Wilderness

Each issue of Wilderness takes its readers to the most beautiful areas in New Zealand, whether by foot, mountain bike, sea kayak, raft, pony or dream.

BACKCOUNTRY HUTS ARE A TREASURE, NOT MONEY-MAKERS

Wilderness

LETTER of the MONTH

YOUR TRIPS, YOUR PIX • What did you get up to last weekend?

New Zealand's first public via ferrata route rounds up first summer season

A DRAWING A DAY ACROSS AOTEAROA'S SOUTH

POUĀKAI HUT TO RECEIVE $17.8 MILLION UPGRADE

NEW WHARENUI SHELTERS ON THE WHANGANUI JOURNEY

2025 WILDERNESS OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION • THE SEARCH IS ON FOR THE BEST OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE COUNTRY. PERHAPS YOU HAVE ALREADY TAKEN A WINNING IMAGE? If not, fear not: you have until February 28, 2025 to take it.

Why are all the walkers grinning? • Some of last year’s Walk1200km participants share how far they’ve come, what they’ve gained and offer their tips for others.

GEAR FOR YOUR WALK 1200KM CHALLENGE • A selection of gear and food to help you achieve your distances this month.

#microchallenge 37-39 winners! • Complete the #microchallenges, as these Walk1200km participants have done, and receive an exclusive, can’t-be-bought Walk1200km badge. The best effort in each challenge also receives a special prize from our partners!

March 2025 #microchallenges • In each issue, three new #microchallenges are set to add interest and silliness to your kilometres.

FEATHERED JEWELS OF THE FOREST • The mohua and pōpokatea are canary-like songbirds and unwitting hosts of the parasitic long-tailed cuckoo.

WHY BIG-GROUP TRAMPING IS GREAT • Tramping in a big group of people isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it has its benefits. Someone else may even carry the billy and stove.

OUR FAVOURITE CANTERBURY WALKS • The Further Faster team can help kit you out for all your walking adventures, and they can suggest great places to go. Here are some of their favourite walks in Canterbury.

25 huts to visit in 2025 • Huts situated beside rivers, huts jutting out from ridgelines, huts tucked among the trees. Here’s 25 must-visit huts to bag in 2025. Some are social spots, others are secluded. Others still have the best views in the country. All of them are memorable.

25 THROUGH JUNGLE MIST TO IVORY LAKE • There’s no easy way to Ivory Lake Hut, so why not tackle the most thrilling route through the giant schist boulders of the Waitaha River?

No hump too big • New Zealand's newest Great Walk is rich in history and celebrates the power of community.

FORE CASTING the FUTURE • Over the coming decades, large storms will become more frequent and cause costly damage to New Zealand’s tracks, huts and forests. These weather events, fuelled by climate change, will change how trampers access the backcountry.

WHAT'S IN MY PACK

THREE-SEASON, ONE-PERSON TENTS

Our favourite gear from 2024 • OF ALL THE GEAR REVIEWED IN WILDERNESS EACH YEAR, A FEW ITEMS BECOME PACKING LIST FAVOURITES. HERE’S THE KIT OUR GEAR EDITOR ESPECIALLY LOVED IN 2024.

FOUR OF THE YEAR'S BEST KNIVES AND MULTI-TOOLS

2025'S GUIDE TO TREKKING BOOTS • FOR BIG TRIPS INVOLVING ROUGH TERRAIN, OFF-TRACK TRAVEL AND EVEN ALPINE PASSES, YOU NEED DURABLE AND STABLE TREKKING BOOTS.

2025'S GUIDE TO SLEEPING BAGS • THANKS TO HYDROPHOBIC DOWN, THIS YEAR’S SLEEPING BAGS AND QUILTS ARE LIGHTER AND MORE COMPRESSIBLE THAN EVER. CHOOSE A BAG BASED ON YOUR BUDGET AND WITH A COMFORT TEMPERATURE RATING THAT SUITS THE MAJORITY OF YOUR TRIPS.

Yeats Ridge Hut, West Coast • It’s worth pushing on to this hut in a remote, expansive basin.

Anti Crow Hut, Arthur's Pass National Park • The walk from Klondyke Bridge to Anti Crow Hut is an...