WIN MERRELL HIKING BOOTS! 10 PAIRS UP FOR GRABS New Zealand’s magazine of the outdoors since 1991
SEPTEMBER 2015
know more, do more, live more
BETTER THAN THE
GREAT WALKS
Nine stunning alternatives to beat the crowds
74 OUTDOOR BOOTS AND SHOES
EXOTIC TRAILS
THE LATEST FOOTWEAR FOR EVERY ADVENTURE
5 hiking trips unlike anything in New Zealand plus Gorgeous gorges in Australia
TRIP IDEAS IN
Kahurangi, Tongariro, Canterbury high country, Central Otago, Fiordland and the Kaimais
Five days of bliss in Marlborough èTop reader-recommended spots and trails è Running the Kepler at 78 è Your hut etiquette checklist è Prevent blisters on the trail è Sea kayaking the subantarctic islands è
www.wildernessmag.co.nz
NZ $9.95 Aust $9.95 INCL GST
YOUR TRIPS, YOUR PIX
What did you get up to last weekend?
Ben Morrison climbed Mt Ruapehu
George and Lindsay Bellamy visited Barker Hut, Arthur’s Pass National Park
Heather Davidson climbed Mt Anglem on Stewart Island
Kay Taylor and Roger Thomas tramped Mt Bradley, Banks Peninsula
Jindra Kadrman and Misa Polak visited Luxmore Cave on the Kepler Track.
Frozen chairlifts posed no problem for Peter Davies
Tony and Isla Karsten tramped to Lake Sylvester, Kahurangi NP
Puku Dalgarno climbed Mt Thomas, Canterbury
Sue and Brian Fitzpatrick climbed Raglan’s Mt Karioi
Lorraine Cooper checked out conditions on the Kepler 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
10 SEPTEMBER 2015
TRAVEL
NOTHING LIKE NEW ZEALAND GIRLS IN THE GAMMONS
Five multiday trails poles apart from our hallowed turf
Gorge walking in the Gammons
èPADDLING THE SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS
Wildlife galore on New Zealand’s remote southern islands
DANIELLE CURNOW- ANDREASEN
Five days in South Australian desert gorges
WAYPOINTS
THE LAST DAY OF WINTER Nameless peak, Glenthorne Station, Canterbury /
T
ucked away between Mt Ida and Mt Olympus on Glenthorne Station, there’s a valley of sugarloafshaped hills that make for an interesting view for those with a tent to pitch on the tops. After gaining permission from the station owners, I walked past Lake Catherine and along a farm track until reaching The Redoubt with the hill marked Pt1126 at my right. Hopping over the fence, a simple but steep climb up the tussock and scree slopes was rewarded with fantastic views across
EASY
the Harper and Avoca rivers, all the way over to Mt Oakden. Once I made camp, I watched Mt Fitzwilliam, just a few kilometres to the north, cast its shadow like the dial of a giant clock across the vast river valleys. The astonishing panorama on this calm night offered ample opportunities for photography and simply kicking back and enjoying the show. What a treat celebrating the last night of winter and the first morning of spring in the backcountry. - Dennis Radermacher
WILD FILE Access Take Harper Road to Lake Evelyn and then follow the Mt Olympus ski field access road.After 2km turn right again and drive up to the main gate to Lake Catherine where you park your car Grade Easy-moderate Time 2.5hr Map BW20 Further information Permission to climb Pt1126 must be gained from Glenthorne Station, P: 03 318 5028
SHAUN BARNETT/BLACK ROBIN PHOTOGRAPHY
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
R AG L A N
RANGE
Shaun Barnett finds uncommonly good tramping in the Marlborough backcountry
Andy Dennis on a knoll above the Lees Valley
WILD STORES
N I S ’ T W H A NDENTS HAD
H AV E I N D E P E After 18 years, Rob Needs has closed New Plymouth’s Kiwi Outdoors Centre for good
Take a look at the outdoor retailers in your town and one thing will become obvious: independent retailers are struggling. Matthew Pike asks what we lose when these stores disappear and discovers the positive steps some are making to reverse the trend
A
? E R O T S I R D AY ?
THE
sk any independent outdoor retailer what it’s like to run their business and they’ll all tell you one thing – it’s damn hard. It seems the small shop owner is being squeezed from all angles. If it’s not the recession, it’s the retail park moving business from the town centre, or the vertical chain offering huge discounts, or cheaper prices on the internet, or their distributors setting up rival stores. For some, it’s just too damn hard. Napier, Hastings, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Dunedin are just some of the towns across the country to have lost independent outdoor retailers. New Plymouth is the latest casualty, as the Kiwi Outdoors Centre – an institution for 79 years – closed its doors for the last time at the start of August. Rob Needs ran the store for nearly 18 years and says there are a number of reasons why he had to close. “The challenges for us were many and varied,” he says. “The internet, competition from corporate chain stores, small stores selling on TradeMe undercutting our prices with lower overheads, stores only offering price, not service. “The upshot is trade has been declining steadily for five years and it was time to get out before I was pushed out.” Further north, and things have become increasingly taxing for Colin Hancock, who runs Trek ‘n’ Travel in Hamilton. “Things have become harder for independent retailers in general and we’re no exception to the rule. For me, the last five or six years have become extremely difficult.” Hancock says the recent global financial crisis is the main reason for the decline, as it has made people more cautious. “But the chain stores have definitely played their part too,” he adds, “especially the way many of them do business by inflating their prices in order to offer a discount. “The internet is also an issue, but is not as big as everyone says it is. However, it is getting bigger and means more players are taking a slice of the cake.” Two hours north of Hamilton, Auckland’s population is constantly on the up, housing www.wildernessmag.co.nz
35
MARK WATSON
G R E AT WA L K S
There’s no mud but plenty of sand on Te Paki Coastal Track – Northland’s answer to Rakiura’s Great Walk
The great walks to do when you don’t want to do a Great Walk. By Ray Salisbury
I
NINE GREAT WALKS THAT AREN’T ‘GREAT WALKS’
f you’re regularly rubbing shoulders with other trampers, you will hear it. A sort of snobbery from the elite, hardened hiker who ‘has done it all’. You will hear them ridiculing the Great Walks; that the humongous huts ruin the landscape; the prices are too high; the best tramps in Aotearoa are overrun with foreign backpackers. And, while they’ve got an axe to grind, they do have a valid point. Hardcore trampers are often forced to find real wilderness and solace in the more remote backcountry. But is it all so ‘black and white?’ Why are our definitions of ‘front country’ and ‘backcountry’ so polarising? There must be some common ground; some show-stopping, jawdropping wilderness that DOC has not yet over-promoted into a trekker mecca. Tracks that feature stunning scenery, but without the price tag. Here are nine alternatives to the Great Walks. They may be poor cousins, but they are definitely not the ugly sisters.
Te Paki Coastal Track, Northland Poor cousin to: Rakiura Track Stewart Island is infamous for its mud. On the 32km Rakiura Track, boardwalks were built to protect the fragile environment, but are somewhat monotonous. However, the coastal sections of the Great Walk exude that wild, remote vibe of being at the bottom of the world. If you don’t wish to be that remote, a replacement is found at the opposite end of Aotearoa. The 48km Te Paki Coastal Track begins at Spirits Bay, turns south after the lighthouse at Cape Reinga, passes Cape Maria van Diemen onto idyllic beaches to finish at the northern end of Ninety Mile Beach. It boasts a warmer climate, a rugged coastline with spectacular views, and requires the same sort of fitness level. While you must be self-sufficient (there are no DOC huts here) you’ll no doubt have company, as this is where most Te Araroa Trail walkers begin their long journey south
LISA MEAD
Camp at Pt1409 below Mt Tongariro
the Manual trips, skills, health, GEAR
NEW
Giant footwear guide All you need to plan your next boot purchase HUT ETIQUETTE The do’s and don’ts of staying in a hut
WILD CUISINE
Simply perfect pesto
SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE
Stretch your back after a day of pack carrying
EXPLORE HERE 1 Mt Tongariro via Tama Lakes, Tongariro National Park 2 Mt Alford Track, Alford Scenic Reserve, Canterbury 3 Daly’s Clearing Loop Track, Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park 4 Green Lake Hut, Fiordland National Park 5 Hawkdun Range, Oteake Conservation Park
3 1
2 5