The New Zealand Site

Enjoy but don’t underestimate.

New Zealand is a great place for tramping – there’s an excellent network of huts, hundreds of kilometres of tracks, a wild variety of heart-rendingly beautiful scenery, no snakes or dangerous animals, hardly any creepy-crawlies to speak of and the locals are friendly (although car theft from trackheads remains an issue).

However, NZ is a small landmass in a vast ocean and in the path of the circum-polar wind tunnel that moves the weather systems around this part of the globe, so our weather can be extremely changeable. At almost any time of year, a southerly wind change can drop the temperature in the bush by 5 to 10 degrees within an hour. Rivers and streams, especially on the west coast, rise quickly after heavy rain.

People die every year in the New Zealand bush – don’t let it be you. Know your capabilities. Know where you’re going (and tell someone else like the local DOC office). Give yourself a safety margin (basic survival gear, extra food, maybe a cellphone or mountain radio). Check the conditions with the local DOC office (Department of Conservation) and enjoy.

We endeavour to get away tramping a couple of times a year. Because we live in Auckland, we haven’t been down to the South Island much, though we hope to do so again soon. The Waitakere Ranges to the west of Auckland have some excellent bushwalking and camping opportunities. If you’re in Auckland, you should check them out.

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