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Mt Taranaki East Ridge: A Summer Ascent Guide
The East Ridge of Mt Taranaki offers a classic summer alpine scramble starting from the Stratford Plateau. This route guide covers everything from crossing the Manganui suspension bridge to navigating the Shark’s Tooth. The perfect rock scramble for any reasonably fit and competent hiker this photo-story breaks down the ascent, essential gear, and the descent…
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Hiking Kaukau at Night: Wellington Views, Kiwi Spotting, and a Trail Guide
Looking for some of the best views of Wellington at night? The Kaukau walk by torchlight is a must-do for locals and visitors alike. As the one of the highest points near the city, Kaukau summit provides 360-degree panoramic views of Wellington Harbour and CBD, the Hutt Valley, and Cook Strait. These night-time photos and…
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Makara Walkway at Night: A Wellington Coastal Wander
Makara Walkway – an after dark delight An easy walk around the Makara Walkway for spectacular views after the sun has set. When the sun dips below Cook Strait, the Makara Walkway transforms. At night, our familiar Wellington landscapes are altered, becoming at once enchanting and mysterious. It is the hour when we are most…
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Kaukau summit – a hiker’s point of view of a well worthwhile Wellington walk
Kaukau summit A well worthwhile Wellington walk Kaukau is one of the highest points close to Wellington and the 360 degree views from the summit are well worth the effort getting there. There are tracks starting from Johnsonville, Broadmeadows, Khandallah and Ngaio. Arguably the easiest is from the carpark at Johnsonville Park at the end…
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“❓Where’s Sarah”
The eight of us met at platform nine at 5 pm in an attempt to get away for a slightly early departure for the long drive up to Taranaki. Despite our best efforts, including Dan sneaking out of the office while his boss wasn’t looking, a crash on SH2 and then roadworks on SH1 meant…
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Escarpment Track – a hiker’s POV of the “Stairway to Heaven”.
Paekākāriki Escarpment Track – a hiker’s point of view of the “Stairway to Heaven”. The hiker’s point of view of a 9.5km hike along the Escarpment Track from Pukerua Bay to Paekākāriki taking in wonderful coastal views and a golden sunset. Ever wondered what it looks like to be standing on New Zealand’s “Stairway to…
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Kaweka Kaleidoscope – exploring Manson Country
Kaweka Kaleidoscope – exploring Manson Country Kaweka Range – Kaweka Forest Park It nearly makes the squatters weep, It takes five acres to a sheep, And each year sees these smaller flocks, For sheep don’t thrive on snow and rocks. (An anonymous poet on the difficulty of mustering in the remote Manson Country) I have…
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Volunteering on Kapiti Island
On Friday at 8am I was waiting with Anne, Jamie and nine other volunteers to jump in the boat and head across to Kapiti Island to volunteer for three days doing trapline work on the island. On arrival we headed straight to the biosecurity room to go through all our gear and check we were…
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Tramping the Te Pua-a-Tāne Circuit | A Whirinaki Forest Guide
“Whio, whio!” I could hardly believe it. We had been walking for less than two hours, and already my promise of sightings of the nationally vulnerable blue duck was coming true. It was immediately clear why this route is called the Te Pua-a-Tāne Circuit—a name meaning the abundance of Tāne, god of the forest. As…
