August 2012 Issue - Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ

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Number 189 • August 2012Published four times a year by the FederatedMountain Clubs of New Zealand (Inc.), PO Box1604 Wellington 6140. www.fmc.org.nzNational Library: ISSN 0110-6120Editor: Shaun Barnettemail bulletin@fmc.org.nz, tel 04 976 263435 Cave Road, Houghton Bay, Wellington 6023Advertising: John Rhodesemail adverts@fmc.org.nz, tel 06 304 9095,54 Kempton St., Greytown 5712Design: Jo Kinley, Hullaballoo Design,www.hullaballoo.co.nzCopyediting: Juliet Oliver, Greytownemail julieto@xtra.co.nzDistribution and General FMC enquiries:FMC, PO Box 1604, Wellington 6140Gail Abel (Administration Officer)tel 04 385 9516, email admin@fmc.org.nzThe Bulletin is free to members of affiliated clubs.Supporters of FMC: Individuals may becomesupporters of FMC for $35 annually. Supportersreceive the Bulletin and the FMC Discount Card,which offers discounts including FMC mapsand books and a DOC Backcountry Hut Pass.Supporters also get regular email updates.Annual Subscription to the Bulletin is onlyavailable to organisations and libraries (but notindividuals) for $25 (overseas $35).The editorial direction of the FMC Bulletin isto provide a forum for the expression of opinionsand for news and debate on matters of interestto those who use New Zealand’s public lands.Opinions expressed in the Bulletin do notnecessarily reflect those of Federated MountainClubs or of affiliated clubs.Contributions should be submitted in electronicform to bulletin@fmc.org.nz or mailed ondisk to: The Editor, FMC Bulletin, Box 1604,Wellington 6140. Colour transparencies andphotographs should carry the name and addressof the submitter; otherwise return can’t beguaranteed. Electronic photos should be .tif or.jpeg files between 1MB and 5 MB. Seewww.fmc.org.nz for more detailed information.The final content of the Bulletin is decidedby the editor. An executive committee chairedby the President of FMC will consider concernsrelating to published items. Write to the EditorialSubcommittee, PO Box 1604 Wellington 6140.The FMC Bulletin is printed using vegetablebasedinks on Sumo Gloss & Matt, a chlorine-freeand acid-free paper, sourced from a sustainablymanaged plantation forest.Join Us Now 4President’s Column 5Letters 8Executive Profile 13Nick PlimmerNotice Board 14A Different Perspective of Tramping 22FMC Scholarship Update 28Outdoor Intentions Form 32FMC Travel Club 34Transforming Arthur’s Pass 36Management Plans 40Mokihinui Timeline 42Weather 44Wind in the MountainsHuts as Heritage 46Big HutClub Profile 47Whangamata Tramping ClubUncle Jacko’s Cookery Column 48Quick Mountain Quiz 50Book Reviews 52The Last Word 60FMC Mail Order Books 62Deadline for contributions for the November 2012 FMC Bulletin is 10 September 2012 (send copy to:bulletin@fmc.org.nz). It should be distributed to clubs by mid-November 2012.Cover: Colenso country – Dave Hansford at the top of Colenso Spur, Ruahine Forest Park.Photo: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin PhotographyAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 3

and track projects. By and large these initiativesare excellent and well supported. Indeed, theyoften reflect local NGO efforts.However, challenges arise when the stakesget a bit bigger, and we get into trade-offs. Howwould we feel if a mining company fundedpest control that was the equivalent of thebiodiversity loss it will cause? What if it fundedmore, so there was a net benefit? This is calledbiodiversity off-setting. Off-setting involves acomplex range of technical issues includingcomparison, measurement and monitoring.For now though, trampers and climbersneed to focus on how we feel about it froman ethical perspective. If private funding couldconserve one ecosystem, would we be willingto lose another one to achieve that?Even greater complexity results whenwe can’t compare like with like. With therecent decision to approve aerially assistedtrophy hunting in the Hooker-LandsboroughWilderness Area, DOC has attempted to makea gain for conservation by requiring a certainnumber of thar to be culled for each trophy thatis taken. This might improve conservation, butthe loss is to recreation, because the wildernessvalue of the Hooker-Landsborough has beendiminished. So far, DOC seems incapable ofthinking about the trade-off in diminishing socialvalues to improve conservation. FMC will needto fill that space.I should mention here that FMC’ssubmission achieved a small concession out ofthis flawed process, resulting in the removal ofthe area around Marks Flat and Mt Hooker fromthe permit. Keen trans-alpinists will be surprisedto hear that the original decision claimed that thisarea was inaccessible to foot-based recreation! Ihaven’t had too many problems walking throughthe area on my four or five trips through there.One potential good outcome from DOC’spartnership approach would be agreementsthat better enable clubs to manage tracks andhuts. Sadly, the feedback I have received fromsome clubs does not match the rhetoric frompoliticians and DOC Head Office. DOC willquickly kill the idea of partnership if staff insistthat clubs sign a 25-page contract, with thethreat of ripping out the hut if they don’t. Thishas already happened in one instance, and anyclubs that have similar experiences should letus know.Another area of challenge arises fromTreaty settlements. I recently attended aexcellent summit on the future managementof Te Urewera National Park, arranged byNgai Tuhoe. A wide range of users came andspoke about what Te Urewera means to them.I spoke about how trampers from all over thecountry appreciate Te Urewera National Parkas a special place, and that for trampers in thetop of the North Island, while not having thelength of attachment that Tuhoe have, it is still‘their place’.I also spoke about the values that FMCwould want preserved in any treaty deal, andthat the National Parks Act provided a minimumset of values (for example, assured publicaccess, protection of biodiversity, and limitedcommercial activity).At the conclusion of the day TamatiKruger from Tuhoe accepted the propositionsput forward by all speakers. I can’t possiblyhope to articulate what Te Urewera means toTuhoe, so I won’t even try. Suffice to say, forTuhoe the preservation of the ecosystems of TeUrewera won’t be subject to the same nationalprioritisation exercise that DOC must go throughto allocate funds.As DOC looks to focus and prioritise itsspending on conservation, and iwi like Tuhoewant a greater level of protection for conservationland in their rohe, and have the means to fund it,it isn’t hard to see a future where iwi will directfunding into conservation efforts, and local clubinitiatives could fit in with this.FMC can see both the opportunities andthreats from this new approach to conservation.At this stage, all I can give you is more questionsthan answers, but these changing times aregoing to challenge traditional FMC views. Theexecutive would welcome any feedback andthoughts, or simply comments and questions,as this work advances.FMCRob Brown above Marks Flat, with Mt Hooker beyond, Hooker-Landsborough Wilderness Area, West CoastPhoto: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin Photography6FMC Bulletin • August 2012

August 2012 • FMC Bulletin 7

LettersJan HeineAfter seeing the photo of Jan Heine crossing ariver in 1974 in the March 2012 FMC Bulletin(page 8), I thought this photo might be of interest.Jan Heine (on right) crossing a river in Mongolia Photo: John WilliamsonIt shows Jan in the Altai Mountains of Mongolialast year. Still crossing rivers 37 years later!John Williamson,Zavkhan TrekkingFridge’s Other QualitiesWith respect to the article ‘Refrigerated Huts’(June 2012 FMC Bulletin), as well as beingknown primarily as ‘Chief Tararua hut bagger’and ‘Paramount Fridge Magneteer’, I alsoremember well the trip when I first becameacquainted with Peter Harvey. I invited him ona float down the mid-Waiohine River gorge.He showed up proudly at the water’s edgeresplendent in a wetsuit the wrong size, a flaccidpartly-inflated car tube, and a single cannibalisedkayak paddle blade into which he had stuffeda broken mop handle. This was going to be hissecret weapon!Prima facie it looked promising, butafter a few river bends, it became apparentthat a full two blades on a handle are requiredfor propulsion. Fridge spent an age inthe Waiohine spinning like a china teacup,or finding (even creating?) eddies in the river,so that he would more often be seen headingupstream in the gorge. For me, innocently bystandingdownstream, it seemed he spent hoursdefying gravity and going the wrong way, and thewind and whitewater tried but could not drownout all the echoes of profanity. For those of youwho know the turbulent upper Waiohine Rivergorge, I consider his peripatetic route quite someaccomplishment.Anyhow, it was the funniest thing I haveseen in the hills, and I remember keeping warmthrough agonizing, quivering laughter. I believethe paddle has been mounted, and is now ondisplay in Lowry Bay as a monument to oneman’s folly.Joe Nawalaniec, Carterton8FMC Bulletin • August 2012

Intention FormsI may have missed something in discussions onthis topic, but I can’t see an adequate answerfor last minute changes of plan. I may head toGlenorchy or the Wanaka area with trampingalternatives in mind. Frequently I will make mymind up at the last minute on a particular trampdepending on weather, transport or suggestionsfrom other trampers. After talking to DOC staffin Makarora I once changed my intended routeat 9 a.m. on the start day. I have always filledout the intentions slip just prior to leaving andput it into the appropriate box. Contact withfriends or family outside a particular area isoften not possible. I have often met up withvisitors to New Zealand who have no contactsin the country but have a good knowledge ofDOC locations and are very comfortable withthe old system. Are the DOC offices out of thepicture entirely?Michael Bond, ChristchurchTrespass LawWhile C.G. Duff is undoubtedly right (Letters,June 2012 FMC Bulletin) in his descriptionof the law around criminal trespass – and indoing so, shows how pointless ‘Trespassers willbe Prosecuted’ signs are – he overlooks theseparate tort (civil wrong) of trespass. Anyoneon private land without express or impliedpermission will in most cases have committeda trespass, even if not at a criminal level. Legalaction for civil trespass is possible, althoughalmost unheard of, as the landowner has totake the action at his own expense. Winningsuch a case would often be easy, but the victorycould be hollow. The landowner also needs toshow that he has had a loss to justify a damagesaward, which is the only sanction. But thefact that you probably won’t land up in courtdoesn’t make your action right.Apart from that, in my opinion, being onprivate land without permission is in most casessimply rude (and so, for that matter, is refusingpermission without good reason).David Barnes,Otago Tramping and Mountaineering ClubNo Tourist ChargesI refer to the editor’s footnote to thecorrespondence relating to charging for nationalpark entry (March 2012 FMC Bulletin) when hesaid that it ‘seems entirely reasonable’ to chargeoverseas visitors at Waitangi NZ$20 (it has goneup already – now NZ$25) Entirely reasonablefor whom?I do feel that this selective entrance feeunfortunately discriminates against overseasvisitors and particularly affects young people ona limited budget, who I have heard often turnaround at the Waitangi ticket office and forgothe visit. What a pity! Discrimination even ifcovert (I’ve felt it in transit at Los Angeles) leavesa bad taste.As to the main letter from Felix Collins – I dodespair when I hear this talk of charging leviesand fees to overseas visitors. Even worse is hisproposal that we all carry identity passes in ournational parks.Last year I believe that revenue from thetourism industry overtook dairy, and for thefirst time became the country’s leading exportearner. What a contribution overseas visitorsmake already. Like all good hosts, we shouldbe making them even more welcome – andespecially the youngsters.To talk of charging these people nationalpark fees or a tourist tax is like Fonterra chargingcows to eat grass!Bob Lancaster, FMC supporter, NelsonAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 9

FMC AGM, 9 June 2012, ChristchurchExecutive for 2012-13 (no election required):President: Richard Davies (NZACWellington). Vice President: Peter Wilson (OtagoUTC). Special Vice President: Brian Stephenson(Alpine Sports Club & NZAC Auckland).Executive: David Barnes (Otago T&MC),Rob Brown (NZAC Canterbury), Owen Cox(Parawai TC, Wellington T&MC), Robin McNeill(NZAC Southland), Barbara Morris (Taupo &Nga Tapuwae TC), Paddy Gresham (TararuaTC & NZAC Wellington), Dennis Page (HuttValley TC), Rob Mitchell (Otago T&MC & NZACOtago), Lesley Topping (Alpine Sports Club),Nick Plimmer (Otago UTC), Claire Sims (OtagoUTC), Peter Lusk (Buller TC) and Patrick Holland(Nelson TC).Two non-executive appointments werealso confirmed: secretary Josie Broadbent(Marlborough TC and Victoria UWTC) andtreasurer Graeme Lythgoe (Hutt Valley TC).Address by Hon. Peter Dunne, AssociateMinister of ConservationFMC was delighted that the Hon. Peter Dunnewas able to attend the AGM. Mr Dunneacknowledged that two topical issues ofimportance to FMC members, Aerially AssistedTrophy Hunting and the Big Game AnimalCouncil Bill, were currently being addressed byParliament but as they were currently beforereview committees he did not want to commentfurther on these matters at this stage. Instead,he focused on other issues that he felt wereimportant to the conservation portfolio. He iskeen to encourage additional engagement byDOC with partner organisations (such as FMC)and to seek their input into the managementor governance processes that relate to therecreational aspects of the department’s mandate- e.g. input into the hut and track network. MrDunne also emphasised that the concept ofpreservation should not equate to areas beingexclusively locked up (‘look but don’t touch’)and off limits to complementary recreationalactivities. Access was another important issueand the Associate Minister stressed that he wasopposed to any developments that would causeexclusive capture of public land (e.g. rivers orhunting blocks) and putting it off limits to all buta privileged few.Address by Jaz Morris, Otago UniversityTramping ClubJaz presented a well received talk and slideshow on Young People and the Outdoors. Heemphasised that many young people were stilldoing exciting and adventurous activities in NewZealand’s forests and mountains. To illustrate thepoint, he gave brief synopses accompanied bysome inspiring images of FMC Youth ScholarshipExpedition Award winners’ trips (Max Olsen;Transit River, Fiordland; and James Thornton;Glaisnock Wilderness, Fiordland) that tookplace over the previous summer season. He alsogave examples of other OUTC adventures thathave featured prominently in the club’s annualpublication Antics. The challenge FMC memberclubs face is how to capture members of theuniversity clubs once they leave tertiary studyand move into careers and family life.FMC Youth and Young AdultsScholarship Scheme: Round ThreeWinnersFMC, with the support of the FMC Mountainand Forest and Maerewhenua Trusts, awardedthree Youth and Young Adults Scholarships forthe third round of awards (closing date April2012). The winners were:• y Expedition Award ($1,000): Wouter vanBeershoten (Canterbury University TC)for a traverse of the Princess Range and aclimb of Caroline Peak in the vicinity ofLake Hauroko, Fiordland.• y Skills Award ($ 600): Chris Owen (NZAC,Canterbury) to attend a High Alpine SkillsCourse at Mt Cook.• y Skills Award ($ 500): Nicola Whelan-Henderson (St Hilda’s Collegiate, Dunedin)to attend a Mountain Skills for YouthCourse at Arthur’s Pass National Park.Applications for the fourth round ofscholarships close on Friday 7 September 2012,and include one $1,000 Expedition Award andthree $500 Skills Awards. See www.fmc.org.nzfor more details.August 2012 • FMC Bulletin 15

Pests Knocked Down in theKepler mountainsWork to return birdsong to the Keplermountains is in full swing with the firstknockdown of stoats and rats completed.Traps were set at the start of April and checkedfor the first time at the end of the month,resulting in 48 stoats, 37 rats and six mice inthe traps.This first knock-down follows an intensiveeight months of work by DOC contractorscutting tracks across a 3,000-hectare area ofthe Kepler Mountains. In March, FiordlandCollege students, Venture Scouts and membersof the local community then placed the 472stoat and rat traps at 100-metre intervals alongthese tracks. The traps were pre-baited with ahen’s egg to attract resident stoats to use thetunnels as a source of food.Murray Willans, Chair of the FiordlandConservation Trust said ‘This first knockdownis a milestone to be celebrated, and isthe result of several years of hard work andplanning behind the scenes.’The project’s principal sponsor is KidsRestore New Zealand, a programme underan Air New Zealand Environment Trust thatencourages leadership and environmentaleducation for young people. The CommunityTrust of Southland provided extra funding. Theexisting trapping undertaken by the KeplerChallenge committee and their volunteers willact as a ‘ring fence’ around this work, withmost of the pest control undertaken withinthe Kepler track area.Ruud Kleinpaste, of Kids RestoreNew Zealand said, ‘If we are serious aboutrestoring our New Zealand, we have to beserious about the the control, or better still theextermination, of introduced predators.’In the coming months intensive ratcontrol, using additional traps and baitstations, will be set up in a targetted areacovering 450 hectares from the control gatesto Brod Bay. Some extra traps will also be setup for feral cats.The aim of this project is to restore theKepler area to its former state. The overall16FMC Bulletin • August 2012focus is to reduce the number of pests, in the lower3,000 hectares of the Kepler and then eventuallyin the entire Kepler peninsula. From here, the nextstep is to bring back some of the species that arecurrently close to extinction in the area.Visit: www.fiordlandconservationtrust.org.nzOld FMC Logo RemainsAfter reviewing options for a newer, revampedFMC logo, the FMC executive has decided tostick with the old, tried and trusted one. Earlierthis year, the executive asked FMC Bulletin editorShaun Barnett to investigate a new logo, so heengaged designer Jo Kinley to come up with arange of options (see below). Barnett favoured achange, and liked the third logo on the left, butrespects the executive’s unanimous decision tostick with the traditional one.Logo options by Bulletin designer Jo Kinley

Hut Bookings on the Rees–DarttrackLast year, FMC submitted against a proposal tointroduce a booking system on the Rees–Darttrack in Mount Aspiring National Park. DOChas recently decided that a booking systemwill proceed and that it will run from 3 Januaryto 28 February each year. DOC acceptedFMC’s submission that it applies to the DartHut and campsite only, and that it will not beimplemented until the Annual Hut Pass can beused electronically as a payment method. Thismeans it won’t be operational until the 2013-14 summer. We still believe that the data usedwas inadequate to support a booking systemdecision. However, the inclusion of the AnnualHut Pass in the booking system augurs well forthis to be expanded to outside the Great Walks,and will stem the hut pass’s erosion of value inrecent years.David Barnes, FMC ExecutiveHydro-Electric PowerDevelopments on Wild RiversWest Power recently announced an intentionto resume investigations into the constructionof a ‘run of the river’ scheme on the WestCoast’s Waitaha River. The proposed 16-20MW scheme is similar to the Amethyst Projectnear Harihari (due to be completed in 2013)and involves taking water out of the river, pipingit downhill via a tunnel to flats below MorganGorge, and returning it to the river. The areainvolved comprises conservation ‘Stewardshipland’ and the project would require concessionsfrom DOC as well as concessions under theResource Management Act. FMC will monitorthe proposals closely. Interested readers shouldconsult the Parliamentary Commissionerfor the Environment’s recent report on wildrivers: www.pce.parliament.nz/publications/all-publications/hydroelectricity-or-wild-riversclimate-change-versus-natural-heritage/.Track Closures to protect Kauri inAucklandFrom 1 July, 13 kauri protection zones in theWaitakere Ranges Regional Park in Aucklandwere put in place to protect healthy kauritrees. Kauri dieback disease is widespread inthe Waitakere Ranges, but several pockets ofhealthy, apparently unaffected trees still exist.The Auckland Council has closed 15 tracksin these areas to form kauri protection zonesand to keep these areas free of the soil-bornedisease. These closures will be reviewed in ayear. The closed tracks total 27 kilometres (outof the 250+ kilometres of tracks throughoutthe Waitakere Ranges) with the Hillary Trailnot affected. The following tracks (or sectionsof track) will be closed:•y Robinsons Ridge Track – Cascade Kauri•y Chateau Mosquito – Anawhata•y RGB Track – Anawhata•y Walker Kauri Track – Waiatarua•y Dreamlands Track – Waiatarua•y Taumata Track – Waiatarua•y Lucy Cranwell Track – Piha•y La Trobe Track – Karekare•y Nuggets Track – Huia•y Crusher Pipeline Track – Parau•y Nihotupu Ridge Track – Parau•y Summit Track (between Nihotupu Ridgeand Hamiltons Farley Track) – Parau•y Farley Track – Parau•y Bob Gordon Track – Mt Donald McLean•y Manchester Unity Block (between VictoryRoad and Big Muddy Creek) – ParauClubs interested in a printed copy of theprotection areas map should contactCraig Bleakley at the Auckland Council.Visit: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz, orwww.kauridieback.co.nz.Safety in the MountainsThe new edition of FMC’s flagship outdoorskills publication Safety in the Mountains hasbeen printed. Prices are as follows: retail $9.95,FMC members $8 (available through www.fmc.org.nz). Clubs and member schools can buyit at a special bulk price of $50 for 10 copies(including GST and postage). Clubs or schoolswishing to order bulk copies should send theirorders with payment to Administration Officer,PO Box 1604, Wellington, or email admin@fmc.org.nz.August 2012 • FMC Bulletin 17

FMC Book NewsThree exciting new titleswill appear later thisyear. Te Papa Presswill publish Buller’sBirds of New Zealand,The complete workof JG Keulemans, byGeoff Norman. Thisis a complete, allnewedition of theclassic nineteenthcentury ornithological paintings of John GerrardKeulemans for Walter Buller’s A History of theBirds in New Zealand. As well as featuringfresh reproductions of the original watercolourpaintings, the book also tells the story of thisinternationally significant bird artist and his work.Geoff Norman is a Wellington tramper, designerand bird enthusiast.Shelter from the Storm, The Story ofNew Zealand’s Backcountry Huts details theremarkable history of ourhuts and profiles over90 huts in individualchapters. Written byShaun Barnett, RobBrown and GeoffSpearpoint, the 365-page hardback bookwill be published inOctober by CraigPotton Publishing. In several essays,covering farm, mining, deer-culling, trampingclub, science, memorial, DOC, Lands andSurvey, tourism and climbing huts, the authorsexplain the development of our backcountryhut network, one of the most extensive anddiverse in the world. The FMC Mountain andForest Trust supported publication of this bookwith a substantial $5,000 grant to offset the highproduction costs.Craig Potton Publishing has also producedanother fascinating book, due for release inAugust: Stag Spooner, Wild Man from the Bushby Chris Maclean. Stag (Neville) Spooner (1917-THE STORY OF NEW ZEALAND’S BACKCOUNTRY HUTSSHELTER FROM THE STORMBARNETTBROWNBuller’s BirdsOFNew ZealandTHE COMPLETE WORK OFJG KEULEMANSSHELTER FROM THE STORMTHE STORY OF NEW ZEALAND’S BACKCOUNTRY HUTS1946) was a governmentdeer culler in 1939 and1940, initially in theTararuas, and thenon the South Island’sWest Coast. While hissuccessful career as aculler was cut shortby the Second WorldWar, he did leavebehind a remarkable legacyfrom this period, an illustrated diary of hisexperiences that he entitled Those Wild Menfrom the Bush. The diary, which forms theheart of this book, is a fascinating chronicle ofthe life of a professional hunter, who somewhatunusually, was also an artist. In an extensivebiographical essay, Chris Maclean detailsSpooner’s life, not only as a hunter and artist,but also as an ambulance officer during the war.Maclean, a tramper, writer and historian, is wellknown for his landmark books Tararua, Kapitiand John Pascoe.Reviews of all three books, withextracts, will appear in the November2012 FMC Bulletin.Wairarapa Hut and TrackNews (from DOC Masterton)After a trial booking system at PowellHut last summer, DOC has decided toimplement a booking system for bothPowell and Jumbo Huts in TararuaForest Park for the 2012–2013 summer.Those wishing to stay at either hut between 1October 2012 and 30 April 2013 must bookwell in advance through the DOC website(www.doc.govt.nz). Bookings open on 1 August2012. Wardens will operate at both huts oversummer.Gas cooking facilities at Tutuwai, TotaraFlats and Mitre Flats huts will be permanentlyremoved in August 2012 to reduce costs. DOCwill continue to supply firewood to these threehuts.18FMC Bulletin • August 2012

Great Walks Hut and CampsiteFees StandardisedIn July, DOC introduced a new three-tieredpricing system for Great Walks huts andcampsites. Fees for the Great Walks huts andcampsites had varied around the country,leading to some confusion and inconsistency.The new system is simpler and sets uniformcharges. There was no change to the fees forthe other 940 DOC back-country huts aroundthe country.Great Walk Huts (per adult, per night)•y Tier 1: $54 (up $2.90) Milford, Routeburnand Kepler Tracks.•y Tier 2: $32 (previously between $30.60and $35.70) Abel Tasman Coast Track,Heaphy Track, Tongariro Northern Circuit,Whanganui Journey, Lake WaikaremoanaTrack.•y Tier 3: $22 (up $1.60) Rakiura Track.Campsites (per adult, per night)•y Tier 1: $15 – Serviced campsites – flushtoilets, tap water, kitchen/cooking bench,hot showers etc•y Tier 2: $10 – Scenic campsites – pit orcomposting toilets, water from tap/stream/lake.•y Tier 3: $6 – Standard campsites – pitor composting toilets, water from tap/stream/lake.‘Check, clean, dry’ stopping thespread of didymo in FiordlandDOC and Fish & Game are delighted that thetesting of 22 rivers in Fiordland National Park,previously known to be unaffected, showedno new signs of the invasive freshwater pestdidymo.DOC freshwater ranger LyndsayMurray said ‘This is our third year in a rowwith no new records of didymo. It’s a fantasticresult and shows that people’s willingness to‘Clean, Check and Dry’ all their gear continuesto help prevent didymo spreading further intothe pristine waters of Fiordland.’Ms Murraysaid that once didymo has established itself ina waterway there is no known way to eliminateit, so preventing it from spreading to new riversis critical.Didymo, first found in New Zealandduring 2004 in the lower Waiau River, has sincespread to many rivers and waterways in theSouthland Plains and along the eastern boundaryof Fiordland National Park (including Lakes TeAnau and Manapouri and the Eglinton River).Quick reaction by lead organisations (headedby Biosecurity New Zealand – MAFBNZ) andan engaging ‘Clean, Check, Dry’ campaign hasresulted in many Fiordland rivers remainingdidymo-free.Each year Fish & Game and DOCcollect water samples from selected sites andsend them to NIWA for analysis.Protection call for non-renewablewild rivers welcomedFMC and Forest and Bird both praised a recentreport on wild rivers and hydro-electricity,released by the Parliamentary Commissioner forthe Environment (PCE), Jan Wright.FMC President Richard Davies said,‘Trampers and climbers recognise thevulnerability of our remaining wild rivers, andthis report does an excellent job of identifyingthe policy changes that are required to give thema level of protection that befits their importanceto all New Zealanders.’Forest and Bird Advocacy Manager KevinHackwell said, ‘New Zealand’s wild riversshould not be paying the price for our demandfor energy. Our wild rivers are not a renewableresource. Dr Jan Wright has recognised that oncea river is dammed, it is lost forever. Her report isthorough and tackles the core issues.’Mountain Map WorkshopThe New Zealand Cartographic Society is hostinga workshop on mountain cartography at OPCTaurewa in September. Wellington cartographerGeoff Aitken will present a paper about themaking of the 1936 Tararua map (see: http://web.env.auckland.ac.nz/public/mcw2012/).The workshop will follow immediately after theNational Cartographic Conference (GeoCart’2012), held the preceding week in Auckland,see: http://web.env.auckland.ac.nz/public/geocart2012/.August 2012 • FMC Bulletin 19

Nelson Hut and Track News(from the Waimea Tramping Club newsletter)Kahurangi National ParkMountain Biking on Heaphy TrackThe second year of a three-year trial of mountainbiking on the Heaphy Track began at thebeginning of May and huts are heavily bookedfor the weekends. A one-kilometre section ofthe track in the MacKay Hill area has beenupgraded using a $5,000 donation by the NelsonMountain Bike Club, with another $5,500 formaterials given by mountain bike businesses.An estimated 1,700 mountain bikers rode thetrack last year.Heaphy TrackThe new Perry Saddle Hut was opened in June.The old hut site will be used for a campground.Construction of the new Heaphy Hut is expectedto be completed by the end of the year. Newswing-bridges have also been erected over theSwan Burn and the Gunner River.Leslie-Karamea HutsHuts on the Leslie-Karamea track have suffereddamage to the floors as a result of fishermenwearing spikes and instep crampons into the huts,particularly Crow Hut. Fishermen have also beenstaying for extended periods in the huts whenuse is limited to three consecutive nights, whichThe new Perry Saddle Hut Photo: DOC Golden Bayensures that the huts remain accessible for otherusers. The long-stay visitors have also flown ingear, including suitcases, which has occupied alarge amount of space within the huts as well asbeing out of character with what people expect.DOC invites any feedback on these issues.Mt Arthur HutVolunteers have helped paint the Mt ArthurHut. DOC is also seeking funding to replace theeight-bunk hut in the future. The new 16-bunkhut could be relocated 20 metres higher up theridge, above the bushline, and would includeimproved living space to cater for the hut’s21,000 visitors per year. DOC is keen to hearfrom those interested in plans for a new hut.Abel Tasman National ParkThe Totaranui Road was officially reopened inJune after repairs to the major slips and washoutsresulting from last December’s floods. TheAwapoto Hut’s roof has been repaired after atree fell on it.Anchorage Hut, the busiest hut in thecountry, will be replaced next year, with anincrease in capacity from 24 to 34 bunks– matching the bunk-space of nearby BarkBay Hut. Plans include four bunkrooms andincreased living space to better accommodatethe hut’s large number of visitors. The existing20FMC Bulletin • August 2012

hut will be closed and dismantled in May 2013to enable construction of the new hut in a similarlocation.Nelson Lakes National ParkFollowing the major avalanche behind John TaitHut four years ago, remedial work has beencarried out behind the hut to divert water andsnow. As well, DOC may periodically close thehut when this is warranted.The pre-Christmas floods resulted in the lossof the West Sabine swing-bridge and a replacementis planned for spring. One of the Travers Valleyswing-bridge towers was also damaged but areplacement bridge has been installed.No definite long-term plan has beendecided about the shelters on Mt Robert. Asa short-term measure DOC is consideringlocking Relax Shelter, to preserve its historicfabric. During May some remedial work wasundertaken on Bushedge Shelter includingremoving lead head nails. Another stage hasbeen completed of the Paddys track upgradeon Mt Robert. The Paddys-Pinchgut upgradeprogramme will take another year.West CoastDuring March, Cedar Flat Hut, inland fromHokitika, was extended from six bunks to twelvebunks. During April, DOC renovated KirwansHut in Victoria Forest Park, near Reefton.The hut’s eight classic wooden windows werecontinually leaking so they have been replacedwith double-glazed aluminium windows.Tararua Footprints guidebookavailable onlineMerv Rodgers’s comprehensive guidebookto the tramping tracks and routes of TararuaForest Park is now available online. TheTararua Footprints, A Tramper’s Guide to theTararua Ranges guidebook was published byCanterbury University Press in 1996, but hasbeen out of print for at least ten years. While theguidebook has not been updated, much of theinformation on times is still relevant and useful.Rodgers, a Tararua Tramping Club stalwart, hasgenerously made the book available free. See:http://ttc.org.nz/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TararuaFootprints/HomePage.FMCAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 21

A Canadian’s Perspective ofNew Zealand Tramping by Heidi KrajewskyHeidi Krajewsky and her husband Stephen Anstee on top of Mt Arthur, Kahurangi National Park Photo: Heidi KrajewskyMy Australian husband Stephen Anstee and Iarrived in New Zealand in October 2011, afterspending two years sailing across the Pacificfrom Canada in our small yacht. Our originalplan was to stay on our boat and cruise aroundthe country while we waited for the hurricaneseason to finish in the tropics. However, oncewe arrived we realised that we needed someserious exercise to rid ourselves of ‘boat body’.We soon discovered that we had stumbled uponthe hiker/bushwalker/tramper’s paradise.Canada, Australia and many of the otherplaces we’ve visited in between still havewonderful, vast tracts of wilderness, but theinfrastructure (tracks and huts) are nowherenear as extensive and accessible as what wefound here in New Zealand. The informationabout all these tramping opportunities was alsofantastic and easy for a foreigner to access –DOC visitor centres, I-sites and guidebooks inpublic libraries.We set ourselves a three-month itineraryand tried to cover as much of the country aspossible, varying the habitat we encounteredfrom alpine to forest to coastal. As our fitnessimproved, we slowly increased the length and22FMC Bulletin • August 2012

August 2012 • FMC Bulletin 23

difficulty of trips. For the sake of our limitedbudget we avoided the Great Walks and foundtracks that weren’t busy at all. We both work asecotourism guides in Canada, so our focus, aswell as tramping, was to see and appreciate asmuch of the native flora and fauna as we could.Often we took longer to cover the same distanceas others travelling the same way, but it wasimportant to us to take time, admire the sceneryand make sketches and notes along the way.In the end we tramped nearly 650kilometres (boat body mission successful) on10 different routes stretching from Cape Reingato Stewart Island. We spent 34 nights in ourtent and 39 in huts, and fell in love with NewZealand! I should also mention that we weretaken in by a few people that we met on thetrail for a night’s rest in comfort and showngenuine Kiwi hospitality and kindness. We werealso educated about the New Zealand trampingand outdoor culture by reading the variety andselection of magazines left in the huts (includingseveral FMC Bulletins) and reading through allthe comments in the hut books.Thank you New Zealand. This place ofyours is beautiful and I hope you can alwayskeep it that way.Iceberg Trail, Greenlandwww.highplaces.co.nz0800 305306South America • AfricaHimalayas • EuropeAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 25

Here is a summary of the walks that we didduring our stay:1. Cape Reinga Coastal Walkway: four days ofbeautiful beaches and coastline with lovelycampsites.2. Whirinaki Forest Park: a short three-day loopalong the Whirinaki and Mangamate valleyswith impressive podocarp forests.3. Kaimanawa Forest Park: two days along theUmukarikari Range for views of Tongariroand our first glimpse of alpine vegetation.4. Egmont National Park: bad weather on thecircuit around Mt Taranaki meant that ourbest views were driving up to the hike.5. Tararua Forest Park: we did two circuits overMt Holdsworth and Cone Ridge.6. Kahurangi National Park: up to Mt Arthurand the Tablelands, with the alpine flowersreally starting to bloom.7. The Travers-Sabine Circuit with a detour toLake Constance and Blue Lake, Nelson LakesNational Park.8. The Croesus Track in Paparoa National Park,with great views to Aoraki/Mount Cook.9. Arthur’s Pass National Park: up the AndrewsStream, Poulter River, over Minchin Pass,down Townsend Creek, the Taramakau River,Otehake River, and Lake Kaurapataka.10. The Northwest Circuit over 12 days inStewart Island (Rakiura National Park). Thiswas paradise for watching wildlife, especiallykiwi and seabirds!All illustrations by Heidi Krajewsky26FMC Bulletin • August 2012

FMCAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 27

FMC Youth Scholarships – ExpeditionReports from the Winners of Rounds One and Twoby Dennis Page with contributions from Max Olsen and James ThorntonThe following are summaries from our recent FMC Youth Scholarship,Expedition Award winners’ trips that took place during the summer of2011–12. For current information about the awards scheme, please consultthe FMC website (www.fmc.org.nz). The closing date for the next round ofawards is 7 September 2012.Max Olsen (22), Otago University Tramping Club, winner of the inauguralExpedition Grant.Transit River expedition, Fiordland National Park, 27 December 2011–6 January 2012.Although Max had initially planned to undertakehis trip during winter 2011, the lack of availableparty members to accompany him forced him topostpone the trip until summer. But as Max put it,‘this allowed us to plan a much more ambitioustrip.’ On the morning of 27 December 2011,Max and party members George O’Sullivan andTom McKellar were taken by boat to SandflyPoint, where they proceeded to walk up theMilford Track to the confluence of the ArthurRiver and Diamond Creek. This section of thetrip Max describes as ‘very entertaining, as wedrew plenty of confused looks from walkers andguides alike, probably due to our combinationof eleven-day transalpine packs and crocs (westayed in crocs until we left the track, not wantingto put unnecessary wear on our stiff boots).’From the confluence, Max describes travelup the true right of Diamond Creek as relativelystraightforward on obvious deer trails. Afterseveral hours, the party reached the bush edgeand gained spectacular views of the valley. Anhour later they found a delightful campsite besidea waterfall and a perfect swimming hole.Unfortunately, rain over the next couple ofdays meant somewhat miserable and slow travel.However, the prospect of good weather for dayfour motivated the party to keep moving in orderto reach the valley head and be strategicallyplaced to tackle the steep section between Pt1189 metres and the snowfields directly belowLady of the Snows. By the end of the third day,the weather did clear and from a well-positionedcampsite in the head of the Diamond, thetrampers undertook some route scouting, rightlyanticipating tough travel through the fearsomebluffs surrounding them.Reaching Lady of the Snows on day fourrequired strenuous efforts and considerable ropework, but fortunately perfect weather helpedto ensure success. The rocky ridgeline abovethe snowfield, not far from Lady of the Snows,provided a perfect lunch location, with views ofall the surrounding peaks and the sea in the west.Max even managed a quick ascent of the ‘Lady’while later that afternoon, Tom and Georgemade possibly the second recorded ascent of Pt1811 metres. From their 1,500-metre campsitenext to a snowfield, they watched the sunsetover the ocean, one of the trip’s unforgettablehighlights for Max.New Year’s Eve provided further highlights,with the group managing to reach Lake Moreton,although this did require several 20 to 25-metresections of rope-work. Max describes the lake asbeing ‘every bit as spectacular as I had imagined,and we wasted no time in swimming in the lake,and bathing in the tarns around it. After dark we28FMC Bulletin • August 2012

had dinner, and, it being New Year’sEve, we sat around a fire on the solidgranite lakeshore until turning in late,in the rock bivvy that lies right besidethe outlet.’The good weather continued intothe New Year and the party broke newground by descending from the ridgeabove Lake Moreton to the TransitRiver. Max takes up the story: ‘Fromabout 1,260 metres we headed directlynorth down a steep and somewhatunnerving section of exposed rock andsnow-grass. Fortunately, this sectiondidn’t last for long, and we weresoon back on beautiful granite slabs,progressively more interspersed withpatches of snow as we approachedPt 1508.Views in every direction werebreathtaking, but the view back toLake Moreton, with its sheer waterfalloutlet, was particularly impressive. Afteradmiring the views for some time fromPt 1508, George descended to set upcamp on a plateau under Pt 1017,while Tom and I put in an ascent of Pt1549. This summit, with an enjoyable,if exposed, steep snow-grass climb,gives perfect views of Lake Ronald andits ultramafic mini-Red Hills, as well asthe Transit Valley, and Mt Pembroketo the north.‘I would probably have to rate thePt 1017 campsite as my favourite of alltime. From the plateau, the land dropssheer for nearly 700 metres straightinto the valley, and the cliff-edge evenfeatured a ‘diving-board’ rock, whichwe were able to peek over for thrills.When we turned in, I went straightto sleep, but George and Tom werekept awake by parrot screeches andwhat George described as a rhythmicbooming sound. Knowing that wewere in one of the last places wherekakapo had been found in the wild, weLady of the Snows from snowfields near Pt 1811 Photo: Max OlsenMax Olsen on a ridgeline above the Transit Valley, withLake Moreton beyond Photo: Max Olsenreported the noises to DOC upon our return, but a DOCteam sent in to look, found nothing.’On the following day the threesome completedtheir descent to the Transit: ‘perhaps the least pleasanttravel we encountered on the trip and comprising a lot ofswearing at leatherwood. Our route included two abseils,but on reflection, one of these could probably have beenavoided. The area between the 400–600 metre contoursincluded some very unpleasant and steep scrub whichmight not be a lot of fun in the other direction, or withanything other than perfect weather.’Fortunately, after they reached the Transit Rivertravel was easier for the most part, although by nowtheir food was running out. They made unsuccessfulattempts to catch trout in the river while en route forAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 29

Transit Beach, with thickets of ongaonga andkiekie and occasional swamps to negotiate. Theparty had better luck fishing from rocks at thebeach, and augmented subsequent meals byTangaroa’s bounty.After a rest day at Transit Beach, wherevicious sandflies harassed the party, the final fullday of the trip comprised a seven-hour trampover the hills to Anita Bay (Milford Sound) inthe rain. On their last night, the team campedin a ruined stone cottage in front of a blazingrata-fuelled fire before Rosco’s Kayaks collectedthem the following morning.The expedition has clearly left a positiveand indelible impression on Max who describesit as ‘the most amazing tramping trip I have everdone.’ I hope others have been suitably inspiredby his team’s accomplishments, which made theperfect start for the FMC Awards Scheme.James Thornton (23), Otago University Tramping Club,winner of the Second Expedition Grant.Glaisnock Wilderness expedition, Fiordland National Park, 27 January–8 February 2012.James initially intended to set out fromthe Worsley River (accessed by boatacross Lake Te Anau) and then intothe head of the Castle River. From theCastle headwaters, his team planned totraverse Barrier Peak and descend intothe head of the Dark River, followed bytravel to Bligh Sound via Lake Grave,Robb Creek and Saddle, the BernardBurn and the Wild Natives River. Theyplanned to return to Lake Te Anau,via the Glaisnock River, by one ofthe several possible routes, includingCone and Edith Saddles, the tops inthe vicinity of Lake Beddoes, or OilskinPass and Edith Saddle depending onconditions. In all, the party planned for10 days of solid travel with additionaltime allowed for exploration, climbingor bad weather delays.On 27 January, a party of sixthat comprised James Thornton, TomMckellar, Max Olsen, Alexis Belton,George O’Sullivan and Nina Dickerhof,jet-boated across Lake Te Anau to theWorsley River mouth in good weather.They camped at the confluenceof the Worsley and Castle Rivers.Unfortunately, a series of fronts soondelivered volleys of bad weather tothe region, forcing the party to modifyParty members on the ‘Olsen Traverse’ – a rope handrail erected byparty member Max Olsen to assist the group ascend a slope in theupper Castle River Photo: Nina DickerhofThe party enjoy lunch above Saint’s Creek Photo: Nina Dickerhof30FMC Bulletin • August 2012

their original plans. On the second day, James Lake’ owing to a small turtle-shaped islandrecorded: ‘Rain, heavy packs and a flooded near its centre. The campsite served as a usefulriver slowed us down considerably in travelling vantage point for exploring more of the Franklinto the head of the Castle. With a forecast of Mountains. Two of the party, Max and Alexis,some rough weather coming through over the swam out to the island from opposite sides ofnext couple of days, we spent the next morning the lake, and then raced each other to the top.route-scouting. We managed to get through a In addition, the group also spent an afternoonbluff that barred access to gentler slopes above climbing the highest peak of the range, Pt 1785,the Castle’s cirque. The bluff involved a couple via the northeast ridge.of pitches and a nasty wee traverse across a The group spent their penultimate daysteep, wet and vegetated watercourse. Dark ascending Pt 1709 and Mt Kane, beforeclouds were brooding to the west, and with an travelling south-west along the tops to whatunsure decent we decided to head back down James describes as a lovely campsite beside ato our camp in the early afternoon. We spent the couple of tarns on the tops between Newtonnext couple of days in our tents as some rough and Nitz Creeks. On the final day of the trip, theweather came through.’group descended into the Glaisnock and arrivedAt the head of the Castle on day seven, at Glaisnock Hut around lunchtime. ‘We thenwith a single good day of weather forecast, spent the rest of the day being driven slightlythe party decided to set off with daypacks to mad by the heat and the sandflies.’ However, ‘aattempt Barrier Peak, a prominent landmark pleasant boat ride the next morning down Lakelying between the Castle, Worsley and Dark Te Anau’s North Fiord, and through the famousRivers. However, further drizzle and poor ‘narrows,’ was a nice way to finish a splendidvisibility prevented the group from climbing out tramp. We didn’t quite get into the countryof the Castle’s cirque until about midday. ‘After that we initially intended to, but we still had aa miserable lunch we decided to give the bluff a superb trip, and I’m now brimming with ideasgo, the rock was getting reasonably dry, although for further trips into the area. Thanks FMC, forvisibility was still quite poor. It was only once making the trip possible!’we were above the bluff that the sun began to For more of Nina Dickerhof’s photos of the trip, see:pierce through the murk. Barrier Peak is a classichttp://ninadickerhof.smugmug.com/Tramping-in-New-Zealand/Fiordland/Castle-River-Barrier-Peak.Fiordland mountain, with steep valley walls thatFMCgive way to more gently angled terrain, before afinal, steep, summit pyramid. We climbed thesouth-east ridge of the peak, and although atFMCPACKfirst this looked rather imposing, it turned outLINERSto be an enjoyable scramble on solid granite.’Keep gearThe party reached the summit at around six indry in rainthe evening, and they were intrigued to find aand gorgespiece of string tied around a summit cairn rock.They later discovered that their friend, DaniloSize:Hegg, had left it there.1,100mm x 520mmWith a poor forecast issued for the2 bagsremaining five days of their trip, the partyMember Price $5.00Non-member $7.50reassessed plans and opted to traverse theFranklin Mountains south to the Glaisnock. AfterFor info on bulkretracing part of their route back down the Castleorders and discountsRiver, they travelled up Saints Creek and basedor to order visit:themselves at a camp by an unnamed lake belowwww.fmc.org.nzMt Kane. The group soon christened it ‘TurtleAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 31

New ZealandOUTDOORS INTENTIONS FORMSafety is your responsibility so tell someone, it could save your life | www.adventuresmart.org.nzOUTDOOR USER INSTRUCTIONSOUTDOORS USER(S) may select either of these options tocomplete your Outdoors Intentions details via a downloadable form.Option 2a. Download the form. Save to your system. Print form.Complete details by hand and give to your TRUSTED CONTACT.Option 2b. Download the form. Save to your system. Typedirectly into the form. Save file. Attach to an email and send toyour TRUSTED CONTACT.None of the fields on the form are compulsory, but the moredetails you provide, the better the search and rescue agencieswill be able to respond should the alert be raised.By using this form you agree to the terms and conditions.Whatever method you use, it is recommended that you checkthat your TRUSTED CONTACT has received your OutdoorsIntentions prior to leaving on your trip.Remember to tell your Trusted Contact as soon as you havereturned safely, to avoid unnecessary alarm and possibleinvolvement from New Zealand Police.For tips, advice and links to help keep you safe throughoutyour land, snow, water, boating and air activities in NewZealand, visit www.adventuresmart.org.nzTRUSTED CONTACT INSTRUCTIONSYou have been nominated as the TRUSTED CONTACT for theOUTDOORS USER listed below, so you can raise the alarm andcontact the appropriate authorities if for any reason they do notreturn by the expected date and time below.At the ‘expected date and time’ below, immediately tryand contact the ‘OUTDOORS USER’ directly, if you have notalready heard from them.If unsuccessful try and contact other group members (ifapplicable).If unsuccessful wait 1 hour and then repeat the process ofcontacting the OUTDOORS USER and if applicable other groupmembers. If unsuccessful and you are extremely concernedor bad weather has set in, go straight to contacting the NewZealand Police.If you are still unsuccessful in contacting the OUTDOORS USERor any members of the party, telephone 111 (or if outside NewZealand call +64 4 381 2000) ask for the Police and tell themyou wish to report a missing person(s) who is on a trip in theoutdoors and has not returned by the expected date and time.You will need to provide the Police with the information below.EXPECTED DATE OF RETURNAMD D / M M / Y Y TIME :PMWHAT ARE YOU DOING AND WHERE ARE YOU GOING?Start Date:D D / M M / Y Y Time:AM:Intended track/route/huts and alternatives:PMActivity:Note: Always enter your progress and changes to plan in hut logbooks, even if you don’t stay overnight.1OUTDOOR USER/LEADER DETAILS (Overseas visitors please include your passport number and your nationality.)Family name:First name:Address or PassportNumber & Nationality:Cell Number:Home Phone:Medical Conditions& Medication:2WHO ARE YOUR GROUP MEMBERS? (Overseas visitors please include your passport number and your nationality.)Name:Phone:Medical Conditions & Medication:Address/Passport No./Nationality:3Name:Phone:Medical Conditions & Medication:Address/Passport No./Nationality:

ADDITIONAL GROUP MEMBERS? (Overseas visitors please include your passport number and your nationality.)4Name:Phone:Medical Conditions & Medication:Address/Passport No./Nationality:5Name:Phone:Medical Conditions & Medication:Address/Passport No./Nationality:6Name:Phone:Medical Conditions & Medication:Address/Passport No./Nationality:* If you need to add more group members, please download the additional group members form.WHAT TYPE OF EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT ARE YOU CARRYING?Wet weather gear and thermal clothingSatellite phone number:GPSFirst Aid KitMountain Radio Call sign:Extra foodSurvival KitOther:Emergency ShelterPersonal Locator BeaconFirearms (with spare emergency ammunition)HOW ARE YOU TRAVELLING TO AND FROM THE AREA?Type of vehicle etc. Please also include name of bus/rental car company, if applicable:If you are leaving a vehicle in the area for your return, please provide details below:Registration no: Make and model: Colour: Parked at:WHERE WILL YOU BE GOING AFTER LEAVING THE AREA?e.g. name/address/telephone of accommodation:SUPPORTED BY FEDERATED MOUNTAIN CLUBS > WWW.FMC.ORG.NZRemember to tell your Trusted Contact as soon as you have returned safely.Terms & ConditionsThe Outdoors Intentions form is provided free of charge but without warrant or guarantee. ‘OUTDOORS USER’ refers to the person using the form to complete their OutdoorsIntentions. ‘TRUSTED CONTACT’ refers to the person that the ‘OUTDOORS USER’ gives their Outdoors Intentions form to, whether it be via electronic or hard copy means.The process relies on the OUTDOORS USER providing correct and comprehensive information. No responsibility is accepted for users providing incorrect information, includingincorrect email addresses. The process relies on the TRUSTED CONTACT receiving the information from the OUTDOORS USER and following the designated process as setout on the form. It is recommended that the OUTDOORS USER checks that their TRUSTED CONTACT has received the Outdoors Intentions (by whatever means chosen) priorto leaving on a trip. It is the responsibility of the OUTDOORS USER to ensure that the TRUSTED CONTACT they select is willing and able to respond and follow the processcontained within the information they receive. No responsibility is accepted for the TRUSTED CONTACT not receiving the information or not following the correct process.The timeliness and accuracy of a search and rescue response depends somewhat on the quality, quantity and accuracy of the information that is provided by the OUTDOORSUSER to the TRUSTED CONTACT and that the TRUSTED CONTACT follows the process correctly. No guarantee is given regarding search and rescue response. Internet andtelecommunications providers do not guarantee uptime of their systems or delivery of electronic messages. Postal services do not guarantee timeframes of delivery of physicalletters, parcels or packages. By using the Outdoors Intentions form you accept that you have read, understood and agree to the terms and conditions above.

This year, groups travelled to Tasmania, SouthAustralia and the Outback, the Larapinta Trail, Peru,Bolivia, the Italian Dolomites, Austrian Stubaier andthe Swiss Alps. When you read this, the AegeanTrilogy (Croatia, Albania and the Corfu Trail) willbe under way. Many enquiries mean we intend tooffer it again in 2013 – read below.PERU / BOLIVIA (departs May 2013) The2012 programme reduces to five weeks with lesshigh altitude and camping. All the ‘greats’ thatmake a tramping adventure here fantastic remain:Nazca Lines, Cusco, Inca Trail, a home-stay onTiticaca, La Paz, the Choro Trek, Amazon, Andes,Uyuni salt plains and Pisco Sours. Eileen Cameronleads you through her favourite continent.Europe programme:UK MEGA (departs May 2013) Linkablemodules.Module 1 England and North Wales: Coast toCoast Walk, Hadrian’s Wall, Snowdonia andmore.Module 2 Scotland: The West Highland Way,three islands, Ben Nevis, Loch Ness, and a ride ona steam train.Module 3 Ireland: An anti-clockwise circuitfrom Belfast to Dublin, featuring mountain, hilland coastal tramps while exploring this ancientlandscape and enjoying Irish hospitality.FMC travel clubICELAND (departs July 2013) Andy Dennisleads another popular adventure to the enigmaticland of fire and ice. Varied tramping and touring.Tick Iceland off your bucket list in 2013! Optionallyadd Greenland too. Contact us now.KYRGYZSTAN (departs July 2013) Seekingthirsty adventurers! Into the heart of the Tien Shan(Celestial Mountains) to Khan Tengri base camp(4,100 metres). A tramping adventure with Cossackand Chinese influences as well as stunning scenery.Already seen the Himalayas or Andes? Try this fora change! Eileen Cameron leads. Contact us now.TOP END AUSTRALIA (departs July 2013)Kakadu, the Jatbula Trail and Litchfield. Mainlycamping, with escarpments, gorges, waterfalls,wetlands and wildlife aplenty. The timeless NorthernTerritory will appeal to those who love Australia.Colin McNatty leads this adventure.ADRIATIC TRILOGY (departs September2013) Croatia, newly emerging Albania (excellentmountain tramping, World Heritage listed sites)and the Corfu Trail in Greece. Great combination,contact us now!JOURNEY TO KILIMANJARO (departsSeptember 2013) We spend longer acclimatisingto ensure a high success rate at summiting thisGlen Coe in flood, Aonach Dubh (Three Sisters) beyond, Scotland Photos: Shaun Barnett Black Robin Photography34FMC Bulletin • August 2012

African peak. Excellent infrastructure and support.Ideally, add Mt Kenya as a prequel and a safari orrelaxation at Zanzibar to follow. Contact us to seehow it all works. A brilliant trip!NEW ENGLAND / CANADA MARITIMES(departs September 2013) A thoroughexploration of complementary areas, not yet fullyresearched as we go to print. Get on the contactslist and stay informed as plans evolve.PATAGONIA (departs November 2013)Repeating our successful 2011 trip with EileenCameron. Huge in scope and features, this regionwill amaze. Torres del Paine, Tierra del Feugo,glaciers, Chilean fiords, volcanoes and mightyIguazu Falls – an adventure of great contrast.MIDDLE EAST TRILOGY (2014) Issues beyondour control resulted in a delay until early 2014.Jordan, Sinai and Israel. Stunning deserttramping through mountains, gorges and wadisincluding the new ‘Inca Trail’ of the Middle East,incomparable Petra and Wadi Rum. Experiencedawn from Mt Sinai; complete the Jesus Trail inIsrael. The landscapes, history and hospitality willoverwhelm!Most trips are priced beginning at the startingplace, not from New Zealand, meaning flexibility todesign a unique holiday using our trips as modules.FMC travel clubAll need a minimum number of participants and acommitment to join, or they don’t run. So register assoon as practicable. We can organize your flightsand travel insurance too.All trips provide income to FMC, once they reachminimum numbers. If you want to support FMCwhile enjoying an overseas tramping-focused tripwith fellow Kiwi trampers, make your first choicethe FMC Travel Club.www.heritage-expeditions.com andwww.wildearth-travel.comNatural history expedition cruises to our sub-AntarcticIslands, Antarctica, and now specialist nature-watchcruises around the world. Unique, amazing, cuttingedge – the finest of their type! By booking throughthe FMC Travel Club or mentioning your FMCassociation, FMC will receive a financial reward.Contact John Dobbs for more information, or visitthe respective websites. Thanks for supporting FMCby considering this wonderful new opportunity.Lastly, check the travel club pages onwww.fmc.org.nz for updates between Bulletins.All enquiries toJohn Dobbs, FMC Travel Club ConvenorTel: 06 835 2222, fax: 06 835 4211email: john@tsnapier.co.nzGraveyard at Priory ruin (15th Century), Bellinskelligs, County Kerry, IrelandAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 35

Arthur’s Pass CallingGerald Bruce-Smith reports onpest-busting in the national park36FMC Bulletin • August 2012

Beyond the tramper’s obligatory track-side glances in Arthur’s PassNational Park, there’s a lot of privately funded and managed bird speciesrecovery work going on.The South Island’s first national park – and the nation’s third – ishome to a number of endangered birds, including the Great Spottedkiwi, kea, whio and rock wren. With the threat of predation becomingincreasingly recognised in the late 1990s, several key conservation andrecovery projects have established in recent years.By 2003 resident mountaineer Graeme Kates became so concernedwith the increasing sightings of stoats and the diminished morning chorusin Arthur’s Pass Village, that he initiated his own local trapping project.The initial catches well surpassed even his expectations.In early 2005 a partnership was formed between the Arthur’sPass community, the BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust (BNZSTKT) and DOC.Together, these groups established an extensive trapping network fromthe Otira Valley carpark to Klondyke Corner. Funded by the BNZSTKT,with on-going voluntary input from the community, this network hassince significantly expanded.Kiwi with radio transmitters are monitored using telemetry andtracker dogs. In 2008, several kiwi chicks were discovered during routinemonitoring – an exciting discovery. Increased funding enabled a study ofthe kiwi population: its territories, health, habits and – most importantly– chick survival. A decision to leave all chick incubations in situ providedan effective gauge of the predator control work. Around 30 birds arecurrently monitored, including 12 known pairs.Other birds benefit from the trapping work, and the morning chorushas improved progressively. Several ‘lost’ species have also returnedto the valley. Kea numbers within the Bealey Valley have remainedencouragingly healthy, with kereru and weka encounters no longerunexpected. In December 2010, this project was incorporated as theArthur’s Pass Wildlife Trust, a charitable trust.Another significant turning-point for the future of whio within thenational park came in 2005. Some people had concerns that a declinein blue duck numbers in the Deception and Mingha catchments wascaused by disturbance during the annual Coast to Coast race. However,race organsier Robin Judkins countered by initiating the Coast to CoastBlue Duck Recovery Programme. The programme established predatorcontrol through the valleys to show that stoats and rats provided a muchgreater threat, and were the real cause of decline.Such alpine river headwaters are now recognized as the last bastionsfor whio on the eastern side of the Southern Alps. Given sufficientprotection from predators, whio populations from these valleys shouldspread into the adjacent territories, thereby providing a sustainablepopulation.Improving predator control has been a driving force for thisrecovery programme, and under trapper Sam McLeod’s management hasexpanded into the upper, east and lower Edwards, the lower Bealey, theWhio in the Crow Valley Photos: Gerald Bruce-SmithAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 37

Sam McLeod laying traps in the Edwards ValleyOtira, and more recently from the WaimakaririBridge upstream, through into the White and upto Campbell Pass. Whio sighting cards are placedin the key huts, with the DOC biodiversity teamat Rangiora monitoring numbers from reportedsightings.This extensive Coast to Coast predatorcontrol network also provides protection forother bird species including kea, rock wren,falcon and particularly Great Spotted kiwi, whichcan be heard from several huts in the area.Private trapping in the Crow Valleycommenced in 2008, with whio returningand successfully breeding the next year afteran absence of several decades. They providecompany for a male kiwi that journeyed over thetops from McGrath Creek several years ago.To contain the potential movement ofmustelids up the true right of the WaimakaririRiver, and improve predator control at andon Bealey Spur, the local community has alsoimproved their trap placement and monitoringover the past year, with encouraging results.Together, all these trapping regimes,combined with DOC’s extensive work in theHawdon and Poulter Valleys, give an impressivecoverage of the national park and will hopefullyhalt the decline of native bird species.Trampers and climbers will no doubt bethe best judges of the success of these recoveryprogrammes, and can assist by recordingsightings in hut logbooks or reporting them toDOC. For a comprehensive record of the Trust’swork visit the website www.apwt.org.nz and seetheir display at the Arthur’s Pass Visitor Centre.Gerald Bruce-Smith is the secretary and trustee of the Arthur’sPass Wildlife Trust and a NZAC member.Editor’s note: During a five-day trip to the Hawdon and Edwardsvalleys this February, I was impressed by the birdlife. We sawnumerous kea, heard kiwi every night, and observed twogroups of rock wren.FMCWeasels: small but deadly38FMC Bulletin • August 2012

$120 Round Trip

Planning Your Words CarefullyExecutive member David Barnes asks why some DOC staffinterpret ‘should not’ in a management plan to mean‘oh, alright then’.40FMC Bulletin • August 2012

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “itmeans just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”– Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking GlassI’m starting to wonder why we bother withnational park management plans, and whygroups like FMC put so much time and effortparticipating in the planning process. Mypessimism arises from the constant flow ofconcession applications for activities that areclearly, on any reasonable reading of the plan,not allowed, and the repeated ‘approval inprinciple’ of these activities by Departmentof Conservation decision-makers. The threethat come to mind – the Routeburn tunnel,aerial trophy hunting in the Olivine WildernessArea, and an increase in guided walkers on theRouteburn Track (all in Mount Aspiring NationalPark) – are, at the time of writing, still awaiting theoutcome of a submission and hearing process.However, in my view, none of them should havegot to that point in the first instance. It seemsto me that DOC is sometimes misdirected onwhich tests it needs to consider.There’s a convention that statutory planningdocuments should not fetter the ultimatediscretion of the Minister (who, in practical terms,almost always delegates the decision to a DOCofficial). For that reason, plans rarely contain anoutright prohibition on matters that the Ministermust legally decide. Rather, they use terms like‘should not’. But the General Policies on NationalParks and in most cases the plans themselvesmake it quite clear that ‘should’ or ‘should not’means something that should only be departedfrom in ‘exceptional circumstances’. I don’t seeanything exceptional about any of the proposalsmentioned above to warrant over-riding the clearintention of the plan.DOC staff prepare an ‘Officer’s Report’that summarises the concession application,details any statutory or management planconsiderations, reports the views of area officestaff, and lists any special conditions to beapplied if the concession is granted. It’s thebasis of the decision. In all three of these cases,the decision-maker approved the concession,subject to public notification, submissions anda hearing. (Concessions can be granted on anon-notified basis, but usually only when theactivity is compliant and unlikely to be of publicinterest.) In each of the cases, the report makesno attempt to describe anything about theproposed activity that makes it ‘exceptional’ ina way that warrants a radical departure from thenational park management plan.Of perhaps even greater concern, in eachcase the report focuses on effects, and concludesthat they would be acceptable, using terms like‘not more than minor’. This is not something thatshould be considered unless the exceptional testis met. It doesn’t actually matter if the activitywill have absolutely no effect on ecosystems orother users if it’s not an allowed activity.In each of these three cases, the applicantshad (and, I believe, took) the opportunity tocontribute to the planning process. Despite that,DOC staff did not recommend that their viewsbe accepted, and nor did the ConservationBoard, the Conservation Authority or theMinister – each of whom has to sign off theplan. Having lost that battle, these applicantsare trying to have another bite at the apple,and some DOC staff seem to be bending overbackwards to allow this.A formal process exists for seeking changesto management plans. Concessionaires who can’tlive with a management plan are able to initiatethat process. The integrity of our managementplanning process needs to be defended – by parkusers and by DOC staff. Those DOC staff whowork so hard to get a really good plan, one thattakes into account a wide range of communityviews, must despair at these repeated attemptsto bastardise their work.Once a national park management planis in place, we shouldn’t have to keep fightingrearguard actions. The plan supposedly providescertainty, and it’s time for DOC to say ‘No’ toactivities not allowed by management plans.Darryn Pegram descends off Fiery Col, Olivine Wilderness Area, Mount Aspiring National ParkPhoto: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin PhotographyFMCAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 41

Forest and Bird’s Mokihinui River shareVictory for Mokihinui Riverby Shaun BarnettThe Mokihinui River, located in north Westland,drains the southwestern mountains of KahurangiNational Park, including the Thousand AcresPlateau. It’s wild, earthquake-ravaged country,with the river’s several major tributaries includingthe Hemphill, the North Branch and SouthBranch.One of New Zealand’s largest remainingwild rivers, it supports a range of endangeredwildlife including blue duck as well as the SouthIsland long-tailed bat and two giant land snailspecies. Long-fin eel and the giant and shortjawedkokopu inhabit the river.Trampers, hunters, and anglers all enjoythe area’s forest and tracks, and the river itselfprovides outstanding opportunities for raftingand kayaking. A planned new mountain biketrail from Lyell to Mokihinui on the ‘Old GhostRoad’ is being constructed.42FMC Bulletin • August 2012

This timeline celebrates the recent victory over the decision notto dam the Mokihinui.1996 Kahurangi National Park is formed, butcontroversially, the Mokihinui catchment isexcluded, and it remains as Stewardship land.March 2008 Crown-owned energy companyMeridian announces its intentions to build an85-metre-high, 300-metre-wide dam on thelower Mokihinui, which would create a 14-kilometre-long reservoir, and flood 330 hectaresof forest.2008 Immediate opposition to the dam comesfrom FMC, Forest and Bird, Fish & Game, theNZ Rafting Association, the NZ RecreationalCanoeing Association, Whitewater NZ, WorldWildlife Fund NZ, the Green Party, the NewZealand Historic Places Trust and the BullerConservation Group, among others.10 April 2008 FMC’s submission to the WestCoast Regional Council opposes the dam.May 2008 Forest and Bird’s Nelson campaignerDebs Martin writes ‘Mokihinui Magic’ article inForest and Bird.August 2008 FMC runs major articles inthe Bulletin condemning the dam proposal.Executive member Quentin Duthie writes ‘TheMokihinui is one of the few rivers on the Coastthat is challenging enough to create a qualitywhitewater experience, yet it is also a suitablywild river for first-timers like me; a perfectintroduction to the joys of whitewater recreationin wild places, yet still attractive to old hands.’August-November 2008 The resource consenthearings begin.April 2010 Resource consents to dam the riverare granted to Meridian. Forest and Bird lodgesan appeal against the consents.May 2010 The Department of Conservationlodges an objection to the dam in the EnvironmentCourt. Environmental groups also plan for battlein the court.September 2010 Craig Potton’s Wild Riverstelevision documentary series screens on PrimeTV, with the first episode devoted to the wildvalues of the Mokihinui.March 2011 Forest and Bird produces a $100Mokihinui River share to raise funds to fight thedam proposal.May 2012 Hydroelectricty or wild rivers?Climate change versus natural heritage reportpublished by Parliamentary Commissioner forthe Environment, Dr Jan Wright. It states ‘On theone hand hydroelectricity helps New Zealandreach its target of 90% renewable electricity by2025 and supports its ‘clean and green’ image.Yet while the scenic rivers are also part of thatclean green image, there is a fundamental aspectwhich is that once altered a wild and scenic rivercannot be remade.’22 May 2012 Meridian cancels the project, andwithdraws from the Environment Court case.17 July 2012 The West Coast Tai PoutiniConservation Board announces its support foradding the Mokihinui River and catchment toKahurangi National Park.FMCL-R: Nelson photographer and conservationist Craig Potton photographing the Mokihinui River gorge. Nelsonpublisher, tramper and conservationist Derek Shaw (author of the 1991 North West Nelson Tramping Guide) on the‘Suicide Slip’ section of the Mokihinui River track. Photos: Andy DennisAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 43

WeatherWind in the MountainsBy Leigh Matheson, Metservice ForecasterThe ‘Taieri Pet’ cloud formation provides evidence of high winds above Te Papanui Conservation Park, Otago.Photo: Antony HamelHave you ever wondered why you can fightthrough screaming winds on a saddle to latersit on the peak in relatively light conditions?Or that some parks are constantly batteredby strong winds, while others aren’t so much?Well, I did.The answer is not a particularly simpleone, but the best analogy is that mountains (inmost cases) are like rocks in a river.Watching changes in river flow, and howthe water behaves as it flows around the rocks,is largely how air behaves when encounteringthe mountains. However, there are somedifferences, because air is not uniform in densityand temperature like a river, and water vapourreadily changes state within the atmosphere,adding or removing energy as it does so. So, insome cases the air is encouraged to flow around,rather than over the mountains, while in otherinstances air will readily lift, or is forced to lift.The strength of mountain winds thereforedepends largely on the state of the atmosphere,or in other words, the large-scale weathersituation.44In the region of a broad trough or low pressuresystem, the air is in a ‘lifting environment’, sowhen pushed against the ranges it will oftenfreely rise over the mountains. In these cases,the wind is often less markedly different betweensaddles and the peaks and you can expect theair speed to increase with height.In the region of high pressure, the air is in a‘sinking or stable environment’, so is resistant tobeing pushed over higher peaks and will insteadflow through gaps and saddles. Contrary to theidea that air speed increases with height, inlight and moderate flows, the wind will insteadincrease about the saddles and gaps.However, as the wind speed becomesstronger for example, as a front approachesbehind a retreating ridge the strengthening flowwill eventually force air over the higher rangesand peaks, greatly enhancing the wind speedas it does so. The most common situationsto experience these very strong winds occurwhen a front moves in from the south behinda retreating ridge, or when a ridge strengthensrapidly behind a southerly change. In theseFMC Bulletin • August 2012

advancing or retreating ‘stable’ environments,the strongest winds can be experienced, withhurricane force winds not unusual.The photo taken in Otago highlights aclassic lenticular cloud, which forms in suchenvironments when the wind becomes verystrong. As the air ‘pours’ over the ridge tops,then rapidly descends on the lee side, it causesthe air to bounce and create waves downstream(you can see this downstream of boulders in ariver). At the top of the wave, the water vapourbriefly condenses before it sinks again, creatingthese clouds. The air speed through these cloudscan be in excess of 180 kilometres per hour, yetthe cloud itself remains stationary as the waveremains stationary.This particular lenticular cloud is knownas the ‘Taieri Pet’ which is fairly common overOtago’s Taieri Plains. In this case, the windhas met a number of ranges upstream in justthe right sequence, which amplifies the wave,creating a greater area of lift in that region andhence causing a thicker, layered-looking cloudto form.If you are concerned about extreme winds overa particularly sensitive part of your trip, askyourself these questions.1. Is the park exposed to that particulardirection of wind? Will it be lying parallel orperpendicular to the flow? (The air speed willbe enhanced if the flow is directly againstthe range.)2. What does the weather map tell you? Doyou have a retreating or developing ridge ofhigh pressure? (This could be an indicatorof very strong winds – check the forecast forconfirmation.)Check the forecast. The forecast gives a generalview of the flow strength over the range, expectdifferences in the strength depending on yourlocation within the range, but if the forecast windis high, expect a rough day out on the tops!For more information on this topiccheck out Erick Brenstrum’s blog at http://blog.metservice.com/2009/09/ridge-top-winds/.If you have mountain weather questions, email them tobulletin@fmc.org.nz, and we will ask Leigh to answer them infuture weather columns.FMCAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 45

Huts as HeritageBig Hut, Rock and Pillar Conservation AreaSkiers approach Big Hut. Photo: David BarnesBig Hut stands at 1,325 metres on the Rockand Pillar Range, a proud reminder of the dayswhen you had to be really tough to be a skier.The standard access route goes straight up theeastern face of the range, a climb of 900 metresover 3.5 kilometres. The guys and girls of thatera used to make this ascent, lugging all theirsupplies and the heavy ski gear of the day, for aweekend sliding around on the gentle slopes ofthe summit plateau.The Otago Ski Club built Big Hut in1946, no doubt part of that same post-warenthusiasm that saw many other back-countryhuts spring up. The club had outgrown the28-bunk stone structure that it had used since1938. Big Hut was originally conceived asa 140-bunk structure, but the final versionaccommodated half that number.Ultimately, the invention of ski-towsand chairlifts reduced the attraction of theRock and Pillars to mainstream skiers, andthe focus for the Otago Ski Club shifted toCoronet Peak. The hut was taken over by theOtago University Tramping Club and then theOtago Tramping and Mountaineering Club.The hut saw a something of a resurgence inuse in the 1980s, when lightweight Nordic Further informationski gear became readily available, especiallyduring the few years that hire gear wasavailable in Dunedin. In 2003, a group led byindefatigable back-country campaigner Bruce46FMC Bulletin • August 2012Mason formed the Rock and Pillar Hut Trustand made the OTMC an offer they couldn’trefuse. Since then, the hut has been the sceneof what must be one of the most impressiveback-country refurbishments ever undertaken,with the FMC Mountain and Forest Trustmaking a contribution to the project.Walls were relined, insulation addedand the exterior completely replaced. Onenew feature, probably unique in NewZealand, is a thermosiphon air panel – apassive system for drawing warmed air into thehut. Although the device has been successful,this is still the one of the coldest huts I’ve everbeen in during winter. On the day the photowas taken, we chose to lunch outside.Today, the hut is able to accommodatea maximum of 25 people. For groups of 10or more, bookings are required and a wardenwill be present. Even when booked, a fewbunks are kept available for casual users. It’san ideal base for cross-country skiing andsnow shoeing. However, the Rock and PillarRange is very exposed and prone to extremelycold temperatures and poor visibility at anytime of the year.www.middlemarch.co.nz/old/big_hut/index.htmlThe First Fifty Years: a History of the Otago Ski Club (Inc), byS.B. Boyd, Otago Ski Club, 1932.Bookings: bighut@middlemarch.co.nz or text 0274 358 311.FMC

Club ProfileCynthia Gavey introduces the Whangamata Tramping ClubThe Whangamata Tramping Club grew out ofthe enthusiasm of a group of local trampers ledby the late Jack and Helen Stewart, about 40years ago.Formally established in 1983, the clubmet mostly on a Sunday with an average of10 members per tramp. At that time, the totalpopulation of Whangamata was not muchmore than 500. Trips covered all the maintracks in the Coromandel and areas aroundPaeroa and Kati Kati, and a keen, fit group alsoorganised trips as far afield as Great BarrierIsland, Tongariro National Park, Mt Tarawera,Lake Waikaremoana, Mayor Island and otherplaces.During the late 1980s, a decline in clubmembership led to the remaining keen membersjoining Chook Sutton from Kati Kati who,with his group, was a frequent walker in theWhangamata area.By 1994 the club had grown again, andnow has a membership of about 40 activetrampers. Many others continue to keep theirassociation with the club even though they nolonger live in the district.Tramps are arranged on the first and thirdSundays and fourth Monday of each month.Each year the club also organises an away tripof about five to seven days, often in the SouthIsland, and also makes use of the huts in our areato have longer local trips.For several years, the club has arrangedday trips over the Christmas period, suitable forfamilies and less experienced people, and aimedto encourage visitors to get to know some of thedistrict’s better maintained tracks.Whangamata is mainly populated byretirees, so like many others we are an aging clubbut welcome and encourage new members. Theclub is in good heart with an enthusiastic bandof leaders and organisers.If you are in the district and would like an outing, contact clubpresident Mike Morrison (ph 07 864 7823), or secetary ChrisConroy (ph 07 865 7228).FMCWhangamata Tramping Club members at Trilobite Hut in the Cobb Valley, February 2012, part of a seven-day tripover the Douglas Range to Bainham. Photo: Whangamata Tramping ClubAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 47

Uncle Jacko’s Cookery ColumnKindlingOn a recent trip, one of us discovered that Kindlesare only good for kindling if you don’t carefullypack the Kindle using a very rigid backing boardto stop it flexing. We don’t know this for sure,but we do know that a Kindle protected only bypadding may suffer catastrophic failure. A week’sworth of reading material in case you get stuckin the pit is no good if you can’t read it.Enamel mugsWe enjoyed a winter trip at the end of Mayinto the Landsborough, almost 34 years since Iwas last there as a teenager. Packing my packI found I couldn’t find my ice axe, so a quickvisit to my next door neighbour retrieved my35-year-old wooden shaft Grivel ice axe. Mymates didn’t appreciate the ice axe returning tothe location of its first major tramping trip whenit was new, and teased me relentlessly, more sowhen they found out that my one-pint enamelmug was likewise with me back then. The levelof teasing eased when one mate sat on his plasticmug and broke it, shortly followed by the othermate melting his plastic mug by the fire. Savingweight is useful, but lightweight plastic need notoutperform 35-year-old technology.Oringi parkasOn the same trip Geoff Spearpointtried out his new parka: he reckonsthat the cheapest Oringi parkas– not the one advertised in thisBulletin, but the entry level shortermodel, the Cambridge at half the price – isperfectly adequate. On the second day, he burnta decent hole in it by sitting too close to thecamp fire, so more testing is required, thoughpreliminary results look promising.More on extended cellphone livesBill Stephenson and I have been exchangingemails over additional battery reserve forcellphones. External powering of cellphones isnot quite as straightforward as it should be, butBill confirms that with four AA NiCd cells (notstandard cells, which would provide too manyvolts) in a battery holder, things work well.To date, fancier prototypes have not been sosuccessful. A USB 4xAA battery case box chargerand 10-in-1 charging cable ordered over theInternet will make sure that your cellphone canbe connected, no matter what its pedigree.Hakili matagi, Robin McNeillr.mcneill@ieee.org44 Duke Street, Invercargill 9810Steve Baker and Jenny Christie beside the Landsborough River, West Coast Photo: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin Photography48FMC Bulletin • August 2012

Quick Mountain QuizWilliam Colenso: missionary,botanist and explorerThe Ruahine Range viewed from the top of Colenso Spur at dawn. Photo: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin Photography1.2.3.4.5.6.50William Colenso came to New Zealand from which part of England?A. Devon. B. Cornwall. C. Yorkshire. D. Hertfordshire.In what capacity did Colenso primarily come to New Zealand?A. Missionary. B. Printer. C. Whaler. D. Farmer.When Colenso finally established his own Anglican mission station at Waitangi in Hawke’s Bay,he quickly made plans to cross the Ruahine Range. Why?Colenso made eight crossings of the Ruahine Range in total, one by way of Maharahara peakin the lower Ruahine Range. Over which peak in the central Ruahine Range did he make hisother seven crossing? A. Hikurangi. B. Kaweka J. C. Te Atua o Mahuru. D. Wharite.Four features in Ruahine Forest Park are named after Colenso, including a spur, a peak and ahut. What is the fourth feature?During his travels through Te Urewera in 1843, Colenso almost came to blows with anotherPakeha he met there. What was the cause of their argument?FMC Bulletin • August 2012

7. What was the surname of the famous botanists, father and son, who both served as directors ofKew Gardens, and with both of whom Colenso corresponded, also sending botanical specimensto them?8. What is the plant Achipylla colensoi better known as?A. Wild Irishman. B. Bayonet plant. C. Bristly carrot. D. Speargrass.9. On his first approach to the Ruahine Range in 1845, Colenso walked up which river?A. Makarora. B. Whanganui. C. Mohaka. D. Clutha.10. William Colenso famously spoke out during the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Whatwas his concern?1. B. Cornwall. 2. B. Printer. 3. To reach the isolated Maori village at Inland Patea. 4. C. Te Atua o Mahuru. 5.Lake Colenso. 5. Over religion: the other Pakeha was a Catholic priest. 7. Hooker. They were William Hooker(the father) Joseph Dalton Hooker (the son). 8. D. Speargrass. 9. A. Makarora 10. That the Maori version was toodifferent from the English version and would create misunderstanding.August 2012 • FMC Bulletin 51

ReviewsFocus on William Colensoby Shaun BarnettIn the last two years William Colenso has madean extraordinary comeback, with four newbooks featuring his life or work as their subjects,as well as a major conference in Napier.Printer, missionary, explorer, naturalist andpolitician, the nineteenth century Cornishmanwho helped found Napier was a fascinatingcharacter by any measure. Trampers know himbest for his travels over the Ruahine Range,and through the bush country of Te Urewera.Colenso’s eight crossings of the Ruahine Range,including the first by a Pakeha, marked him outas an explorer, and on these journeys he was alsothe first to collect alpine plants from the area.Colenso became a prodigious footslogger, not justbecause he loathed sea travel, but also becausehe enjoyed walking. Indeed, he can arguably becalled New Zealand’s first tramper.Colenso can also be regarded as the fatherof New Zealand printing (although strictlyspeakinghe was not the country’s first printer).After leaving Cornwall, aged in his early twenties,he arrived in New Zealand in 1834 to work asa printer with the Church Missionary Society.Not only was Colenso present at the signing ofthe Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, but he printedthe Maori version of it. By then fluent in TeReo, Colenso wanted to became a missionary,and eventually had his wish granted when in1844 the CMS posted him to Hawke’s Bay asa deacon in order to establish a mission stationat Waitangi, near present-day Napier. It wasfrom here that Colenso launched himself intothe Ruahines, using a long-unused Maori trailacross the ranges.But in 1852 Colenso fell from grace afterit became known that he had fathered anillegitimate child with a Maori woman, RipekaMeretene, who was part of the household staffat Waitangi. Expelled from the church, despisedby many of his former allies and friends, Colensonevertheless continued to stay in Hawke’sBay, and reinvented himself as a land-owner,naturalist, collector, school inspector and –briefly – politician. Overbearing, difficult andoutspoken are some words to describe hischaracter, but generous, whole-hearted andmisunderstood are others. In many ways he wasa man far ahead of his time – notably in his viewthat Maori should not sell their land, for which hewas disliked by both land-hungry Pakeha settlersand those Maori wishing to profit from sales.Last November, the Hawke’s Bay Museumand Art Gallery hosted a major conferenceon Colenso, marking the 200th aniversary ofhis birth. About 100 people attended, withpresentations covering all aspects of his life andwork. The conference also coincided with thelaunch of Peter Wells’s ambitious new biographyof Colenso, The Hungry Heart, and two morevolumes featuring Colenso’s work – one onhis collections, and the other on his letters tothe editor, both edited by Colenso-phile IanSt George. St George is also about to releasea new edition of the classic 1948 biographyof Colenso by A. Bagnall and G. Petersen.Colenso would no doubt be delighted by allthis attention. Complex, spirited and energetic,Colenso excelled in so many aspects of life, andlived for so long (he died in 1899, aged 88), thathis life and writings form important parts of ourcolonial – and indeed tramping – history.52FMC Bulletin • August 2012

The Hungry Heart, Journeys withWilliam ColensoBy Peter Wells, Vintage, 2011.Hardcover, 470 pages, $49.99.Reviewed by Shaun Barnett(New Zealand Alpine Club).Napier writer Peter Wellswas one of two key-notespeakers at last year’sColenso conference. Hehad spent the previoustwo years researchingand writing aboutColenso’s life afterwinning a CopyrightLicensing Ltd writer’s award to do so.Wells tackles his subject unconventionally,as the subtitle ‘Journeys with William Colenso’suggests. Indeed, this is a very personal look atColenso’s life, one that also offers fascinatinginsights into the writer’s own process forresearching and writing the book. Wells arrangeshis material more by theme than time, butthe book does follow a rough chronologicalsequence. By allowing theme to dominate,Wells manages to examine aspects of Colenso’slife with intense focus, while lightly glossingover others. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given howmuch detail the biography by Bagnall andPetersen covered, Colenso’s journeys through TeUrewera and across the Ruahine Range get scanttreatment, which will disappoint some trampers(indeed ‘Ruahine’ and ‘Te Urewera’ are notlisted in the grossly insufficient index).That deficiency aside, Wells has a rareability to conjure an extraordinary sense of placefrom the past. In his speech at the WaitangiMission memorial site, near where the stationwas located, he painted a vivid picture ofColenso’s life here: the constant flooding, thedense toetoe, the ever-menacing presence ofthe sea; and of the whare tuhituhi, Colenso’slibrary – a beautiful blending of Pakeha andMaori architectural styles – crammed with books,botanical specimens and artefacts.At his best, which is often in The HungryHeart, Wells shines dazzling light into the past.His analysis of the Treaty of Waitangi is one ofthe most illuminating parts of the book, andhe rightly points out the unbelievable audacityof the young printer in raising his voice toquestion Govenor Hobson on the potentialmisunderstanding of the treaty. As Wells writes,‘This disputatiousness, this momentum towardsirregular, private, individual throught, was whatboth distinguished and undid William Colenso. Itwas the beauty of his being and the destructionof his career path.’Wells often writes with masterful elegance,using unexpected but perfect metaphors.Elizabeth’s stark letter to her estranged husbandafter they separated, never to see each otheragain, says Wells, ‘glints with permafrost’.This is a biography of many exquisitehighs and occasional rock-bottom lows, not justbecause of the subject’s tumultuous life. MostlyI found it a highly original, entrancing read,but there are times when Wells inserts himselfinto Colenso’s life too casually. For example, inhis rather cursory treatment of Colenso’s earlylife in Cornwall he speculates far too much onthe nature of Colenso’s sexual thoughts. UseCULTURAL TOUR TO INDIANORTHERN JEWELS OF INDIA14 days - Sept, Oct, Nov & MarchSOME TRIPS FOR MEN & WOMENPh: 06 356 7043E: ann@trekking4women.co.nzW: www.trekking4women.co.nzAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 53

of the word ‘randy’ to describe him severaltimes grated, when it seemed to me he waslittle different in this regard from any otheryoung man.But I strongly suspect that these occasionallows come with the territory. You don’t get apenetrating examination of Colenso’s life andsoul without the author occasionally missingthe mark. A large part of the book focuses onColenso’s life at Waitangi, which was a pivotaltime and highly charged emotionally. Colensowas preaching church values in public, butprivately his life was on the edge of collapse,with his marriage failing and the damningevidence of his affair – a son – soon to explodepublically. Wells writes very movingly aboutthe personal agony which Colenso enduredafter being ostracised, and then the decades ofloneliness when his other two children – Fannyand Latimer – never visited him again.The handsome hardback has a wonderful(and again highly unconventional) coverillustration: a modern portrait of Colenso byartist Gavin Hurley. The cover blurb of TheHungry Heart claims that Wells ‘refreshes ourvision of this awkward, highly talented man’and I couldn’t agree more. Wells has brokennew ground with this biography, and while notwithout flaws, The Hungry Heart has earned hima deserved place as a finalist in the 2012 NewZealand Book Awards.Transport to Nelson Lakes National Park,Wangapeka and Heaphy Tracks & all track endsNelson, Marlborough and West Coast regions.Return transport Nelson, Blenheim airports &Picton ferries.Phone (03) 521 1900email: info@nelsonlakesshuttles.co.nzRun by trampers for trampersWilliam ColensoBy A.C. Bagnall and G.C.Petersen, new edition editedby Ian St George, OtagoUniversity Press, 2012.Reviewed by Shaun Barnett(New Zealand Alpine Club).This thorough,chronologically-basedbiography of WilliamColenso, first publishedin 1948, has long beenout of print, and oftencommands high priceswhen rare copies of it appear at second-handbook auctions. Happily, Wellington GP andself-confessed Colenso-phile Ian St George hasedited a new edition, adding to his two otherbooks on Colenso’s writings.Unfortunately the new edition was notquite published as the FMC Bulletin went toprint, so I cannot comment on any new content,but I have read the old edition extensively. Icertainly reccommend it to readers who wish forin-depth accounts of Colenso’s peripatetic life.Bagnall and Petersen, both trampers, not onlyunderstood this aspect of the explorer’s life, butknew the mountain terrain as well. They usedextensive verbatim accounts from Colenso’sjournals to detail his Ruahine Range crossingsand also his travels through the mountains andforests of Te Urewera.Colenso also walked along the entire lengthof the coastlines of Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapaon his frequent journeys to Wellington. In thisregard, the biography perfectly complementsthe one by Peter Wells, which has only fleetingcoverage of this aspect of Colenso’s life.William Colenso was first publishednearly fifty years after his death, and gave dueprominence to him. This new edition will beeagerly welcomed by trampers and historiansalike. Read together with The Hungry Heart, itprovides a contrasting and sometimes strikinglydifferent perspective of Colenso. Each biographyhas its own strengths, but together they givereaders a rich understanding of this mostimportant nineteenth century figure.54FMC Bulletin • August 2012

Give Your Thoughts Life, WilliamColenso’s Letters to the EditorEdited by Ian St George,Otago University Press, 2011.Softcover, 498 pages, $65.Reviewed by Shaun Barnett(New Zealand Alpine Club).‘…you have the Press,both open and free: useit. Give your thoughtslife, let all goodmeasures be broughtforward, and wellventilated.’ – WilliamColenso in the Hawke’sBay Herald, 1859.In 1898, his last full year of life, with a bodysometimes wracked by rheumatism, WilliamColenso managed to write 1,081 letters, some ofthem pages long. This one-time stammerer wasnot above raising his voice – he was a preacherafter all – but it was through the printed wordthat he best expressed himself.Ian St George came to admire Colensothrough an interest in native orchids, of whichColenso collected many specimens. In Give YourThoughts Life, he presents an extensive range ofColenso’s newspaper letters – more than 200 ofthem. That he was able to do so is an excellentproduct of the National Library’s ‘Papers Past’project, an online searchable database of mostearly New Zealand newspapers, some datingto as recently as 1945. This invaluable resourcemakes their contents available to all, through anumber of different search functions accordingto author, subject, key words, date or newspapertitle.St George used Papers Past to unearthmuch of Colenso’s vast output of newspaperletters, which cover an equally vast array ofsubjects. Colenso’s interests were broad, andhe wrote copious letters to express his views ina range of newspapers, dating between 1847and 1898, but most notably the Hawke’s BayHerald. His letters cover events large (Te Kooti’srampage through the East Coast) and small (newbuilding regulations). They often reveal greatsympathy for the poor, the condemned, orthe misunderstood – all things he had himselfexperienced.Colenso could write with great sympathy,or with stinging waspishness, and rarely are hisletters without interest. In one letter, Colensowrote that he considered the Paheka term formatagouri ‘Wild Irishman’ as ‘a low uncouthvulgarism [that] has been unthinkingly given“down South” to a species of thorn, a closegrowingspiny shrub with very small and fewleaves and long spines – appropriately enoughnamed by the old Maoris – Tumatakuru – Facesmiter…’The book contains not only letters fromColenso, but other contemporary correspondentswho wrote to newspapers about Colenso. Aperceptive introduction and several timelinesof Colenso’s life help to put his letters intobiographical context.Ian St George should be commended forrestoring these letters to life, and collating themin an accessible form. They provide insight notonly into Colenso, but also nineteenth centuryNew Zealand life.call for your FREE copy:0800 350 354worldexpeditions.comAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 55

Science on Ice, Discovering theSecrets of AntarcticaBy Veronika Meduna,Auckland University Press,2012. Hardcover, 226pages, $59.99. Reviewedby Shaun Barnett (NewZealand Alpine Club).Science writerand broadcasterVeronika Medunawill be well familiarto any Radio NewZealand listenerswho enjoy herprogramme Our Changing World. In this, herlatest book, she explores the fascinating worldof Antarctic science. Meduna mostly focuseson modern New Zealand scientists workingin the New Zealand sector of the frozencontinent, since the establishment of ScottBase in 1957–58, but also celebrates the workof overseas researchers, and where relevant,includes reference to science carried out duringthe Heroic Age of exploration under men likeScott and Shackleton.Five broad themes divide the book. Thefirst, ‘Uncovering the Past’, covers ice coreresearch that has helped explain not only theicy continent’s past, but also past climaticconditions in the wider world. ‘Life’ not onlycovers research into the famous Antarcticpenguin species (Adelie and Emperor) butalso Antarctic fish, lichens, mosses and microorganisms.I learnt that the muscles used byEmperor penguins to operate their legs arelocated deep within their warm core, ensuringthat they can move their extremities even in theKonini LodgeDawson Falls - Egmont National ParkPowered Backpacker style accommodationContact: North Egmont Visitor CentrePhone: (06) 756 0990Email: egmontvc@doc.govt.nzwww.doc.govt.nzmost frigid conditions. And as you’d expect froman experienced journalist, Meduna writes withverve. Adelie penguins, she says, inhabit a noisypenguin metropolis. ‘The colonies are always inmotion. Even when birds are incubating eggs,they rarely sit completely still or stop calling, skypointingtheir beaks and trumpeting a throatystring of shrieks.’Even more fascinating are the adaptationsmade by fish species to avoid freezing, includingdoing away with haemoglobin. The chapters‘True Antarcticans’ and ‘Oasis in a FrozenDesert’ were a revelation to me, dispelling mythsthat most of the frozen continent is lifeless. Quitethe contrary, microbiologists are discovering ahuge diversity of bacteria and other minusculeorganisms that inhabit all sorts of extremeenvironments, ranging from the hot volcanicvents of Mt Erebus to the bottom of the frozenlakes, and even the glaciers of the interior. Someof these organisms survive by spending longperiods dormant or freeze-dried, and prove thatlife persists even in the most hostile conditions.Antarctic lichens, Meduna writes ‘are ecologicalendurance athletes’ – organisms that grow asslowly as one millimetre per century. Some havebeen found living only 400 kilometres from theSouth Pole. The final chapter, ‘Beyond the Ice’details mind-boggling research into the verynature of the universe which occurs right at theSouth Pole.Excellent photographs, superblyreproduced, form another strength of thebook, many of them taken by helicopterpilot Rob McPhail. Meduna writes with allthe confident fluidity of someone who knowsscience, but even more importantly, someonewho knows how to communicate science. Sherenders quite complex facts and concepts intoaccessible prose, and also manages to celebratethe work of individual scientists. She explainsthe difficulties of doing science in the windiest,driest, coldest continent, but equally conveys thedeep appreciation that most of these scientistsfeel for the place.An absorbing read, Science on Ice shouldappeal to a wide audience.56FMC Bulletin • August 2012

Climbing DictionaryBy Matt Samet, illustrations by Mike Tea, The Mountaineers Books, 2011.Softcover, $17 (available through www.fishpond.co.nz). Reviewed byJohn Nankervis (New Zealand Alpine Club).Knowing the language is a critical part of being amountaineer, rock or ice climber, boulderer or gymrat. To be puzzled at a yell from above of ‘Hold!’ couldcause sheepishness, even humiliation and distress. MattSamet was for a long time editor-in-chief of the USA’sClimbing, and still writes the ‘Sporting Life’ column forthat magazine. From those days, he began collectingterms and phrases specific to climbing in all its genres.The idea of a climbing dictionary came to him whilesitting atop the commode during a commercial breakfor ‘South Park’, reading the Urban Dictionary. Theresult is this wonderfully erudite and funny collection ofmountaineering slang, terms, neologisms and lingo.Snappy definitions, 650 of them, are given, as wellas origins, usage, variants and synonyms. It does have aNorth American bias but there are plenty of British andEuropean imports too. I haven’t yet spotted any uniquelyNew Zealand terms – ‘snow pickets’ and ‘snow flukes’are there but not ‘snow stakes’ and ‘kiwi coils’. But hey,most of our lingo comes from the Brits and the Yanksanyway. And you can visit climbingterms.comto add some local lingo to the lexicon. Someof the etymology is quite detailed, such asthat for ‘clean climbing’ and ‘cams’. I learnt alot. It is not a surprise that the A-Z format wasadopted.By the end of ‘A’ I was laughing aloud withentries like ‘aggrosheen n: Profuse perspirationdripping off a climber’, ‘altitoots n: Flatulencecaused at high altitude’ and ‘ape index n: Thedifference between a climber’s height andfingertip to fingertip wingspan….’ There’s alsoa tongue in cheek explanation of the origin of‘avi poodles’. Samet is knowledgeable and pithyas well as witty, while Mike Tea’s drawings arealways both informative and artistic.A review of a dictionary should not belong, so I’ll stop now and get back to the ‘B’entries. Go buy it and get immersed. It’s smalland light enough to slip into your crag oralpine pack. It could save your life but it’s nota substitute for it. Matt Samet implores the readerto go to the cliffs ‘sending the gnar, crushing thecrimps and redpointing the proj!’.••••••••A Revolution in SunscreensSUNSCREENSPF 30KEEPS THE PROTECTIONON YOUR SKINA Sunscreen for all outdoor activitiesTested in the toughest conditionsBroad Spectrum, Longlasting, Non-Greasy,Water ResistantUsed sparinglyGood lip salveUnique water-free organo-gel formulaResearched and made in NZLight screw-lid pots travel well in your pack100ml $24, 50ml $15 + postageOrderOrderonlinefrom:atinfo@organo-tech.comwww.activesunscreen.comwww.organo-tech.com/FMCpromo.htmlPassword: fmcpromoAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 57

Safety in the Mountains,11th editionBy Robin McNeill, Federated Mountain Clubs, 2012.Paperback, 72 pages, $10. Reviewed by David Barnes (OtagoTramping and Mountaineering Club).How do you update a publication that’s beenaround for 75 years? Can it be done, and shouldit be done? When supplies of the 2003 (10th)edition of Safety in the Mountains ran low, thesequestions landed on the plate of Moirs GuideSouth editor and Uncle Jacko’s Cookery Columnauthor Robin McNeill. He seems to have foundthe answers.First published in 1937 with the subtitle ‘AHandbook for Trampers and Mountaineers’, andintended to be taken into the Hills, by the 1970sit was a weightier tome. With other publications,notably those of the Mountain Safety Council,covering much of the same ground, for its sixthedition Safety in the Mountains was shrunk downto the pocket-sized volume that I’ve known sinceI first took tramping seriously. Designed moreas an aide mémoire than a comprehensiveinstruction manual, it has also probably doneservice as reading for the hut-bound and as aplace to score games of 500.So, what’s changed in the new edition? Acomplete re-write, with major layout changes,the new version has a 60% increase in pages –although paper choice has meant there is not aconcomitant weight increase. So, instead of a listof bullet points, most topics have quite detailedinformation. Cartoons of bush-singlet cladtrampers are replaced by the clear graphics ofillustrator Adele Jackson that generally enhancethe message. This is particularly well done inthe section on snow and ice travel, where apicture (with a few words) really is worth theproverbial thousand words. The illustrations inthe map and compass section may well make acritical difference to someone who only consultsa compass when the situation gets dire, andthe accompanying text provides one of theclearest I’ve read on a topic that bamboozlesmany people.Some aspects of the hills are no differentthan those encountered 75 years ago, but onebig change,even since thelast edition,is electronictechnology. Thebook coversthe use andlimitations ofGPS receivers,personal locatorbeacons andcellphones, andlists a numberof usefulwebsites.The first aid section has been renamed‘Wilderness Medicine’, and, with assistancefrom two doctors with extensive back-countryexperience, Claudia Schneider and Garry Nixon,Below Bushlineprovides extremely useful and very pragmaticadvice. It’s the first time that I’ve seen theimpracticality of CPR in a wilderness settingacknowledged in print. Although the book isprimarily aimed at the novice in the outdoors,this section alone will probably see me restoreSafety in the Mountains to its rightful place inmy emergency gear.Robin McNeill’s trademark off-beathumour doesn’t get much airing in the newbook, but the instruction to ‘in an emergency,apply match here’ was a laugh out loudmoment.Overall, this is a worthy successor to theprevious editions and one that all trampers,climbers and hunters should look at owning.Some of that information just might come inhandy one day.Reviews next issue (November 2012)Stag Spooner, Wild Man of the Bush by Chris MacleanBuller’s Birds of New Zealand, The Complete Works ofJ.G. Keulemanns by Geoff NormanShelter from the Storm, The Story of New Zealand’s BackcountryHuts by Shaun Barnett, Rob Brown and Geoff SpearpointInto the Silence, George Mallory, the Great War and Everestby Wade Davis58FMC Bulletin • August 2012FMC

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The Last WordWilliam Colenso on speargrass inthe Ruahine Range‘One of our party, a strong, robust Maori, had been pricked or stabbed rather severely by a largeAciphylla, insomuch that the blood spurted out: at the sight of this he got enraged … and throwingoff his back-load, and obtaining the long handled axe, which another was carrying, he hastenedtowards the plant, vowing he would cut it up by the roots! The spear-like leaves, however, spreadingout all round it like a circle of fixed bayonets – being longer (including their big leaf stalk) than thehelve of the axe and very tough and elastic, quite kept him from doing any harm to the plant, whichseemed to mock his impotent rage; so, after gaining a few more pricks from it for his labour, hewas obliged, doubly vexed though he was at our looking on and laughing, to give up the unequalcombat.’Letter ‘The Wild Irishman’, Hawke’s Bay Herald 6 February 1894, as quoted in GiveYour Thoughts Life, William Colenso’s Letters to the Editor, compiled by Ian St GeorgeSpeargrass, Aciphylla colensoi Photo: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin PhotographyFMC60FMC Bulletin • August 2012

Little AdsFinished with this Bulletin?Leave it in a hut or waiting room, or give it to a friend (or better still,a member of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club). Tell them if theylike it to become supporters of FMC. See page 4.FMC Pack Liners see page 31.Give an FMC Individual SupporterMembership to a friend - see page 4.Heaphy Track Help (Derry Kingston) - car relocations &/orfood drops in Kahurangi & Abel Tasman Parks.www.heaphytrackhelp.co.nz or 03 525 9576.Peel Forest Ecolodge to rent. 20 ha QEII covenantedregenerating bush near Hakatere & Te Kahui Kaupeka ConservationParks, Peel Forest Scenic Reserve & ski-fields.Sleeps 22. www.peelforestopc.org.nz or 03-696-3832.Routeburn Track Car Relocation Service(Trackhopper): Greenstone, Caples, Rees & Dart are alsoavailable. www.trackhopper.co.nz or info@trackhopper.co.nz.Taranaki Alpine Club’s Tahurangi Lodge:Location @ 1495m on Mt Taranaki.Sleeps 30. Fully equipped, forbookings contact Steve Miller taranakialpineclub@gmail.com or06-7510272. Check out www.taranakialpineclub.co.nz.Use your fmc card for great discounts!Wilderness magazine discount for FMC card holders.FMC MOUNTAIN &FOREST TRUSTThe FMC Mountain & Forest Trust aims to enhancemountain and forest recreation in New Zealandby funding:● Research and/or projects relating to mountain,hill and forest recreation.● The provision of recreational and/or educationalfacilities for such sports in New Zealand.● Instruction courses for such recreation.● Support for the conservation of New Zealand’swild or natural lands.● New Zealand or overseas study tours orcourses.● Conferences, lecture tours and publicationsrelating to mountain or forest recreation and/orconservation.● Scientific work or research relating to the forestor mountain environment and its conservation.The Trust is approved by the Inland RevenueDepartment as a charitable trust, allowingtaxpayers to claim a tax rebate for donations.Donations (and enquiries about providinglegacies) may be sent to: Federated MountainClubs Mountain & Forest Trust, P.O. Box 1604,Wellington. Cheques payable please to “FMCMountain & Forest Trust”.2012/2013FMC ExecutivePatrons: Allan Evans, Arnold HeinePresident: Richard Daviesph 027 455 5293, president@fmc.org.nzVice President: Peter WilsonPh 021 151 3486,petergwilson@gmail.comSpecial Vice President:Brian Stephensonph 027 495 2308,brain@bwstephenson.comSecretary: Josie Broadbent,secretary@fmc.org.nzTreasurer: Graeme Lythgoeph 04 479 6630, treasurer@fmc.org.nzExecutive:David Barnesph 03 454 4492,mcilroy.barnes@clear.net.nzRob Brownph 03 337 2273,robbrownnz@yahoo.comOwen Coxph 04 905 8094,owencox@paradise.net.nzPaddy Gresham ph 04 472 1363,paddygresham@xtra.co.nzPatrick HollandP.T.Holland@xtra.co.nzPeter Luskluskcox@xtra.co.nzRobin McNeillph 03 214 4508, r.mcneill@ieee.orgRob Mitchellph 027 476 824, rmitchl28@xtra.co.nzBarbara Morrisph 07 378 6620, btmorris@slingshot.co.nzDennis Pageph 04 970 6901, dennismpage@gmail.comNick PlimmerPh 021 169 1146,nick.plimmer@gmail.comClaire Simsclairesims@gmail.comLesley Toppingph 027 275 7775, lesleyt@llmc.co.nzAdministration OfficerGail AbelMountain Safety House, 19 Tory St,PO Box 1604, Wellington 6140ph 04 385 9516, admin@fmc.org.nzAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 61

FMC Mail Order Books Nu m b e r 189To: FMC Books, 30 Brook St, Lower Hutt 5011Name: .....................................................................................................................Address:....................................................................................................................email: .....................................................................................................................❐ I am a member of ................................................................. Club, which is affiliated to FMC.❐ I am an individual supporter of FMC Date: .....................................Book Specials for FMC Club Members Price Qty TotalInto the Silence – The Great War, Mallory & the Conquest of Everest – Davis 40.00Wind from a Distant Summit – Pat Deavoll 40.00Bill Denz, Bold Beyond Belief – Paul Maxim 50.00Te Araroa – A Walking Guide – Geoff Chapple 50.00Wild Heart – Mick Abbott & Richard Reeve 45.00Himalayan Hospitals – Michael Gill 50.00New Zealand Native Trees – John Dawson & Rob Lucas 120.00New Zealand – the Essential Landscape – Rob Brown 50.00Huts, Untold Stories from Back-country New Zealand – Mark Pickering 50.00Kakapo – Alison Ballance 50.00Kahurangi Calling – Gerard Hindmarsh 40.00Summits & Shadows, Jack Clarke & NZ Mountaineering – Graham Langton 40.00Tramping & Walking GuidesDay Walks in New Zealand – Shaun Barnett 40.00Classic Walks of New Zealand – Craig Potton 40.00North Island Weekend Tramps – Shaun Barnett 35.00South Island Weekend Tramps – Nick Groves 35.00Tramping in New Zealand – Shaun Barnett 40.00Classic Tramping in New Zealand – Shaun Barnett & Rob Brown 40.00Westland Foothills & Forests – Pat Barrett 30.00Nelson & Marlborough Foothills & Coastal Regions – Pat Barrett 30.00Kaikoura Walks and Climbs – Barry Dunnett 20.00Tararua Adventure Guide – Jonathon Kennett 25.00Mountain Biking South – Dave Mitchell 40.00Sub-totalCheques payable to FMC Books25% discountFor Internet Banking, email arnold.janheine@xtra.co.nz for detailsTotalP&PEnclosed is a cheque for $P&P is $3 for orders up to $20; $5 for $21-$40; $8 for $41-$70; $10 for above $71For multiple book orders, please add up the p&p for each book, and give the total p&pBooks listed in earlier Bulletins may be still available: email arnold.janheine@xtra.co.nzSafety in the Mountains is available from FMC at admin@fmc.org.nzProceeds from FMC Books sales are shared with the FMC Mountain & Forest TrustPrices include GST62FMC Bulletin • August 2012

406MHz PLB’s, GPS’s, TrackingGME MT410 & MT410G Kannad XS4 GPS McMurdo MiniFMC Special pricing available, details upon request406MHz PLB’s net from $459.00 (including GST & delivery)406 GPS MHz PLB’s from GME, Kannad from $599.00FINDMESPOT2 GPS Tracking Device $299.00ea 30% smallerFor more info see www.findmespot.net.nzOUR CUSTOMERS COME BACKAviation Safety Supplies LtdPhone 07.5430075 Mobile 0272806549Email sales@aviationsafety.co.nzWeb www.aviationsafety.co.nz

www.oringi.co.nz64FMC Bulletin • August 2012