🏔️#51 - 💯, Plane Rules For Hikers, Close Calls, 100 Aircraft Landings/Day, & More.

And we are back with the 51st NZ Hiking Newsletter, sent every Friday (it might be Saturday technically, but it’s a (long) Friday night for me as I send this). Alright, I fell asleep so Saturday this week.

I'll let you know what’s going on in the hiking scene in New Zealand, along with other related bits and pieces I find interesting.

I hadn’t posted in the Tramping in New Zealand Facebook group for a while (on the 1st of each month you can ‘advertise’) about the newsletter.

Wowser. As someone who isn’t big on self promo, the response was rather good. Chur.

And now there are 100 more subscribers to this thing. Hopefully, there’s fewer than that unsubscribing this week due to a substandard issue. Three strikes is the rule, right?

Alright, let’s get into it.

🛟 A Close Call + Yay Insurance

A couple of weeks ago Maeve Kelly posted about her trip going sour and the need to use their PLB for a rescue halfway up Taipoiti River Gorge (Arthurs Pass National Park) as both weather and body conditions were deteriorating. It seems like it was the right call.

And it’s awesome to read an update from Maeve that some of the gear they had to leave behind was retrieved by a Duke of Ed group from Roncalli College, 10+ days later. Who then did the right thing and contacted the owners.

There’s still a few items they’re missing, so if you’re in the Arthur’s Pass area…keep a look out at Carrington Hut and the gorge.

She doesn’t mention how many were in the party, but they were all able to claim insurance (except one) which was interesting. Insurance is a complicated game, but keep that in the back of your mind if you ever need to get rescued and you need to leave your gear below.

That reminds me we still haven’t learned how the November fire in Tongariro National Park started.

✈️ FMC Advocating Up A Storm (One Surprised Me)

The Federated Mountain Club releases a monthly newsletter that often has some interesting bits and bobs. This month their advocacy work jumped out. The first one I’ll mention is something that could easily slide under the radar and impact a good chunk of the next 10 years. They:

• submitted feedback on DOC proposed aircraft landing concessions Westland Tai Poutini National Park. This document covers much of it…11 operators want concessions to land aircraft in Westland Tai Poutini National Park, with one wanting to land 100 times a day. Are DOC going to take the money or the bag conservation? Could Franz Josef one day be nicknamed Faecal Glacier?

• advocated for the withdrawal of the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill

• asked to be able to comment on the Fast-track Waitaha Hydro Scheme

• secured access to Riversdale Flat via Hawdon Flats Scenic Reserve (Arthurs Pass)

• made sure it’s known DOC hasn’t made a call on reclassifying the 2.7 million hectares of stewardship land (which was supposed to happen in mid-2025)

✈️ Hiking Gear On The Plane

With the summer holidays coming up, you might well be hopping on a plane to your next hiking destination. One of the popular US hiking YouTubers posted a video on how she travels with her tramping gear.

She’s more of an expert than me. So far my Kiwi Ultralight Pack has survived plenty of flights without straps getting snagged/cut …touchwood. But I probably should use a totem of some sort.

You can get totems from the likes of Macpac that are rather expensive, so one of those famous blue IKEA bags works a treat.

What goes on the plane with you:

• anything with a battery (headlamp, PLB, power banks, lantern)

• water filter (you don’t want it to freeze)

What goes in checked luggage:

• Pocketknife (and other knives)

• Hiking poles (this always causes debate)

• Trowel (serated edges)

What doesn’t go on the plane:

• Iso-butane gas cannisters - considered illegal (used for pretty much all stoves)

🎧 Podcast Recommendations

I got through a few podcasts this week:

• Kemi & Niko - Creativity in Corrugated Iron (That Tramping Life)

  • These are two creative people making cool art. If you’ve got kids and are in the Wellington area, check out their Urban Huts website. It’ll keep the kids (and you) happy. We

• An 18-Day Missing Through Nelson Lakes, Kahurangi and Abel Tasman with the National Park Trifecta (Aotearoa Adventures)

  • I wasn’t as cool as this crew at their age. Great stuff.

I haven’t watched this yet, but the National Park Trifecta also made a video:

😹 Hiking (not so) Funny

Maybe FMC should just send this as their advocacy about aircraft landings in Westland Tai Poutini National Park

🗒️ Other Track News Etc.

• Sadly, a 66-year-old Irish lad died while hiking the Te Araroa. That was just having one of his best days on the trail. Details here.

• The search for a lad missing from a walk near Te Aroha (Waikato) continues. There’s been no sightings since November 13th. Details here.

• If you’re based in Otago and know your way around a sewing machine, Luke from Southern Lite Packs is considering hiring extra help. Read more, and get in touch here. I enjoy seeing the packs he’s making.

• Some interesting discussion on headlamps with batteries vs rechargeable. Reddit thread here.

• Pattie Gonia is hiking 100 miles in drag to raise $1,000,000 for 8 non profits. 70ish miles in and well on the way. More details

• Parking charges start in a few DOC sites soon. But they seem nothing compared to the price changes coming to some US National Parks. Read more here.

• It may not work, but at least someone is trying to make our plastic waste more environmentally friendly. Read more here.

🧔‍♂️ What I've Been Up To...

I stayed local last weekend and went out on the trails in Arrowtown (there are so many trails you can connect making hundreds of routes possible) and also made it to the Ben Lomond summit for the first time this summer. I’ve not seen that many people at the summit before.

I remember when they installed the toilet up near the Ben Lomond Saddle in early 2023. I thought it seemed like a bit of a silly idea…I’d never seen any poo on what was apparently called ‘Faecal Peak’ (yes, there’s a photo in that article linked).

But now I’ve seen how popular it is over the last year or so…great call. While smart people make decisions, I’ll just keep chiming in from behind my laptop here.

Have a great week, hike it up.

As always, reply to this email (or message me on Whatsapp +642041702764) with anything and everything…I’m happy to chat.

Chur,

Jub

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