Wilderness February 2021

WE ALL WAIT with bated breath to see what the coming year has in store. Can we reopen our borders, relax quarantine measures and will the rest of the world be able to use vaccinations to bring Covid-19 under control? The general feeling among my friends and colleagues is that 2021 will be much like 2020, except without the lockdowns. Overseas travel will be limited, but we’ll have unrestricted opportunity to travel New Zealand and explore the regions and wilderness areas in relative peace – a bit like some of our recent Last Weekend photo submitters have been able to do (see Paul Halkett’s image of a deserted Tongariro Alpine Crossing on p9). 2021 will be a real chance to see more of New Zealand. That’s an exciting prospect, but…

WE ALL WAIT with bated breath to see what the coming year has in store. Can we reopen our borders, relax quarantine measures and will the rest of the world be able to use vaccinations to bring Covid-19 under control? The general feeling among my friends and colleagues is that 2021 will be much like 2020, except without the lockdowns. Overseas travel will be limited, but we’ll have unrestricted opportunity to travel New Zealand and explore the regions and wilderness areas in relative peace – a bit like some of our recent Last Weekend photo submitters have been able to do (see Paul Halkett’s image of a deserted Tongariro Alpine Crossing on p9). 2021 will be a real chance to see more of New Zealand. That’s an exciting prospect, but I am mindful…

POOR RUNNING ILLUSTRATION It was good to see some advertising for trail running shoes (‘2021 Trail running shoes’, January 2021) as New Zealand is such a great place for trail running. It was a bit disappointing, however, that the accompanying photo was not that of a trail runner, nor even a runner wearing trail shoes. In fact, I would even go so far as to suggest that no self-respecting trail-runner would head to the hills dressed in the gear the model was wearing. New Zealand’s terrain, being as it is, would also mean many of us would not only dress appropriately but also carry water, a hat and maybe a phone or whistle just in case. There was no sign of any of that in the picture chosen for the gear guide. -…

POOR RUNNING ILLUSTRATION It was good to see some advertising for trail running shoes (‘2021 Trail running shoes’, January 2021) as New Zealand is such a great place for trail running. It was a bit disappointing, however, that the accompanying photo was not that of a trail runner, nor even a runner wearing trail shoes. In fact, I would even go so far as to suggest that no self-respecting trail-runner would head to the hills dressed in the gear the model was wearing. New Zealand’s terrain, being as it is, would also mean many of us would not only dress appropriately but also carry water, a hat and maybe a phone or whistle just in case. There was no sign of any of that in the picture chosen for the…

Having recently completed an extremely enjoyable tramp along the Milford Track with a group of nine work colleagues and their partners, I felt it would be rude not to share much of the credit for the trip’s success with Wilderness. It all started with Maddy Bellcroft’s great ‘Veggie fried noodles’ (Wild Cuisine, December 2020) on the first night. We sexed it up a bit with seven different vegetables and a kilogram of stir fried porterhouse steak (once the vegetarians had taken their share) and it went down a treat and may have initiated hut envy. Between courses that night, I split our group into pairs and gave them the Great Walks Quiz (from the Wilderness Daily email of October 22). The ultimate hut ice-breaker! Within minutes, almost all the 40 inhabitants of…

Get your photo published here to receive a $30 Silva Pocket Thermo Compass for accurate wayfinding and temperature-sussing. Learn more about Silva at e.ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…