🏔️#74 - Conservation Bill, 16000 People Queue, Crash Bandihoot, & More.

And we are back with the 74th weekly (give or take) NZ Hiking Newsletter.

As mentioned last week, this is the last newsletter for the next few months. Thanks for reading the newsletter each week. And to those who emailed, messaged, yarned, or what not, chur.

If you want to follow any of my adventures overseas while I avoid winter, you can follow me on Instagram. I’m not very good with posting, my partner will have more updates, you can stalk her here.

We’ll be back together in China in just over a week…the trail we are most stoked for is Tiger Leaping Gorge (great name). And I’m excited to check out the Yading Scenic Reserve region.

There’ll be a couple of months in the US (possibly New Mexico), with trips to Oregon, Colorado, and Wisconsin. The rest is TBD, pending the state of the world.

I’ll be back writing this newsletter (most likely) in October. Whos going to sponsor the newsletter?

Until then, thanks for reading, and let’s get into this week’s dribble.

🗒️ Track News Etc.

• 16,000 in the Milford Track queue. Four of the Great Walks opened up for next 2026/27 bookings last week. Thousands were ready to pounce but the Milford Track got most of the attention as per norm. It was another year of the Lobby system, and there was plenty of screenshots being shared, with some people lining up with 16,000 in the queue in front of them.

  That 16,000 figure is misleading as multiple people from the same group queue up with at least one person hoping to make the front of the queue in time. And there was a tip being shared online in the week leading up to it where you could claim multiple queue positions from different browsers which gave you multiple chances to get a high place in the queue. So there may have been just a few thousand parties in total looking for spots

  Is it fair? It’s not perfect, but I can’t blame anyone for using information that is freely available if you stumbled across it. Overall, the system seemed to work well and the website held up. DOC will be stoked.

• Conservation Reform Bill chat. If you haven’t dived into the new bill that was announced a couple of weeks ago, this RNZ interview with Megan Dimozantos (from FMC) is a good introduction.

  In short, popular visitor sites may start charging a fee for international visitors to increase revenue, and many DOC-related red tape processes will be streamlined. It’s some good, some bad, but a lot will depend on the exact writing in the bill if it’s passed. And how much power ministers have instead of the conservation board.

  Here’s the bill, which we should all read. It’s easy to fall into the trap of ‘oh yea, nah, sounds good’, so consider reading this about the potential risks of the bill. And be prepared to have your say when it’s open for public submissions.

• Wilderness Areas Map. Official Wilderness Areas of NZ are something I’d like to explore more next summer. The Federated Mountain Club website is the only place you can find the true boundaries of the wilderness areas. Check it out here. My favourite National Park is Mount Aspiring, so I’m inclined to head towards the Olivines. If anyone has some cool routes (that don’t involve mountaineering), let me know.

😹 Hiking Funny

🗒️ More Track News Etc.

• Solid Work Stories. I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea for work, being in a harness all day above a raging river, but it’s not a bad view and I’m sure you get some good yarns. The photo above is of the new Hooker Valley (Aoraki/Mount Cook) bridge works in progress. There’s some more photos here.

• More Good Work Stories. No doubt being on site to help renovate tracks and huts would result in some good yarns. A couple of recent hut yarns and renovations were held at Makino Hut (Kawekas, Hawkes Bay) and Mungo Hut (West Coast).

  • Mungo Hut was renovated 11 years ago to get it back in good condition in a brutal part of the country. This time around waorks completed involved a re-roofing, floor oiling, paint job, track maintence and more. Details/photos here.

  • Makino Hut earned a new roof, woodshed, aluminium windows, paint jobs and more done to it. Details/photos here.

  That reminds me, keep an eye out for DOC volunteer roles for the summer over the next few months.

• Making Good Decisions. I’ve mentioned Miranda’s NZ videos in a previous newsletter, and in her most recent NZ video she posted what seemed to be a difficult trip up the Remarks. They’d planned an overnight hike but when the weather turned out to be way worse than expected made the tough decision to turn back. No doubt it was the right decision, but it’s good to see others wrestle with ‘what ifs’ even if you made the right decision. Worth a watch.

  Her next video reviewing gear from NZ brands should be interesting too.

• Winter Gear Repairs. If you tried to zip up all the jackets in your house right now, I’m guessing there’s going to be at least one broken zip. While they’re a pain, there’s a good chance you can fix it yourself by buying a new $5 slider (anatomy of a zip) and using some pliers. This video from Patagonia shows how easy it is (in theory).

Make sure to diagnose the zip issue before destroying the zip totally. Just don’t discard an otherwise perfectly good jacket. There’s also a kiwi company that offers a screw on zip solution, which looks nifty…it’s the easier, but a more expensive option.

Also, if you haven’t been to Wastebusters in Wanaka…you’re missing out.

• Research Papers For Long Rainy Days. These are two research papers that I’m guessing only a handful of people will be interested in, but save them for a rainy day:

  • Physiological Responses to Trail Difficulty in Indoor and Outdoor Forest Walking Environments. Link.

  • Criticality of preparation and equipment in hiking and trekking activities: a systematic review. Link.

🧔‍♂️ What I've Been Up To...

Last weekend I was over in Wanaka, and for the first time since 2022-ish went up Isthmus Peak. Such a better hike over Roy’s Peak, but still would choose Ben Lomond over Isthmus.

Great day out, especially with the fresh dusting of snow in the distance.

I was about to hit publish on this and just saw Crash Bandihoot were at it again with their gig up at Powell Hut (Tararua) for charity. Here’s a video from the weekend.

Thanks again for reading over the last few months, it’s fun to get replies and for people

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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