🏔️#62 - Intentions Book Update, Repairs>Replace, 29 Days Missing, & Lots More

And we are back with the 62nd NZ Hiking Newsletter, sent every Thursday/Friday.

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.

In a random note, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been to Tongariro National Park. Long enough that I didn’t even know that at the end of 2024, the town on the western edge of the park formerly known as National Park Village is now officially called Waimarino (details here). That makes so much more sense for a lot of articles I’ve read. 🙈

Alright, let’s get into it.

📚Hut Intentions Books Are Here To Stay

Last week I mentioned there were rumours on Facebook about DOC Intention Books being removed from huts. Well, Stuff and NZME beat me to it in asking about whether this is correct or not. The official response (TL;DR - DOC are not removing intentions books) from DOC via Andy Roberts (DOC Visitor Safety and Standards Manager):

“DOC is not removing intention books from huts, and they will continue to be replaced when they are full or worn out. Intention books play an important role in helping people enjoy the backcountry safely while naturing. They allow trampers and hunters to record their plans, note changes to those plans, and leave information that can be critical if someone is overdue or needs help. In remote areas, conditions can change quickly due to weather, track conditions, health issues, or group decisions. Intention books provide a simple, reliable way for people to update their plans on the ground, even where there is no cellphone coverage. They are also an important tool for search and rescue. When someone is overdue, intention books can help confirm where people were heading, when they were there, and whether plans changed - information that can significantly narrow search areas and support faster, safer response. DOC continues to encourage people to:

• record their intentions in hut books

• carry a personal locator beacon (PLB)

• leave their trip plans with a trusted contact

• check weather and track conditions before and during trip

Intention books are one part of a wider safety system and remain a valued and practical tool in the backcountry.”

👏👏👏👏 Well, I’m glad that’s sorted. If you see someone saying that intentions books are coming to an end, make sure to let them know that’s not happening. Refer them to this newsletter if need be.

🎧 Podcasts For Your Ears

• Banks Track | That Tramping Life - Spotify Link Here

  • I’ve not been on an overnight hike on private land before, but Jonty gives a little bit of insight into the Banks Track here.

• 173: Section Walking Te Araroa over Multiple Seasons and Battling Cancer with Te Aroha Hohaia | Aotearoa Adventures - Spotify link here

  • An inspiring story from Te Aroha, which I’ll hopefully think about when I’m feeling a little lazy sometimes.

• AllTrails Head of Social and Environmental Impact: Pitt Grewe | Who Runs This Park - Spotify link here

  • This title grabbed me given the impact All Trails has on many tracks becoming popular. I haven’t listened to it yet, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting.

• #412 How Roger Federer Works | Founders - Spotify link here

  • Not hiking related, but Roger is awesome. I like how he wanted to mix things up with tennis, avoiding a set routine…that’s something we can do when on the trails to keep the spark alive.

😹 Hiking Funny

I need to play this game.

🗒️ Other Track News etc.

• New Trails Preview. If you’re around Queenstown/Arrowtown on the weekend of 7/8th of March, you can take a walk around the new network of trails as part of Project Tahu Trail Network. They’re opening a 12km section of the trails as a preview before shutting them again until the official opening in 2027. Full details here.

• Repair > Replace. I’m far from perfect, but this 2-minute video is a great reminder that we can probably fix most things that are busted, rather than going out to buy a new one. Like below, zips can be repaired!

• A Yarn All Things Elevation With A Sherpa. On Tuesday the 24th, Sherpa Phurenje Sherpa will be hosting a talk at Further Faster (Christchurch) in the lead up to the Himalayan Trust Summit Challenge in March. He’ll be talking about:

  • his experiences climbing mountains in the Himalaya

  • being a mountain guide at Mt Cook

  • Himalayan Trust/Summit Challenge

  • and a Q&A

    Tickets and more info here.

• Gig + Hut = … I can imagine this goes against hut etiquette in some ways, but Crash Bandihoot played a gig at Powell Hut in the Tararua Ranges in 2023, and it was a success, so they’re doing it again in May this year. There’s a short video here of the journey last time. If you’re interested, reach out to the band as there’s a few tickets left. And no, they didn’t chopper their gear in. They hiked it all in.

• NZ’s Longest Search & Rescue (in 1980). I was browsing the Wilderness Magazine’s Facebook page earlier and stumbled across a mention of Peter Le Fleming, who, in 1980, was lost in Kahurangi National Park for 29 days before being found alive. He was on the last day of a big mission (Heaphy Track return) when it’s suspected he hit his head and went wandering off track. When he was overdue, search parties were arranged to look for him.

  Fortunately, he’d been filling out hut books (let’s keep them, yea) along the way therefore rescuers knew he was within 15km of the trailhead before getting into trouble. That said, it took 29 days until he was found in a sorry state after most had given up hope of finding Peter alive.

  The best place to read more details about the story that’s not behind a paywall is here on Stuff (on desktop).

• There was a rescue required on Mount Brewster last week (not to be confused with Brewster Hut Route or the section to the glacier where many rescues were needed, particularly last summer). This follows a plea from Southland Police Search and Rescue to make sure you’re prepared for the adventure you choose.

• Tongariro Fires Not The Only Barrier To Business. When the Tongariro Fires occurred at the end of last year, it’s no surprise many local businesses struggled in the immediate aftermath of the fire. But adding to a mediocre summer weatherwise has seen many businesses continue to struggle. The area really does count on the Tongariro Crossing! Some good reporting here.

• How Rab Turned Mountaineering Heritage Into A Scalable Outdoor Brand. If you enjoy learning about brands in the outdoor space (I do), you’ll enjoy this 5-10 minute read about the quality UK outdoor brand, RAB.

🧔‍♂️ What I've Been Up To...

I had a relatively chill weekend. I won’t complain. I’ve had a few weekends where I’ve been to new spots, given the shoddy summer overall.

That said, I did get to one of my favourite trails in Arrowtown which I know as Sawpits Big Brother. It’s not on the official Arrowtown trail maps…send me an email if you want the GPX file. It’s about a 10-11km loop with a fun (for some) ridgeline.

And I pushed publish on the Canyon Creek Track post (there are some bits I’ll tidy up sometime). Plenty of photos to show how cool it is up there.

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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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