⛰️#8 - Hut Finds, Camping Tips, Track Closures, Biz Ideas & More...

Author

Jub Bryant
October 10, 2024

And we are back with the 8th NZ Hiking Newsletter, sent every Thursday.

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.

Alright, let’s get into it.

In This Weeks Edition...

🛖 Piecing Together The Story Of A West Coast Hut

Credit: Glenn Johnston via FB

I stumbled across a post in the West Coast South Island History Facebook Group about an old hut that was rediscovered along the Taipo River (inland from Hokitika) earlier in the year. It’s pretty well camouflaged, and local lad Glenn Johnston checked it out recently.

If you’ve got some time to kill, read the comments in the thread he posted (you’ll figure out where exactly it is too). It’s a cool thread and it seems like everyone knows someone who knows someone on the West Coast!

From what Glenn Johnston can figure out, it was likely built by Colin Yeates and Allan Duckett in the 70’s. Both worked for the New Zealand Forestry Service (NZFS) and the hut is similar in construction to how they’re built. But it was likely built for private use as he can’t find it on any old maps.

It’ll be fun to see if someone decides to refurb it one day.

😈 Fugitive Tom Phillips Seen Hiking With His 3 Kids

I guess it has to be mentioned, but fugitive Tom Phillips was seen hiking last week along with his 3 kids in tow (he’s been on the run since Dec 2021). It’s the first sighting in a long time and gives everyone renewed hope that this can end peacefully.

It took police too long to reach the location that the dogs quickly lost the scent and that’s plenty of time for Tom to get away from any civilisation (I saw no reports of police using dogs to track a scent). Those who sighted them reported they seemed to all be in good health…there was some misleading chat (surprise!) about what the convo was exactly, but here’s what was said (apparently).

I’m sure there’ll be a book or movie or two out of this in the future.

⛺ Campsite Tips → Choosing A Bad Site Is The Worst

It was mid-summer & I was camping in Belgium on what I thought was an epic spot. But I made a silly mistake of setting up in long-ish grass by a stream which despite the warm conditions had me waking up to dew on the ground. Add in some condensation and I ended up with a slightly wet sleeping bag around the footbox ☹️ . Just a wee bit annoying when you’ve got to pack up quickly to begin a long time travelling to the next location.

So even though I think I know everything, I watched the video above about choosing a campsite. I don’t think things through as much as they do but I did like these tips:

  • check the topo maps out in advance of your hike to get a rough area for where might be a good spot to camp (following all the regulations etc obviously)

  • the softer ground can act as free insulation (minimal..but every 0.1-R helps!

  • you don’t have to eat right next to your campsite

👷 Glamping Airbnb? Meh. Hut Airbnb? Maybe…?

In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned how Jordan Munn built a backcountry hut. Well, it then occurred to me that if you had a piece of land, you could build a hut based on these plans on the Back Country Trust website (BCT) and put it on Airbnb.

I’m sure it’s not as easy as I’m making it sound (rules and stuff), but I think it could work…themed Airbnb’s do pretty well (great story telling here). Maybe the Back Country Trust could use that as a way to raise funds…or at least the person who applies for their latest job posting could pitch it.

I’m sure there’s a market for people who would love to stay in a hut but don't want to do the hiking part. The BCT is full of great resources!

😹 Meme Break

🗒️ Other Track News Etc.

  • Bookings open for the Greenstone-Caples Huts & Campsites at 9.30 am on October 15th for stays starting November 1st. I feel bad for the DOC wardens on that track this summer… a lot of people are going to turn up without a booking, and not be happy.

  • Northland’s Waitangi Forest will be closed for walkers from October 13th to 24th (toxic bait stations for possum control being set up). This will mainly affect SOBO Te Araroa hikers.

  • There’s a proposal for a new walking/biking track in Crofton Downs, Wellington that’s starting to gather feedback. They’re having a public meeting in Ngaio Town Hall at 5.30 pm on October 17th.

  • While goats can be cute to see on trails, they’re ultimately a pest. I see plenty in the Otago area…but I was surprised to see how widespread they are on this map.

  • If you’re a podcast fan and envy the US for having shops like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s then you might like this episode with John Mackey on Backpacker Radio. He’s the Co-Founder of Whole Foods but also a massive (thru) hiker, and part owner of a hiking brand. It was a really good listen.

  • Access to the Ruahines via Kashmir Road won’t be possible until at least Christmas with wilding pine work happening. It’s always just a few people ruining it for everyone. Press release here.

  • Kiwi Ultralight has a new article about Hiking Boots vs Trail Shoes. As an ultralight company, they’re always going to choose trail shoes…but I’m with them…and it’s cool to see they’ve cited a couple of articles about shoe type not making a difference in injury rates (though the studies are from the 1980’s).

🧔‍♂️ What I've Been Up To...

At the top of Cuihua Mountain.

I was in China for the week (just touched down in Auckland last night). I planned to go on a few hikes, but only did one in the end as the crowds on the first one really put me off (massive public holiday) as you can see in the photos above.

In the future a trip to China to summit the 5 Sacred Mountains could be a fun goal.

Other than that, it’s great to be back in NZ for another summer 😸 

Have a great week, hike it up.

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

Chur,

Jub

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