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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 Paretetaitonga: A Winter Mission on Mt Ruapehu
Paretetaitonga (2,751 metres) is widely recognized as the second-highest peak on Mt Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park. It sits just below Tahurangi (2,797m). While Point 2,757 further south, known informally as Te Ātaahua, is technically higher, it is not officially recognised as one of Ruapehu’s peaks. The name Paretetaitonga translates to ‘a wall or parapet, on…
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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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Climbing Te Ātaahua: Reaching the “Shark’s Tooth” on Mt Ruapehu
Identifying the Forgotten Highpoint: Point 2757 While Paretetaitonga is widely recognized as the second-highest peak on Mt Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park, a higher point on the summit ridge often goes unnoticed. Located further south lies Point 2757, informally known as Te Ātaahua—meaning “the beauty.” To those looking up from the Turoa skifield, this sharp…
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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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Climbing Mt Adams: A Gateway to the Adams Wilderness Area
Climbing Mt Adams: The Ultimate Warm-up for the Garden of Eden There’s no better way to prepare for a Garden of Eden traverse than by climbing the 2,000-metre peak that shares its name with the wilderness area. Situated on the edge of the Adams Wilderness Area in the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, Mt…
