise or sunset can sometimes present challenges. Mt Taranaki is a distinctive and beautiful mountain. Perhaps the best vantage point from which to view and photograph it is Fanthams Peak – the secondary volcanic cone (1966m) protruding from the southern flanks of the mountain. From the peak’s southern rim, you can look north, across the desolate…

KEEPING THE RAIN OUT Waterproof shells can be literal lifesavers in the backcountry, yet many trampers go years without giving them a wash – perhaps because it’s easy to maintain the illusion that they’re clean. Fairweather trampers may seldom get them out of their packs, and the occasional sprinkle of rain will keep them sparkling and bright. It’s only under hard use on muddy and overgrown tracks that they’re likely to become dirty. But external grubbiness isn’t going to cause as many problems as what’s going on underneath, says Jane Ellis from Kiwi outdoor company Earth Sea Sky . “The worst thing for any breathable waterproof fabric is contamination on the inside,” Ellis says. Body oils and salt, and chemicals such as sunscreen and bleaches can wreak havoc on your…

A broken tent pole shouldn’t mean a trip home, and most campers likely already have everything they need for a temporary fix. If your tent was sold with a repair sleeve, slide it over the break, and duct tape it into place. If you don’t have a sleeve, use a spare tent peg to splint the broken segment. Wrap duct tape, tie wraps, or a combination of the two around the peg to lock it in place, ensuring any sharp spots are covered by the tape.…

What inspired your journey? The time had arrived in my life to plan and embark on an epic thru-journey. Once I’d settled on the idea, I couldn't put it down. I’d spend every second of free time poring over maps of New Zealand, plotting a fantasy route and conjuring up images of all the places I was going to visit and experience. It wasn’t that I’d chosen an adventure, but rather the adventure had chosen me. How did your fitness change over the trip? I was of average fitness at the start. I ran a bit, cycled a bit and tramped a lot. The first two to four weeks were the toughest, with minor struggles as the body caught up with my plans. Then one day, it just clicked, as…

GRAND PRIZE A FOUR-DAY RABBIT PASS ALPINE TRAVERSE worth $2350 with Aspiring Guides Located in Mt Aspiring National Park, this four-day alpine crossing links two of the region's major river valleys. This spectacular area is surrounded by high glacier-covered peaks, waterfalls and lakes and is home to many rare and endangered species. You will not find a better way to experience the stunning alpine scenery of New Zealand, surrounded by unspoilt forests, alpine meadows, huge waterfalls and alpine lakes. An Aspiring Guides’ professional guide will help you safely explore this remote and seldom-visited area. Find out more at www.aspiringguides.com. SECOND PRIZE A TWO DAY BREWSTER GLACIER TREK worth $1480 with Adventure Consultants The Brewster Glacier Trek is a true alpine trekking adventure in Mt Aspiring National Park. Tucked into the…

YOU WON’T BE ALONE IF YOU’VE never heard of the ‘Apias’. It’s a remote mountain creek that begins as a trickle on the side of Crown Ridge in the northern Ruahine Range, then develops force as it passes through gorges and over waterfalls before finally joining Ikawetea Stream. Apias is apparently an abbreviation for ‘Any port in a storm’ and the moniker was bestowed by someone who escaped from the tops in foul conditions to the relative shelter of the creek. My wife Lisa and I have been stoat trapping in the Apias for seven years. The remoteness of the creek and the quality of its water made it a refuge for whio. But, as with other similar rivers in the Ruahines, prior to the trapping programme, whio numbers were…

CROSSING WHITCOMBE Pass appeals for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a classic Main Divide pass separating the gravel plains of the Rakaia from Westland’s lush temperate rainforests; a journey through such contrasting terrain is simply exhilarating. Secondly, a rich history surrounds the place, like Whitcombe and Lauper’s epic 1863 journey down the wild Whitcombe Valley that ended in tragedy when Whitcombe drowned while crossing the flooded Taramakau River, or the first ascent of the redoubtable Mt Evans led by a young and ambitious Johnny Pascoe. In his book Just where do you think you’ve been?, Paul Powell describes the Whitcombe Valley in an inescapably attractive way: ‘The delusion that travel in Westland was all flowers and fleecy clouds soon ended when the Whitcombe River became a water-misted gorge twisting down between…

IF YOU’RE KEEN enough to venture to Rob Roy Glacier and marvel at the lofty summits at the head of the valley, a little extra planning and preparation could help you reach a vantage point above the glacier. Rob Roy Peak (2644m) is within the grasp of any sure-footed tramper. The most convenient route is not found through the steep imposing wall at the head of the, currently closed, tourist trail to the glacier, but via a side creek and ridgeline gained at the mouth of the Rob Roy Valley. For many years, I thought about, considered briefly, but ultimately ignored, Rob Roy Peak. It was not the fault of the mountain, but the many other distractions in Mt Aspiring National Park and further afield. It did not occur until…

ANKLE HEIGHT A high cuff supports the ankle under heavy loads and over uneven terrain. OUTSOLE A sticky rubber compound with deep, mud-shedding multi-directional lugs to grip all terrain types and provide purchase for launching your next step. Sharp edges bite into loose and slippery surfaces, making it safer to traverse steep tussock slopes. Flexible crampons can be attached. MIDSOLE Most boots have an EVA midsole, with some opting for PU (polyurethane). All have an anatomical three-quarter or full-length shank, or stabiliser, offering a solid, stiff platform for the foot. PU is heavier but more durable, while EVA has greater shock absorbency. A medial post provides stability and prevents twisting. UPPER THICK LEATHER UPPERS WITH FEW SEAMS OFFER SUPPORT AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. THEY MAY REQUIRE EXTRA WEAR-IN TIME, BUT WHEN…