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The High Places of Dunedin

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Mt Cargill / Kāpuka-taumāhaka*: The Princess of Dunedin The first time I walked to Mount Cargill I went via the Leith Valley and up Cowan Road. It was an ~ 18 km return trip which took me about 3 hours and a quarter. There was pavement only to start with but as soon as I turned from Malvern St, in Leith Valley, onto Patmos Av it came to an abrupt end. That was fine as most of the time there was enough space to walk off the road and there was not much traffic – counted three cars on the … Continue reading The High Places of Dunedin

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The Aurora Australis in the Southern Skies

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A little piece about a very special light show in the Deep South. I came across some stunning photography of the Southern Lights from one of Dunedin’s beaches and this is how I began my career as an Aurora Australis hunter.  As I was getting into the role and acquainting myself with all the background info I could lay my hands and eyes on, I read that 2022 was a particularly good year for observing the Southern Lights due to an increased solar and wind activity. The physics of the phenomenon are quite fascinating but as it is not my … Continue reading The Aurora Australis in the Southern Skies

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Part 1 of the Great Walks Season – Adventures On and Off the Heaphy

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The longed for Christmas break of 2020 was getting very near and everyone around me was talking about their holiday plans so I thought I should make some of my own too. I put it entirely on the events of the past year for taking my reluctance to plan ahead to a whole new level. Serendipitously, around that time, I got wind from my friend Laura that she was going to walk the Heaphy just before Christmas. To my greatest delight she was happy for me to join her. As the borders remain closed there was still availability for campsites … Continue reading Part 1 of the Great Walks Season – Adventures On and Off the Heaphy

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The Tararuas Diaries: Otaki Forks Loop Walk via Elder Hut

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It has been awhile since my last blog post. It was first the summer which is always busy when you find yourself living in a city that has written all over it that “…is the city of action, the world headquarters of the verb”.  Then it was the unspeakable COVID-19 lockdown period. We were lucky here in New Zealand to have lockdown over in only a couple of months and most of us had the luxury of either going to the beach or bush or both for a walk throughout the entire lockdown period. If anything, it was remarkable how … Continue reading The Tararuas Diaries: Otaki Forks Loop Walk via Elder Hut

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Chapter 3: Winter 2019 adventures with the WTMC

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This blog post is about two winter adventures with the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC), one up Mt Ruapehu and one a lot closer to home up in the Tararuas. The mountain is, in equal measures, a place of otherworldly beauty, as well as the ultimate struggle and hostility; without a shadow of a doubt winter and the snow expand this continuum in both directions manifold. I have found it to be a deeply enriching experience and am particularly grateful that I have had the good fortunate to experience it on several occasions this winter season. Paretetaitonga, Mt Ruapehu,  16 … Continue reading Chapter 3: Winter 2019 adventures with the WTMC