Wilderness September 2024

Every walk is a great walk. I've just come back from a trip to Crosbies Hut in the Coromandel Peninsula, which involved terrific amounts of mud. Not Rakiura North West Circuit levels of mud, but enough to make us well and truly sick of the sight and smell of it by the time we reached the hut. But despite that, you can't tell me it's not a great tramp. On the way I spied Table Mountain through a clearing in the bush. That particular ‘mountain’ was the scene of New Zealand's worst tramp (I should know, I did it – see the January 2014 issue). The suffer-fest that walk became is what makes it great (trust me on that, because you definitely do not want to go there). At Crosbies…

AN AORAKI PLAN W I'm writing about Ruataniwha Conservation Park, which seems to be a forgotten reserve among trampers or one that is overlooked by those more keen to explore the highlights of Aoraki Mt Cook National Park. Access is about 10km up the Aoraki Mt Cook Highway from Ōmarama (SH80), at a hard-to-see DOC sign on a steep roadside bank. A path leads through tussock and mānuka with glorious photo opportunities of the Main Divide, Lake Pūkaki and the wider Mackenzie Basin. Easy trails lead into a beech forest remnant with abounding birdlife. Continuing for a couple of hours to an old snow fence and then a low saddle (Ostler Fault), you will find views of the upper Twizel River (known as Duncan Stream) with Baikie Hut down the…

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

WALK SHORTS Te Araroa Trust has teamed up with DOC to develop a trail pass for walkers for the 2024/25 season. The accommodation pass costs $195 and includes access to 71 huts and campsites on conservation land plus a 20 per cent discount on 10 bookable huts. For Te Araroa walkers, it effectively replaces the Backcountry Hut Pass and the use of hut tickets. “Walkers have mentioned it would be easier to have one pass, and we've nearly got that now,” says Te Araroa Trust executive director Matt Claridge. “It ensures that those who aren't inclined to pay are in the minority. With an effective product in place, that behaviour is actively discouraged.” Claridge said the pass needs to be bought at the same time as registration and must be…

The Walk1200km challenge was named ‘Best Walking Event’ at the Golden Foot Walking Awards held at Parliament recently. The challenge also received the Andy Smith Award for exceptional achievement. Smith was the first president of the walking advocacy group, Living Streets Aotearoa. Judges noted that over 6500 people have joined the challenge and cited the health and wellbeing benefits they are enjoying as a result of walking more often. Wilderness editor Alistair Hall accepted the award. “It's great that Walk1200km is becoming more widely recognised. I believe walking is the best form of exercise, and to see so many people join and enjoy the benefits of regular exercise has been a highlight of my walking career.” It's never too late to join Walk1200km. Sign up today and start walking: www.wildernessmag.co.nz/walk1200km…

Aotearoa's 11 Great Walks usually take two to six days each to complete, but one woman is attempting to complete the lot within 11 days. Bridget Johnson, creative arts associate professor and artist by day, has spent the last few years training as an ultrarunner and has completed several 100km races and achieved the fastest recorded time for a route encompassing the Tongariro Northern Circuit and Round the Mountain Track. She has found inspiration in the feats of other ultrarunners, such as Andrew Robinson and Jordan Pratt, who both completed 10 Great Walks in 10 days, and Brooke Thomas, who achieved the fastest known time on Te Araroa. “These athletes have shown it's possible. I'm keen to take the opportunity to push my comfort zone and seek adventure,” says Johnson.…