Near miss How to Burn Down a Hut
Jamie Cole shares a cautionary tale of a tramp that nearly left a backcountry hut up in flames.
Training Grant Outdoor First Aid Course
Funded by the FMC Training Grant, Sue Weller and the Christchurch Over Forties Tramping Club (OFTC) learn outdoor first aid skills to better equip themselves and save lives in the backcountry.
Paradise Found The Gardens of Eden and Allah
Nine days in the wilderness. Sylvie Admore, Helen Liley, Sam Richardson, Björn Striebing and Stephen Waite (Auckland University Tramping Club) meet Simon and invite him along on their trip to the Adams Wilderness Area not long after being introduced. Helen and Sylvie recall their memories of Simon on a trip that he described as 'spontaneous and excellent'.
Youth Award Grant Kaweka Forest Park
What do you do when a fellow tramper gets an injury? FMC Youth Award Grant recipient, Dylan Barker, heads into Kaweka Forest Park with mates and learns firsthand how to face backcountry challenges, as well as how a good crew can make for a great trip.
Youth Award Grant Old Ghost Road
FMC Youth Award Grant recipient, Jessica Hydes, embarks on her Duke of Edinburgh Gold qualifying expedition joined by family and friends. She reflects on her 5-day mission and how motivation and goal setting plays a key role during her tramp.
Treasures of the Kahurangi The Needle and the Haystack
During one magical Easter, Lorraine Johns and Simon Bell visit Kahurangi National Park in NW Nelson. Lorraine vividly recalls their journey through a bewitching landscape and shares how it became a trip to remember.
Family Tramping Backpacking Mums in New Zealand
As an outdoor enthusiast, Italian-born tramper Barbara Zennaro comes to New Zealand ready to embrace a new style of tramping, one that is different from the more 'catered' hikes with which she grew up. With her partner and little one in tow, she experiences true Kiwi hospitality and how tramping brings families closer together.
Training Grant Learning to Take the Lead
With support from the FMC Training Grant, once self-proclaimed 'fair-weather paddler,' Sheralee MacDonald, advances her skills and graduates to the role of 'mentor' after completing the PRANZ's intermediate packraft course.
Bikepacking in Scotland Cycling the Outer Hebrides
After over three decades in New Zealand, two expats return home to their native Scotland to cycle the Outer Hebrides. Their journey offers a chance to travel back in time -- taking them through both preserved and picturesque villages, as well as harsh, unforgiving lands that residents once cleverly used to yield crops. Met with hospitality by locals along the way, it's a lovely homecoming for these two Scots.
Mountain Poetry The bear’s reply
Chris Tuffley envisions ‘the bear’s reply' in an eloquent reimagining of the children’s poem ‘The Bear Went Over the Mountain,’ which forgets to mention all the wondrous sights, smells and experiences above and beyond the mere ‘other side of the mountain.' He invites readers to explore their senses and captures breathtaking moments from his many trips over the mountain.
Bikepacking An E-bike Lap of the South Island
With trusty Wellington commuter e-bike turned tough, off-road vehicle, Gunilla Jensen embarks on her first bikepacking adventure. Rather than starting small, she undertakes quite the feat -- cycling once round New Zealand's South Island.
Backcountry te reo (March 2018) Kōrero ki te ngāhere
'In Māori history, forests are the domain of the atua Tane, who separated the sky father Rangi and the earth mother Papatuanuku in the Māori creation narrative.' In this republication of 'Backcountry te reo,' Ben Douglas delves into the language of the forest and offers pronunciation tips for learners.
Youth Award Grant Tarawera Falls
With the threat of being cancelled just hours before departure, the trip for these FMC Youth Award Grant recipients started out rocky. But after three days in the backcountry, they learned that "a trip is worth a little bit of chaos."
Take 3 The Long Ride Home
Each year, university student Marina Comeskey makes her annual commute home to Wellington from Christchurch ... by bike, that is.
Forgotten Lands Recognising the whenua through reclassification
What is the significance of 'stewardship land' and in what ways is this classification lacking? DOC Manager in Planning Permissions and Land, Karl Beckert, outlines the history of stewardship land and the process by which DOC is striving to reclassify lands to reflect the conservation and cultural values of the whenua.
Part II Dennis’ Last Coast to Coast
In Part II of a 10-day traverse, two friends hike and kayak their way to the finish line. Offering Dennis a second shot to finish the Coast to Coast Race and Stefan the chance to complete a trip of a lifetime, the loss of a few toenails proved more than worth it.
Youth Award Grant Mt Taranaki
Students from Otamatea High School work towards their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award by ascending towards the clouds and climbing Mt Taranaki. Next up for these trampers is Gold level status.
Part I Dennis’ Last Coast to Coast
After becoming good friends 10 years ago while training for the Kathmandu Coast to Coast Race, Stefan and Dennis embark on their own wilderness traverse -- a 10-day, 250 km west-east crossing of the South Island. In Part I of their epic, they trek through difficult conditions and reassess the future of their trip.
‘Greenhorn on a Greenie’ A Lake Hāwea Bike Packing Adventure
On his first bike packing adventure, Andy Vause decides to circumnavigate Lake Hāwea. He learns firsthand the perils of cycling along the Dingle Burn and offers advice for those planning their next bike packing adventure.
Makorako II The Makorakoing
"Few things make you reconsider your life decisions more than sprinting 400m up a mountain half naked, straight out of bed, after getting 4 hrs of sleep - because all your food is gone." For Jason Rosinger and partner Laura Jacks, their plan to climb the North Island's sixth highest peak in a weekend took a slight detour...
A Mischievous Fairie Queene Her Ravenous Sandflies and Spiders
In an account of their victorious trip, Lorraine Johns, Nina Sawicki and Simon Bell tackle the Fairie Queene in the St James Conservation Area near Lewis Pass in February 2012.
Trans-Alpine Trip The Mathias Catchment
Sonja Risa recounts her first transalpine trip with fellow members of the Peninsula Tramping Club and gains valuable insight into how one mighty river can dictate the course of a trip.
Arthur's Pass National Park Gorgy Creek Lake Trip
What are the benefits of trekking at a leisurely pace? Diane Mellish, team leader for the Peninsula Tramping Club, reveals the ingredients for her 'best trip ever' and why this track is an absolute must for all adventurers.
Footsteps of the Rainbow Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku
Want to get away from your desk and into the backcountry? For the Peninsula Tramping Club, including two FMC Executives Jan and Liz, it was time for a group adventure. Leaving the office behind and taking a long weekend, they summit Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku -- the 'footsteps of the rainbow.'
