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Lewis Pass to St Arnaud via Waiau Pass: A 7-day Tramping Guide
The Lewis Pass to St Arnaud route via Waiau Pass and Poukirikiri / Travers Saddle is one of New Zealand’s fantastic and challenging multi-day tramps. The 163 km journey crosses the St James Conservation Area and Nelson Lakes National Park, passing Lake Constance / Rotopōhueroa and Rotomairewhenua / Blue Lake before descending to St Arnaud.…
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Exploring the Annette Plateau & Metelille Glacier
The Annette Plateau and Metelille Glacier are truly magical alpine destinations. One of my all-time favourite tramping moments is sitting on the summit of Mt Annette, watching the sunrise illuminate Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Sefton after a night of camping on the Annette Plateau. The plateau offers a profound sense of isolation, leaving you completely…
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Mt Tarahaka: On the Road to Nowhere
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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…
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Climbing Te Ao Whekere: An Alpine Adventure in the Seaward Kaikōura
Listening to the calls of two kea at 5:30 am isn’t your average wake-up call, but on the rugged slopes of the Seaward Kaikōura Range, nothing is quite “average.” From our infamous “Rubbish Bag” campsite to the 2,590m summit of Te Ao Whekere, our journey was an energetic yet magical traverse of unstable scree and…
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Avalanche-Lyell-Bealey Peak Loop – The ‘Triple Crown’
The Avalanche-Lyell-Bealey Loop in Arthur’s Pass had been on my tramping list for ages. There was even once a race over Avalanche Peak, though unfortunately, it stopped running before I got the chance to compete. While researching the route, I stumbled across the nickname “The Triple Crown” for this loop—it stuck with me immediately and…
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Mt Owen – and some thoughts on trundling*
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Cameron Valley to Ashburton Glacier: A Trans- Alpine Tramping Trip.
Traversing the Ashburton Glacier in Hakatere Conservation Park stands out as one of my more memorable and exhilarating tramps in New Zealand. Interestingly, this trip started as a backup plan. We were waiting for the Clyde River levels to drop so we could attempt to tramp into the legendary Garden of Eden ice plateau. Instead,…
