Wilderness

Each issue of Wilderness takes its readers to the most beautiful areas in New Zealand, whether by foot, mountain bike, sea kayak, raft, pony or dream.

TAONGA PEAKS

THE WILDERNESS 100

Wilderness NZ

PIGEON POST

Letter of the month

Your Trips, YOUR PIX • WHAT DID YOU GET UP TO LAST WEEKEND?

Walkshorts

SARAH MAY LITTLE

KEEPING UP WITH DOWN PRICES • Down weighs more in the wallet than it does in the pack, but it’s hard to beat in terms of performance. Matthew Cattin looks into the pricey commodity

See more… HARPER • Visit more places named after this pioneering Canterbury family.

off the radar • Ministry of Words Historic Hut Kahurangi National Park

A cure for the itch • Sandy Bay/Otangawhiti, Northland

The French Connection • Guide Marios Gavalas explores five places where the French first landed

HOT WORK ON NEILL RIDGE • Mt Hector via Neill Ridge, Tararua Forest Park

A PARK FOR ALL SEASONS • Duder Regional Park, Auckland

TAKE THE HIGH ROAD • Cairnmuir Hill Track, Central Otago

ON TOP OF THE WORLD • Avalanche Peak via Scotts Track, Arthur’s Pass National Park

Beyond the Brass Monkey • Exploring the Lewis Pass tops.

A legacy TRAIL • Dave Mitchell rides the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka tracks to the fabled Bridge to Nowhere

2020 WILDERNESS Photo Competition

To SUMMIT or NOT TO summit? • The summit is the goal for many trampers, but increasingly iwi are discouraging people from even climbing some peaks. Greta Yeoman investigates and discovers the discussion around Māori tikanga (protocol) and summits is broader than simply whether one should stand on the peak

Return to THE TRAIL • In 2019, Nikki Slade Robinson had breast cancer and a mastectomy. She explores the challenges for women returning to tramping after breast cancer surgery and seeks advice from survivors who are back in the outdoors

Breast cancer treatment and side effects

EXPERT TIPS

THE INJURIES YOU CAN’T SEE • There’s more to injury recovery than mending bones. Matthew Cattin talks to two climbers about the internal struggles of getting back on track

KNOWING HOW TO HELP

DELUXE TOASTED SANDWICHES

CAPTURE THE FEELS • Tramping in general, and tramping photography in particular, seem to attract people with a certain mindset. We are lovers of extra elbow room, and a mountain shared can feel like a mountain crowded. This reflects in the way we take photos. Shoving a camera in our tramping partner’s face does not come naturally to many of us, which can leave our photography short-changed on emotion.

FIX A PUNCTURED AIR MATTRESS • Inflatable mattresses bring sleeping comfort to the outdoors, but unlike old school foam mats, they’re susceptible to sleep-ruining punctures. Knowing how to fix a leak could be a trip-saver.

Bar-tailed GODWIT • Bar-tailed godwits/kauka spend half their lives in western Alaska and the other half in Australia and New Zealand. Their twice-yearly journeys to each hemisphere are the longest nonstop flights of any non-seabird.

NAVIGATING THROUGH CONFIRMATION BIAS • Trampers tend to notice the geographic features that confirm their location while ignoring the features that confirm they are not where they think they are.

BROKEN in • Wilderness staff and gear reviewers test their kit for you.

FIRST LOOK REVIEWS

DAYPACKS • Alistair Hall reviews two daypacks designed for those who like to move fast and light

2020’s best WET WEATHER JACKETS • This year’s raincoats run the gamut from the ultra-packable, so you never need leave...