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A Snowy Mt Oxford & Lower Salmon Creek Biv Loop
The Canterbury Foothills offer some of the best front-country tramping in New Zealand, especially when a sudden winter storm turns the ridges into a magical winter wonderland. After spotting a perfect weather window paired with cheap flights to Christchurch, I jumped at the opportunity for a spontaneous solo mission. I picked the Mt Oxford area…
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Climbing Mt Gladwish: The Uniquely Cheerful Gem in the Ahuriri Valley
Mt Gladwish (1,861m) is a peak with a uniquely cheerful name nestled in the rugged Ahuriri Valley. While it hasn’t been climbed particularly often in the past, its inclusion in the newly published New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) book The High Pathways by Paul and Shelley Hersey is rightly putting it on the radar for…
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The Princess Bath: A Winter Transformation on Mt Princess
Tony told me he knew of a mountain that could transform a rebel Sarahsaurus dinosaur into a princess. All she had to do was take a “princess bath.” Naturally, we headed into the St James Conservation Area to find out if the legend was true. The Approach: Maling Pass Road in Winter After camping in…
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Two Thumb Range: The Dog Kennel, Kea’s Loot & Trojan War
A spectacular off-track 5 day loop in the Two Thumb Range from Mesopotamia over Brabazon Saddle, Inkerman Saddle, Alma Col and Balaclava Saddle. The Two Thumb Range in Canterbury’s Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Area offers some rugged and remote tramping experiences through impressive, glacial valleys. A rewarding stop at Mount Somers Village Our recent mission…
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The Craigieburn and Torlesse Ranges | Two nice day walks
Two easy walks near Arthurs Pass – the first to the Broken River ski-field and Nervous Knob in the Craigieburn Range, the second to the iconic ‘Gap’ in the Torlesse Range. Whether you’re looking to fill a weekend or just need a quick escape into the wild, these two fun day walks in the Craigieburn…
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Benmore Hut and Sugarloaf Summit Loop – Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands Park
Benmore Hut and Sugarloaf Summit Loop –Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands Park The story of a day hike to Benmore Hut in the Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands Park and then on to the summit of Sugarloaf, including a route map. I had driven past Benmore Station a number of times and had also stumbled across a CTC trip report to…
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Avalanche-Lyell-Bealey Loop – The ‘Triple Crown’
Avalanche-Lyell-Bealey Loop The ‘Triple Crown’ in Arthur’s Pass National Park The story of a winter traverse along the Avalanche Peak Mt Bealey Ridge in Arthur’s Pass, including a route map. The Avalanche-Lyell-Bealey Loop had been something I had wanted to do for ages and there had once even been a race over Avalanche Peak but…
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Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track: Holding on to your Pantaloons!
Holding on to your pantaloons on the Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track A hike around the Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track in Craigieburn Forest Park in early winter conditions and including a map of the route. Hold on to your pantaloons Tony and I found this written on a DOC track marker at a steeper and frozen section of…
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Gunsight Pass – a nice daywalk from the North to the South Temple, Ruataniwha
Gunsight Pass – a nice daywalk from the North to the South Temple A day loop hike over Gunsight Pass from the North Temple to the South Temple starting and ending at the DOC Temple Campsite. Matt and I had been thinking about Gunsight Pass for over a year after our trip to the Temple…
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Brass Monkeys, a Devil’s Den and Lucretia – all from Lewis Pass
Brass Monkeys, a Devil’s Den and Lucretia – all from Lewis Pass A 7 day hiking loop trip through scenery in the Lewis Pass mountains Old mouldy monkeys were out and new monkeys were in! I was on a week’s solo tramp in Lewis Pass and I had been dropped off by the East by…
