Wilderness December 2021

ONE OF the biggest pleasures of my time working for Wilderness has been starting the Walk1200km challenge and hearing how it is changing the lives of participants for the better. I was into the fifth week of my challenge (note, you can start whenever you like, so my fifth week was some people’s first and other’s sixth; more people are signing up every day) when I realised how walking every day was affecting me. I was on a walk I had first done 35 days previously. Where I had originally huffed and puffed over the steep bits, I could now easily hold a conversation without sounding the least bit out of breath. I started the challenge about six weeks into the Auckland lockdown and found I was less fit than…

DESERVED ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Thanks for a long-overdue acknowledgement of the fantastic work of the Search and Rescue personnel featured in the article ‘The Searchers’ (November 2021).Geoff Wayatt, who was profiled, plucked my badly injured companion and me off Mt Aspiring/Tititea some years ago. A crampon fell off, my friend slipped and tied together we fell down the icy slope until a small crevasse brought us to a welcome stop. The two other members of our party raised the alarm and the Wānaka SAR team arrived in a chopper.Geoff was calm, reassuring and capable. He was quick to assess the situation and immediately made us feel safe. He soon had us ready to be lifted to Wānaka for further assessment and treatment. My friend was dispatched to Dunedin hospital for a long…

Get your photo published here to receive a Victorinox Escort keyring pocket knife worth $22. Learn more about Victorinox at e.ampro.co.nz. THE ARE WALK YOU 1200 DOING KM CHALLENGE? We want to see where you’re logging your miles. See wildernessmag.co.nz/lastweekend for submission criteria.…

VACCINE MANDATE FOR HUT WARDENS AND CAMPGROUND STAFF Hut wardens and campground staff at DOC facilities will not be employed unless they are fully vaccinated. DOC health and safety director Harry Maher said new wardens and campground hosts will have to provide proof of vaccination before starting work, including volunteers. “They’re not required to be currently vaccinated to apply for these roles, however, any offer made will be conditional on their acceptance to be vaccinated as soon as they can,” Maher said. “If this isn’t undertaken within a suitable time frame once eligible, their employment will be terminated.” It’s expected this will affect about 50 workers. Existing unvaccinated staff may be redeployed to other roles, depending on the risk to the public. Staff who are either laid-off or resign may…

MEET THE TEAM Mollie How do you spend your time outdoors: I will give anything a go with a fun group of people. Favourite gear: Glow in the dark Nalgene – need I say more? Favourite place to adventure: Kayaking in the Abel Tasman is paradise to me. What’s your speciality: You can find me with the kayak gear. Daniel How do you spend your time outdoors: Tramping, fishing, kayaking, canoeing. Favourite gear: I love my canoe. Favourite place to adventure: I love tramping in alpine areas. The Lewis Tops are amazing. What’s your speciality: All things paddle and tramping. Lana How do you spend your time outdoors: I love big days out, from first to last light or even in the dark. Favourite gear: I take my Osprey Stratos…

I’m doing it for my mental health Chris Kemp is walking 1200km for his mental health. Since going through a major relationship breakup several years ago, Chris Kemp has discovered that walking is essential to his mental health. “I went to a very dark place with depression and the best thing for me was to get out and walk for days to clear my mind,” Chris says. “That’s why I started walking and now if I don’t get out and go for my walk, I’m grumpy.” Over the last few years he has been ticking off sections of Te Araroa Trail but he has signed up for Walk1200km to stay motivated and active as Auckland’s lockdown stretches on. “I like to have a goal to motivate me and having this…