Adventure Magazine

There was a term used for miners who
were struck by gold fever and couldn’t
tear themselves away from prospecting
in the mountains. Known as Hatters, they
would spend a lifetime on the dirt road,
drifting along in search of gold. In some
way I feel that a lot of those who move to
the mountains become Hatters, always
looking for that next trail or place to explore,
unwilling to leave the all-consuming beauty
of the mountains.
They were colourful characters whose efforts
live on through their creative naming of
areas such as the ‘Knobbies’ and ‘Raggedy
Mountains’, not to mention Roaring Meg,
so named after a fiery grogshop owner
you didn’t want to get on the wrong side
of. The mtb community honours this
humorous legacy to this day with the equally
imaginative names given to bike trails in the
area….’ Angry possum’ and ‘Rockapotomus’
are a favourite of Pete’s.
So, here’s to the pioneering adventurers like
ol’ Chris Riley. These tough buggers not only
laid the physical foundations for us to enjoy
the mountains but also the mindset to push
ourselves past what’s comfortable and seek
out new challenges in the great outdoors in
pursuit of progression.
The miners have gone, but their spirit lives
on through two-wheeled explorers such as
Pete and his mates.
The scars on the landscape of Otago are now being re-cycled by local riders
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