Tabla de contenidos para April 2023 en Wilderness

EDITORIAL A NEW STUDY has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine recognising the health benefits of a daily walk. The study analysed health data for more than 30 million people, looking for correlations between how much people move and how long and well they live. The conclusion: walking for at least 11 minutes every day could lower your risk of premature death by almost 25 per cent. The walk1200km challenge is designed to get you out walking for 35-45 minutes each day. It's helping people build a habit out of daily exercise. It's one of the most valuable investments you can make in your health and the longevity of your tramping career. So, if you haven't already, isn't it time you signed up? Get moving, head to…

I found correspondent Brian Boyer's letter about the durability of his Hallmark tent (Pigeon Post, January 2023) interesting. My experience matches his. My tent was purchased in Christchurch around 1968. The brand was Rayfor and it was a simple pup tent without a floor. It finally died an honourable death on Thunderbolt in Kaimanawa Forest Park in October 2017 – nearly 50 years old. I had arrived at Thunderbolt (lee side) in strong wind gusts (every 30 seconds) and passing sleet showers. Before retiring, I checked the guy ropes. As I checked, I noticed the front pole wobble and then the nylon split 30cm back from the pole and a metre down each side wall. I kept the tent largely in one piece with a leather thong tied to the…

As a farmer, tramper and one who has lost friends, I wish to add mental health to the current heuristics series (Wild Skills, December 2022 – April 2023), I have attended seminars from Sir John Kirwan where he identifies similarities between the physical and mental conditions when ‘identifying aspects that one can or cannot control’. None of us can control the weather or the flow of a stream. Similarly, life-stream currents can be too swift to negotiate alone. That weight upon one's shoulders, an unyielding burden. Blisters hindering a free pace. We can be focusing on the goal while mist obscures the cliff in front of us. There will be a time when we need to STOP! and reassess the situation. Take the bridge from despair to delight and seek…

#microchallenge13: Visit a lake FURTHER FASTER $100 VOUCHER Rosanna Rov had a refreshing dip in Crucible Lake while doing the Gillespie Pass circuit. “It was absolutely gorgeous,” she said. Lizzy de Zeeuw and her 8-year-old son climbed Mt Ruapehu to visit Crater Lake. Irene Adderley did the Hooker Valley Walk at Aoraki / Mt Cook to the Hooker Glacier terminal lake. “Being Glacier fed, only the toes took a dip!” #microchallenge14: Be a tidy Kiwi LOWE ALPINE AIRZONE 30 (WORTH $299.95) WINNER! Charlie Baxter went above and beyond to collect 180kg of rubbish along a 5km stretch of rural road. “Thanks for the motivation for the cleanup, it was a sombre study of human behaviour but a satisfying way to earn a shower,” Charlie said. Karen Wallace has made a…

Wilderness WALK 1200km 15km THE JOURNEY to Bald Range comes in two distinct steps. Most of the elevation gain is through native bush, achieved by using the access track to Carroll Hut and Kelly Saddle. From there, the adventure across tussock-covered tops begins in earnest and you need to choose your own route. The track to Kelly Saddle is a traditional all-out bush climb across slippery roots, peppered with the occasional tall step. After 90min of relentless scrambling, the bushline falls behind and Carroll Hut is reached. Just before arriving at the hut, the track clings to the side of a steep, overgrown slope that meanders its way towards the plateau below Kelly Saddle. The way in which the track winds its way around the mountain is a highlight of…

OFF the BEATEN TRACK Wilderness WALK 1200km 45km The warning on the trip report seemed dire: ‘Don't do this trip unless you will have good weather for all of it! And you are fit! And you can use a map and compass properly.’ Even Geoff Spearpoint, the doyen of New Zealand tramping guidebook authors, wrote: ‘this country is difficult by nature’. The Zit and Lathrop saddles’ circuit starts behind Lake Kaniere, inland from Hokitika. My partner Paul and brother Sam, my two favourite tramping companions, joined me for this trip. There are about 140 huts in the mountains between Haast and Karamea. Most were built in the mid-twentieth century for deer cullers. In the early 2000s, DOC struggled to maintain this large infrastructure and the huts’ existence was threatened. A…

Your cellphone is a powerful navigation and route planning device, with accurate GPS and, with the right app, detailed maps that can be used offline. Paper maps are still essential, but a good mapping app can provide accurate location, map reading and route planning as well as a recording of your progress. These four popular premium apps, each with slightly different capabilities, can help you plan your next trip. OSMAPS $55 ANNUALLY / IOS AND ANDROID Maps: OSMaps provides three different map types: Standard (Open Street Maps), Premium Topo (LINZ Topo50 maps) and aerial imagery. The Premium Topo maps can be downloaded for offline use. However, map data is also cached as you scroll around the maps. Maps render and scroll smoothly once loaded, but the Standard map is quite…

An insulated three-season air chamber mat using Thermolite insulation and a heat-reflective, warmth-trapping film. There's I-Beam construction for stability and comfort, recycled ripstop fabric, high-volume dual valve and an inflation sack. Packed 11×22cm Dimensions 51×168cm, 9cm thick R-value 4 Weight 624g. www.gearshop.co.nz A self-inflating mattress with a continuous layer of StrataCore thermal foam nestled between alternating ridges of air to provide warmth-to-weight value. WingLock valve for quick inflation/ deflation. Packed 17×28cm Dimensions 51×183cm, 5cm thick R-Value 3.8 Weight 630g. www.ampro.co.nz This is claimed to be the lightest insulated air mattress available. It packs compactly and has a Triangular Core Matrix construction that utilises two stacked layers of triangular baffles which create a stable surface and minimise heat loss. There's a WingLock valve for quick inflation/deflation and a pump sack. Packed…

What motivated you to write this memoir? It was my way of trying to make sense of my experience. It's been valuable – once you start writing things down you can see a progression. ‘Writing is therapy’, as they say. I'm feeling more perky about things and getting on with other stuff. And physically speaking, how did you write it? I can type – I have about 70 per cent on one arm and some movement in the other, so I'm a one-finger typist. But that's all I ever was! If I'm writing more than a paragraph or two I'll use the voice recognition software on my phone and then I edit using my keyboard. Your recollections of your adventures seem extremely vivid. I had been writing for a while…

PLEASE PAY YOUR HUT FEES Recently we drove to and stayed at Sedgemere Sleepout, a standard hut in Molesworth Recreation Reserve. Although we had our tent and gear the night was very cold and so we settled in the hut for the evening. It was an unexpected stay and we had not bought a hut ticket. At the toll gate, we were advised against leaving money in the honesty box because of robberies. That night two DOC rangers arrived and slept in the ranger's quarters. Next morning, we chatted to Paul and John, who were doing hut inspections. I can't remember how many huts Paul said there were, but the blue hut icons covered a fair portion of the map. The safety checklist was long and included, Paul said, “Sticking…

I don't mind which term is popular – hiking or tramping (‘The World Outdoors’, January 24) – as I enjoy doing both activities. It's when you turn to the maps on DOC's website that the meanings of walking, tramping, hiking, and tracks, trails and ‘track sections’ are important because they inform users about the quality of the path and how serious the undertaking is. But what's caught me out is ‘Track Sections’. They are boldly marked and coloured in purple on DOC maps, which suggests to me that they are accessible and well-maintained. However, when I drove to Mātaitai Forest in Auckland to enjoy a day walk, I discovered from the land owner at the start of the ‘track sections’ that they had been closed for years. What a waste…

Get your photo published here to receive a meal from Real Meals worth $17. Learn more about Real Meals at www.realmeals.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz.…

Complete the crossword and rearrange the letters in the blue squares to spell out the hidden solution. Send your answer, name and address, by April 19, to: wildernessword@lifestylepublishing.co.nz. All correct entries go in the draw to win one of five Light My Fire Sporks. Across Southern__ – old NZ outdoor adventure race (8) Thicknessofsleepingbaginsulation (4) NZbirdalsoknownas swamphen (6) Spikesdrivenintoiceor rock to hold climbers’ ropes (6) Makesdetourfromestablishedtrack (8) Range in Nelson Lakes National Park (4) Myrtlerustisthissort of plant disease (6) Noxiousalgalgrowthfoundin NZ waterways (6) Knowinghowtotiesecure one is useful outdoor skill (4) Personwhopreferstoenjoy outdoors while naked (8) Greenstoneand___ Tracks – South Island tramping circuit (6) Wildernessmagazineboss(6) Naturesplantpollinators(4) Protectedoutdoorsanctuaries8) Down PopularSouthIslandtrampingtrack (9) _ platform – vantage point from which…

WAYPOINTS CUSHION PLANT is a generic term for several species of tightly growing, ground-hugging plants that occupy many mountain areas. The plants’ prostrate nature and tight-packed leaves shelter their interior and help them survive harsh winters. They often have woolly leaves, which additionally help fend off the cold. According to foremost alpine botanist Alan Mark, at least 18 genera of New Zealand plants have adapted a cushion form. The most familiar to trampers is the widespread vegetable sheep of the Raoulia and Haastia genera, which can grow to considerable sheep-sized mounds. Less obvious cushion plants require closer observation to recognise. One of my favourites is Donatia novae-zelandiae, which has tiny star-shaped flowers – almost a miniature galaxy in one plant. It likes wetter areas, and is often seen on the…

Wilderness WALK 1200km 13.6km MT SUNDAY is one of twin peaks in the eastern reach of the Richmond Range. At 1310m it's just high enough to poke above the bushline, as is its twin, Mt Riley (1311m). Between the two is some of the most exquisite stunted forest; beech in most places but also a stand of twisted lancewood tree daisy, its pale flaking, papery bark a contrast to the mossy, lichen-covered beech trunks. While trampers can traverse the twin summits in one day on a convenient loop track, the small two-bunk Mt Sunday Biv offers the possibility of an overnight trip. The circuit starts from Davies Road, a short drive from the Onamalutu (Onemahuta) Reserve campsite. From the car park, the track runs through plantation forest to a signposted…

This extra wide, long and thick pad has raised V-chambers creating support at key pressure points and side rails to prevent roll-off. Deep reservoirs between the V chambers maximise sleeping bag loft and warmth. A slight taper at the foot trims weight. Packed 18×23cm Dimensions 69×198cm, 9cm thick R-value 1.5 Weight 590g. www.outfitters.net.nz A compact and durable mattress that packs away accordion-style. It features heat-trapping dimples with a reflective ThermaCapture coating to capture radiant heat. Packed 13×14×51cm Dimensions 51×183cm, 2cm thick R-Value 2 Weight 410g. www.ampro.co.nz A light and fast-to-inflate summer-use air mattress that packs to the size of a water bottle. It has baffle construction to better support a user's weight and is DWR coated for water-resistance. Packed 10×19cm Dimensions 55×185cm, 5.5cm thick R-value 1.2 Weight 460g. www.kathmandu.co.nz…

I love the way Wilderness gives our family great ideas for day hikes in this beautiful country. We've had some fantastic experiences. But one hike from the June 2022 issue has been out of reach due to access issues. It's the Mid Dome trip in Southland, which requires trampers to cross a farm en route to conservation land around the peak. When we approached the farm manager in June, he demanded to know how we had obtained his number. (We had tracked him down through the corporation he works for.) He denied us access at that time and suggested we do the hike in summer. In January the property manager denied us access again, after another respectful request. Have other readers encountered similar difficulties? – Access over private land can…

I am amazed at the range and styles of boots, of manufacturers, the multitude of colours, soles, lacing arrangements and materials across brands. A friend has expensive German-made boots: synthetic material, mid-height. In less than a year, the sole is peeling and the fabric has failed where the foot bends. I've seen boots lined up outside huts and seven out of ten have the inner heel torn and worn through. Are these failures part of boot manufacturers’ planned product obsolescence? Currently, I tramp in a pair of Grisport boots. Very comfortable, wide fitting, Vibram sole and sub-$300. They're not perfect, but for the price I can tolerate a few foibles. They are more comfortable than a pair of $600 boots I once owned and less comfortable than a pair of…

Heretaunga and Gisborne tramping club members have swapped walking poles for buckets and spades as they helped clean up following the devastation left by Cyclone Gabrielle. Club members have been working in businesses and private houses. “We've been at a nursery near Napier, which provides much of the native plants for revegetation projects in Hawke's Bay. We were gumboot-deep in mud righting upside-down plant trays so they could be sprayed with water to remove the heavy silt. It was hard muddy work,” said Heretaunga Tramping Club secretary Glenda Hooper. Most of the club's favourite tramping areas had road closures and bridges missing, she said. “I don't think we will be able to get to the central and northern Kāweka Forest Park for a long time as a number of bridges…

OUR THANKS GO TO SPONSOR PANASONIC NEW ZEALAND WHICH HAS SUPPLIED THE INCREDIBLE LUMIX CAMERA PRIZES TO THE WINNING PHOTOGRAPHERS. HERE'S A SELECTION OF FINALISTS OUT THERE WINNER A FIORDLAND SWIMMING HOLE Photographer: NECO WIERINGA Neco's photo shows an idyllic scene somewhere in Fiordland – who wouldn't enjoy stumbling upon a swimming hole like this – as Neco says: “The best thing about hiking? Finding all the stunning swimming spots along the way.” When the result is a photo like this, we couldn't agree more. Judges’ comments Alistair Hall: Million-dollar views don't come better then this I like how Neco omposed the image – the perfect valley framing and giving the feeling that I'm sitting on the edge of these two. And boy, do I want to go there. Shaun…

These three fun #microchallenges will help you better appreciate your surroundings and have fun on your walks. Our favourite nine #microchallenge completers receive a Walk1200km badge. The best entry of each challenge receives a prize from our partners. #microchallenge19: Become a one percenter! We've been doing the challenge for a few months now, so let's put that improved fitness and mental toughness to the test and do a walk of at least 12km – one per cent of the challenge! – in one day. Be sure to describe where you went and how this walk compared to your usual walks. Include proof (e.g. a screen grab of your walking app) and a photo of you at completion! Thanks Curtis Stallworthy for this idea #microchallenge19 Partner prize: Lowe Alpine Aeon 35…

Lowe Alpine Manaslu 55:70 $699.95 A lower-volume pack for carrying heavy loads on long-distance trips. Forward pull hip belt, extendable lid, daisy chain lash points, front/lower entry, front stash pocket, mesh side pockets, and pole and axe attachments. 2340g. www.outfitters.net.nz MSR WindBurner Personal $449.99 This stove has a windproof radiant burner with a pressure regulator for consistent performance. All components nest inside the 1l pot for easy packing. 433g. www.ampro.co.nz Marmot Tungsten UL 2 $949 A spacious freestanding tent with pre-bent poles to create vertical walls, quick-pitch clips, colour-coded poles and fly, two entrances and vestibules, seam-sealed fly with vents, lampshade pocket. 2.8m2. 1226g. www.marmotnz.co.nz Merrell Moab 3 $259 Soft pigskin and mesh upper, supportive insole, cushioned midsole, nylon arch shank for support, a shock-absorbing heel cushion and Vibram outsole.…

This latest XTherm is warmer and 20 per cent thicker than previous models. Instead of insulation, it uses a patented reflective barrier technology which enables four-season warmth without added weight or bulk. There's a WingLock valve for quick inflation/deflation and a pump sack. Packed 11×23cm Dimensions 51×183cm, 7.62cm thick R-Value 7.3 Weight 439g. www.ampro.co.nz A three-four season air chamber mat with two layers of heat-reflective film for lightweight insulation. It's made from recycled nylon with O-Beam internal construction that minimises weight and provides stability and comfort. There's a single-port dual-function valve and an inflation sack. Packed 10×20cm Dimensions 51×183cm, 9cm thick R-value 4.3 Weight 397g. www.gearshop.co.nz This is a year-round rectangular camping mattress with reflective heat-trapping ThermaCapture technology. Its Triangular Core Matrix construction minimises convective heat loss and is five-times…