What better way to celebrate a wedding anniversary than by embarking on a family tramping adventure? On this occasion, a trek over the Kelly Range/Taipo River/Harman Pass tests skilled tramper and mum, Sonia Barrish, as she navigates slips and steep climbs on a four day, 51 kilometre tramp with her partner and 15-month old.
'Coddiwomple (v.): an English slang for travelling purposefully towards a vague destination.' Uncle Jacko contemplates the three types of fun and shares a few English and foreign words that capture the true essence of tramping in the backcountry.
It all started in the nineties with a group of paddlers keen to meet annually and paddle whitewater. Now an official tradition after twenty years, this tight-knit group continues to gather every Christmas to pass on their knowledge and love of kayaking to the next generation.
After a close call occurs during a club outing, the North Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club (NOTMC) recognises the need to offer winter skills training for its newer members. With support from a FMC Training Grant, they organise a backcountry training weekend with a well-respected mountaineering and ski touring guide.
What does it mean to be a West Coast adventurer? For Rata Lovell Smith, a Wahine Toa who runs the Tai Poutini Polytechnic Outdoor Education Program, the West Coast adventurer is as unique and powerful as the landscape itself. In this river spotlight, she highlights Falls Creek – a West Coast kayaker's dream and 'a sacred chasm of water and rock.'
With packrafting on the rise, PRANZ recognises their responsibility to establish a culture of safety and training around this popular sport. With support from the FMC Training Grant, they have developed and are now road testing a curriculum for packraft instruction.
Four kayakers embark on a first descent of the West Mathias river, completing the pinnacle of whitewater kayaking with a broken thumb and triumphant spirits.
What is Forest & Bird's role in conservation and how can you get involved? Former Acting Manager of National Projects, Gillian Wadams, breaks down F&B's contributions from the local to the national level and how their mission relates to Aotearoa's goal of Predator Free 2050.
What's one simple and easy way you can help with conservation? Whether you're lounging in your backyard or out for an overnight mission in the bush, noticing and logging the bird life around you on the eBird app has a profound impact. Dan Burgin, NZ Bird Atlas Team, takes readers step-by-step into how they can begin 'Atlasing' on the eBird app and develop competency in their bird identification skills.
In Part II of their adventure, three mates continue on their three-day winter whitewater mission in Fiordland.
Oddly for these three mates, the depths of the southern winter seem to inspire thoughts of overnight whitewater missions. And this year was no different . . .
After asking paddlers from Whitewater New Zealand about their favourite huts for whitewater kayaking, Shaun Barnett shares their top choices along with a few of his own.
Three mates enjoy a wonderful day out, exploring a beckoning gorge amongst the incomparable Otago Alps. No helicopters needed for these guys, as they commit to a walk-in mission on the lower gorge of the Albert Burn, Lake Wānaka, Aotearoa New Zealand. Paddlers: Ewen Rodway, Michael McDonald, Ruari Macfarlane. Film by Ewen Rodway [...]
When a friend of the early Otago Tramping Club (now OTMC) gifted them a large block of land in 1930, it came with one requirement: protect and preserve the skyline hills as an asset for future trampers and walkers of Dunedin.
Don't get caught unprepared in the backcountry. Johnny Mulheron, Backcountry Accident Columnist, offers advice about what to take to the hills in your first aid kit.
While trapping began as a way for Marcia to bond with her teenager daughter, it evolves into her own personal project. In this honest account of what it takes to be a trapper, Marcia pushes past her comfort zone to overcome challenges and develop backcountry skills.
While volunteering in conservation requires a generous sacrifice of time and effort, Tony Walton of the Auckland Tramping Club shifts the perspective from ‘giving back’ to ‘receiving back’ and shares the many rewards he has gained from his time as a volunteer.
FMC extends a heartfelt thank you to Victoria and Emilie for their generous support and service as ambassadors for FMC’s kaupapa, as well as celebrates their impressive achievement – walking 2,200km over six months along Te Araroa.
A second attempt at conquering the 2885m Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku reunites the Moa Hunters, a group of simple blokes with a simple goal: find a moa.
Over six months and 3,000 kilometres later, this incredible mother-daughter team crosses the finish line into Bluff and completes Te Araroa. While ending this epic journey and rejoining civilisation may be bittersweet, Emilie reminds us that they have many more adventures ahead . . .
Refreshed and ready for action, Victoria and Emilie return to the Trail to tackle the second-to-last leg of their journey – the Takitimu Mountains in the Southland region.
A concussion en route to Queenstown requires Victoria and Emilie to take a brief hiatus from the Trail. With morale and motivation running low, Victoria finds encouragement in the kindness of friends and makes the decision to continue the trek onto Te Anau.
What does it mean to 'Volunteer for Biodiversity?' As this year's Outdoor Community Campaign and celebrated activity, Dan Clearwater outlines the many practical ways you and your club can get involved.
In light of climate change, have you ever wondered why FMC continues to print its Backcountry magazine? Backcountry editor, Peter Laurenson, shares FMC's reasons behind the printed version, the steps taken to align with its values of stewardship and environmental protection, and the future of this classic publication.
Copyright is held by the writer/creator. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 NZ
