Wilderness May 2026

KUDOS TO THE BACK COUNTRY TRUST for the superb new hut it has built on the Lewis Pass tops (see story p32). Brass Monkey Hut is sited close to where the old dog box Brass Monkey Bivouac once stood, and is an altogether more attractive shelter. The hut was financed by a bequest left by Jackie Winters and took 15 months to complete over seven site visits. As builder Matt Hewatt said, “You don't get to nip to the suppliers or even back to the truck if you've forgotten something.” Add inclement weather and alpine conditions and you have a challenging project. The project shows how far the Back Country Trust has come. From the early days when DOC offered individuals and tramping clubs the opportunity to ‘sponsor’ a hut…

DOE A GREAT PART OF SCHOOL LIFE I am excited to renew my Wilderness subscription after 20 years away. I just had a little weep at the beautiful article ‘Back to school’ (March 2026), about Duke of Ed students. My sons are both doing DoE and I can 100 per cent confirm the author's views on how respectful, resilient and curious they are. How lucky we are to have these young people in the world, as excited and motivated by the outdoors as we once were many years ago. As a ‘gold DoE-er’ from the 90s, I am so happy it's still a part of school life. I am setting off on an exciting journey to Aotea Great Barrier and I will think of all the articles and advice I…

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It's hard to gain perspective in the hectic pace of urban life with its soundtrack of background noise. To escape the auditory assault on our senses, friends and I headed into a quiet corner of Nelson Lakes National Park. We began our trip through luxuriant beech forest on the Loop Track in Kerr Bay. Below us, as we climbed the zig-zag trail to the bushline, the annual Antique and Classic Boat Show was in full swing on Lake Rotoiti, the water bustling with tiny dinghies, yachts, launches, canoes and motorboats. We turned our backs on the parade and climbed to Parachute Rocks, where the calendar-worthy spectacle spread out beneath us: the familiar profile of Mt Robert, the diminutive bridge at the outlet of the Buller River. After four hours we…

A Bay of Plenty filmmaking whānau is encouraging tamariki to get off their devices and into the outdoors. Anton Steel, Kylie Dellabarca Steel and their sons Malachi (15), Judah (12) and Ezra (7) have created a web documentary series, Kids Unplugged. The six-part series is about ‘real kids having real adventures’: tramping to huts, riding horses, gathering kai, building mountain bike trails and more. “Screen addiction for teenagers is a big problem, and we wanted to show a different way of life,” says Malachi. The three boys host the series, which is aimed at 8-to-12-year-olds. “It is deliberately peer-to-peer,” says Anton, “with role modelling that young kids can relate to.” During the Covid lockdown, Malachi, then 11, decided to get off devices outside of school hours. He built mountain bike…

After severe February weather damaged tracks and access routes across Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula and forced the postponement of the annual Walking Festival, the Rod Donald Trust is preparing to once again showcase its back yard to walkers from May 2 to May 17. Now in its 13th year, the Banks Peninsula Walking Festival is a flagship project of the trust and attracts around 600 participants over three weekends to take part in guided walks. “While it was disappointing to shift the dates, it was important to give affected landowners time to assess damage and feel confident about hosting walks again,” festival coordinator Wanda Vivequin said. The event was created to open up access to special places and connect people with the landscapes, history and restoration work on…