Wilderness May 2022

APPARENTLY, light pollution is so pervasive these days that one-third of the world’s population can no longer see the Milky Way – a galaxy of 100 thousand million stars. In big cities like Auckland the view of the cosmos is a pale imitation of what can be found in remote places. I’m a bit of an amateur astronomer (in so much as I have a telescope and was a member of the Auckland Astronomical Society for many years), which is why I am particularly excited by the upcoming Matariki public holiday (June 24-26). Anything that raises awareness of the stars and the night sky is good in my book. But Matarki is not just an opportunity to celebrate the night sky; it is a time of remembrance – to remember those who have…

WE ALL BENEFIT FROM ACKNOWLEDGING THE TRUE ‘FIRSTS’ Kia ora Tania Rae for such a heartfelt, gracious and entirely reasonable request that the actual ‘first’ people here, their creation stories and journeys, be acknowledged in the Great Walks hut talks and place names. This is being achieved elsewhere. On the Hollyford Track, for example, Ngāi Tahū- trained guides share stories of the rangatira, Tūtoko, and other ancestors. They also discuss Pākehā history; the colourful Davey Gunn and the tragic settlement of Jamestown. It is telling to read in Rae’s story how place names from his home country anchored the tauiwi / hut warden in our landscape yet evoked disconnection for Tania, born here of Māori descent. Happily, through Treaty settlements and Geographic Board / Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa processes the restoration of…

MĀORI STORIES ENRICH TONGARIRO GREAT WALK After reading ‘There's something missing from the Great Walks’ (April 2022), I’d like to share my experience tramping the Tongariro Northern Circuit. While we loved the range of landscapes, varied terrain and company of fellow trampers in the huts, the highlight for us was the cultural connection facilitated by the DOC rangers. The nightly hut talks were consistent in their respect for the land and for iwi Ngāti Tūwharetoa. The repeated use of the phrase ‘Ko Tongariro te maunga’ (Tongariro is the mountain), reinforced this importance in a poetic way. As someone who loves hearing te reo but has very little capability myself (I have a Māori name but a British passport), I appreciated the importance the rangers placed on speaking it first and then ensuring it was…

MICE IN THE WALLS A howling wind chased me through goblin forest, buffeting scattered rain; my only company along the desolate 4WD road that leads to Waiotauru Hut; a hut described in Jonathan Kennett’s Tararua Adventure guide as a bulldozer shed that is famous for being UG-LY. Kennett is generous. Inside, an old table carved with phallic symbology and two haphazardly-cut pieces of foam stained black with dog paws and fur. The foam bares telltale nibbles that suggest I won’t be spending the night here alone. A lone ruru calls as night falls and the thought of bright headlights and gangs of men wielding axes suddenly enters my head. Don’t be silly. But I look out at the darkening 4WD road waiting for the roar of quad bikes. Almost as I zip up…

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Remutaka Cycle Trail section closed due to slip DOC is still to come up with a plan to reopen a slip-prone coastal section of the Remutaka Cycle Trail. The Wild Coast Track between Wairarapa’s Ocean Beach and Wainuiomata Coast Road was closed in February due to a large landslip 1.5km west of Corner Creek campsite. There were already several washouts along the track due to severe rainfall in December, but the latest slip made the track impassable. DOC said the track would remain closed while it worked with engineers and an earthworks contractor to establish a reopening plan. By late March, a DOC spokesperson said a plan had not yet been made. DOC strongly advised people against clambering over the slip or going along the beach underneath it, as there was a risk of boulders and…