⛰️#55 - Down Holes, Epic Humans, New Photo Renderings, & More.

And we are back with the 55th NZ Hiking Newsletter, sent every week.

Note to self…insert a video here to introduce myself to new subscribers sometime.

Anyway, as usual, 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 (this week I go down some random goose rabbit holes.

Alright, let’s get into it.

🌋 Tongariro National Park: Death and Feet in falls

Tongariro can’t seem to catch a break, with a hiker passing away on the Taranaki Falls Track last week (I’m guessing it was medical-related, but nothing states the cause)…which meant a Rahui was put in place for a few days. The rahui also influences the Tama Lakes Track and Northern Circuit.

I wonder how businesses are starting to suffer as a result of the fires and rahuis over the last couple of months?

And then you see photos like the one below that Tongariro shuttle driver, Colin Baker, saw when someone left a review.

The photo is from one of the emerald lakes on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The reasons not to put your feet in the water?

• the lakes are highly acidic/toxic

• extremely cold

• they are sacred (tapu) in Māori culture

Seems pretty simple. The Tongariro Crossing is rather popular…you’d think they’d be a bit concerned about why everyone else isn’t taking a dip in the lake on a blue sly gorgeous day.

🌉 Sneak Peak at Hooker Valley’s New Bridge

Last week I was confused when I couldn’t find the first photos of the new Hooker Valley bridge that were released.

It turns out they were referring to renderings of the finished bridge. It’d be cool to see what the construction progress looks like (although the company, Abseil Access, building the bridge has released project videos in the past).

The fancy 189 metre bridge will be the country’s longest span footbridge once completed. The weather has thrown up some hurdles…but it’s hoped that completion will be towards the end of autumn. Press release here.

🚶 Walking For Happiness

The Wilderness Magazine polarises some of its audience with their annual Walk1200km campaign (into its 5th year)…but 7,000+ people have taken it on. As magazine editor, Alistair Hall mentioned somewhere in the realms of Facebook this week regarding Walk1200km:

“Wilderness may not even be here, such has been the impact on awareness of the magazine and single copy and subscription uptake). I know some hardcore trampers and readers of Wilderness find the challenge a nuisance because it takes up pages in the magazine (only 4!) and detracts from some of the wilder aspects of tramping. I understand that, but for the health of Wilderness (and me and the thousands who participate), we'll be continuing it and I hope you will join us. It's free”

Which leads me to a campaign I spotted from DOC - Hauraki-Coromandel who set the challenge to walk all (~23km) tracks in Kauaeranga Valley. You can win a medal and some spot prizes…a side quest for those in the Coromandel this summer. Details here or pop into the Kauaeranga Visitor Centre.

🗒️ Other Track News Etc.

• An 80-year-old hiker is grateful for a family and rescuers. The tramper got lost on a hike in the Coromandel, and the family of three formed a heat circle, keeping him warm at night. Full story here.

• The Canterbury Mountaineering Club is celebrating their 100th year. Good read about the history.

• Environmentalist, Ruth Shaw, who has fought for decades to keep nature as it is, was awarded a King’s Service Medal. There’s a nice writeup about her story.

• If you’ve got a spare 30 minutes, the video below is well worth a watch:

😹 Hiking Funny

(see caption)

Source: Murray Ball

🪿 Going Down The Rabbit (Goose?) Hole

I sometimes end up down some weird rabbit holes while writing this newsletter. This week I came across the image below from Enlightened Equipment, a company mostly known for quilts.

But the amount of down doesn’t mean too much to me, and likely you…I guess you could work out how many quilts they sold if needed. But I found myself Google-ing (I’m not cool enough for ChatGPT)

“how much down does the average goose have?”

I said goose, not duck, as goose usually has a higher fill power.

The answer: 1.2 ounces…a.k.a 34 grams. That means they sourced 4,554 pounds of 950 down they used from 72,864 geese. That’s a lot of geese. I could be way off in these numbers, but who knows.

Now…how many geese supply products for the whole outdoor industry….I wouldn’t have a clue.

You can rest (somewhat) easy knowing the down is a byproduct of geese that have already been killed. This article is a solid introduction to that world: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/everything-you-need-know-about-buying-ethically-sourced-down-products

And yes, most companies you’re familiar with use ethical down. And it’s cool that when you buy a down product from companies like Macpac, there’s a specific code included on your jacket that gives you info about where the down in your jacket comes from, along with other stats via https://trackmydown.com. Here’s an example.

🧔‍♂️ What I've Been Up To...

This weekend was a goodie, spending a couple of nights out in Glenorchy on some trails that aren’t the usual.

Sugarloaf Pass Loop: I enjoy this loop for the technicality, but I’ve seen a few friends do the track recently. And it does seem to be a polarising route. Some love it, some don’t. At least take a wander up to Sugarloaf Pass from the Routeburn side. It’s quite nice.

Lake Rere Loop Track: When I did this loop a few years ago, it didn’t leave me with great impressions. But this time around it was enjoyable with waterfalls, valleys, forest, lakes and farmland (and animals) to see on the way. A good variety for a 15km loop!

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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