NZ’s 10 BEST family TRIPS
T HING BEA CAN ANYT AI CIRCUIT? I’S POUAK TARANAK
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JANUARY 2016
OUTDOOR
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21 amazing Kiwis inspiring the next generation Explorers, adventurers, conservationists and environmentalists
SKY HIGH ON CHRISTCHURCH’S DOORSTEP Walk the new multiday track on Banks Peninsula
A WEEK IN ABEL TASMAN
The best huts, campsites, beaches and hideaways
PITCH A TENT IN A Ultimate outdoor watch: the Suunto Traverse TRIPS TO
Reviewed: hiking shoes for lightweight summer excursions
HOWLING GALE
THE TARARUAS, MANAWATU, FIORDLAND, WESTLAND, CANTERBURY
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January 2014
contents
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JANUARY 2016 FEATURES
22 The perfect week in Abel Tasman
National Park The best day’s walk, the best swimming hole, the best hut, the best campsite and more
30 NZ’s best family tramps
The child-friendly Pouakai Circuit offers it all: mountains, huts, tarns, waterfalls and bridges
36 Nine other trips great for kids
Including Kaweka Flats Biv, Rangiwahia Hut, Mt Somers Track, Lewis Pass tops
38 Sky high on Christchurch’s doorstep The trail opens a whole new world to Cantabrians
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44 Outdoor heroes
21 amazing Kiwis inspiring future generations to explore, conserve and lead
WAYPOINTS
16 Small gem, bright sparkle Elder Hut, Tararua Forest Park
18 A pristine location
Valley of the Trolls, Mt Aspiring National Park
20 See more
Cableways – the most exciting way to cross a river
44
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YOUR TRIPS, YOUR PIX
What did you get up to last weekend?
Michelle and Maree Dalton tramped the Mingha-Deception Route, Arthur’s Pass NP
Stan Bennetto got wet on the Hillary Trail
Peter, Miriam and Joseph Clark climbed to the Lewis Pass Tops
Raewyn Baillie took in the view from Panekire Hut, Lake Waikaremoana
Harald, Hendrikje and Linda visited the Historic Possumer’s Hut on Mt Grey, Canterbury
Tim Tyler and his daughter Sophie visited the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary in Nelson
Jessica and Andrew Fincham visited Lake Stream Hut in Victoria Forest Park
Nick Moyle and Andy Given climbed Mt Adams in memory of Andy’s father
Jake and Jeana Joines climbed Mt Morris, Mt Richmond Forest Park
Sally Babington and Dorothy Dinesh enjoyed the Lake Waikaremoana Track
SEND YOUR PIX Get your photo published here to receive the Light My Fire ‘Pack-up-Cup’. This compressible 260ml cup keeps drinks warm and protected from dirt and bugs with its tight and secure lid. Just fold it out and fill it up. More details at ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria at wildernessmag.co.nz
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JANUARY 2016
WAYPOINTS
A PRISTINE LOCATION Valley of the Trolls, Mt Aspiring National Park
F
or those looking for a special side trip off the Routeburn Track that offers a pristine environment and an uncrowded location a world away from the busy Great Walk, an overnight stay at Lake Wilson, passing through an area known as the Valley of the Trolls, comes highly recommended. The Valley of the Trolls is reached from Harris Saddle by tracing around the western side of Lake Harris via a goat track.The valley is a fragile swampy area so you’ll need to be careful as you pick your way through the swampy tarns. At the head of the valley, the outlet of Lake Wilson descends as a waterfall down a deep gut in the wall. A variety of unmarked routes provide access to Lake Wilson depending on your experience and the conditions. Whichever route you choose, navigation, route finding skills and a head for heights are required. Gaining the headwall reveals Lake Wilson surrounded by a series of lesser unnamed peaks with Mt Erebus (1978m) to the northeast. Pitching a tent here makes for a magical campsite. Rocks near the lake outlet provide a superb vantage point, offering unrivalled views over the Valley of the Trolls and Lake Harris to the Routeburn Track. - Sarah K Smith
WILD FILE Access From Harris Saddle on the Routeburn Track or via Deadmans Track off the Lower Hollyford Road Grade Moderate Time 8-10hr return from Harris Saddle Map CB09
The Valley of the Trolls and Lake Harris viewed from Lake Wilson
WHY VALLEY OF THE TROLLS?
There’s no official explanation for the name, but DOC’s long time Routeburn Falls hut warden John Dognan thinks it was named by the guided walk company to add more mystery to the Routeburn journey.
Download the map and route notes of this trip at www.wildernessmag.co.nz
N AT I O N A L
PA R K S
A must-do day trip for sea kayakers is to visit Split Apple Rock, just outside the park
THE PERFECT WEEK IN
ABEL TASMAN NATIONAL PARK There’s more to this little park than golden beaches and enticing trails. Ray Salisbury delves into this popular place to share his favourite campsites, trails and hidden gems
A
t only 22,530ha may be New Zealand’s smallest national park, but it is also the busiest. The iconic golden sands, clear water and impressive granite cliffs are a huge drawcard to the thousands who flock there every summer. However, most of the tourist traffic is concentrated between Marahau in the south and Totaranui in the north, leaving the interior relatively free of foot traffic. In winter, you can often have this playground to yourself. While much of the park has been intensely modified – the granite quarried, the timber felled and the bush burned for farming – the mixed broadleaf and podocarp forest is now re-generating, replacing the ubiquitous gorse, tea-tree and wilding pine. Instead of possums, stoats, rats and quail, visitors will soon be sighting saddleback and kakariki, thanks to the efforts of Project Janszoon which is reintroducing native birds to the park following an intensive trapping programme. The Tonga Island Marine Reserve and surrounding ocean is bulging with wildlife, including dolphins, seals, shags and penguins.
‹‹‹ IT’S BETTER BY BOAT
Sea kayaking Free from the restrictions of the track and with the option of carrying more luxuries, kayaking is probably the best way to experience Abel Tasman. Circumnavigate Split Apple Rock; visit the unusual Tonga Arches; surf with the seals; make landfall wherever you wish, and reach remote beaches with no foot access. Facing east, this coast is sheltered and perfectly suited for a multiday voyage. There is a wide range of guided and freedom kayak hire options available from bases in Motueka, Kaiteriteri and Marahau in the south and Tata Beach in the north. A must-do day-trip is to the iconic form of Split Apple Rock – just outside the park boundary, this huge monolith looks like a giant white marble has fallen from the sky and broken into two perfect halves. This landmark is closer to Marahau, but the voyage from Kaiteriteri is less tide-dependent and more adventurous. Allow two hours for the return trip. Make landfall at the golden beach of Towers Bay and enjoy a picnic.
‹‹‹ WALK THE COAST TRACK
3–5 days The well-trodden 54km Great Walk takes between 3-5 days, depending how much of the track you wish to complete. Four commodious huts and 18 campsites help spread the hundreds of hikers and holidaymakers crowded into this corner of the park. The hardened track surface is better suited to light footwear and, being two metres wide in places, it’s nearly impossible to lose your way. A plethora of pristine beaches can be accessed on short side-tracks or by boat. Over the languorous days of high summer, swimming will be high on the agenda and Abel Tasman boasts some of the best beaches in New Zealand. Sheltered from prevailing winds by the hills and granite headlands, there are plenty of places to bathe. The best beaches include Stilwell Bay, Akersten Bay, Anchorage, Bark Bay and the 1.5km stretch of golden sand that is Totaranui. Walkers above Wainui Bay at the northern end of the Coastal Track
HIKE THE HILLS ›››
RAY SALISBURY
Three days When you walk the Coast Track, which is one-way, you need a boat trip back, or a car shuttle. A novel solution is to walk the 41km Inland Track over the mountains back to Marahau. This latter option is your standard tramping trail, taking three days, with two huts en route. While only topping out above the tree-line for occasional views, the Inland Track is a pleasant ramble along the high hills – without the claustrophobia of the crowded Coast Track. Rocky promontories at Porters Rock and Castle Rocks give sea views. The highest summit in the park is Mt Evans – a modest 1156m – making it a rarely-climbed but very achievable side trip on the the Inland Track: you can bag it in a couple of hours from Moa Park Shelter. There is an un-tracked 2.5km route through beech forest to the summit, but it is not particularly difficult. Castle Rocks Hut on the Inland Track
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WILD FAMILIES
LADDERS!
BRIDGES! Tramping with kids is more exciting than you might think, as Ricky French discovers when he takes three children around Egmont National Park’s Pouakai Circuit
Mt Taranaki and Pouakai Tarn
NEW TRAILS
SKY HIGH ON CHRISTCHURCH’S DOORSTEP Walkers are spoilt for choice when it comes to backcountry huts within a few hours’ drive of Christchurch, but a new development on Banks Peninsula aims to get more people exploring the front country on their doorstep, writes Anna Pearson.
DENNIS RADERMACHER
MARK WATSON
OUTD
DOOR THERE ARE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN THE OUTDOORS who make you think ‘I’m glad you’re here’.
They either inspire us to better ourselves, allow us to marvel at their achievements, or amaze us with their apparent selfless commitment to a task that improves our environment and backcountry experience. We’ve scanned the nation to find 20 of New Zealand’s most inspiring outdoor personalities to discover what makes them tick and how they feel about their own achievements.