Author Archives: Mike McGavin

DOC’s Comments on Funding

Posted on 21 February, 2017 by Mike McGavin

Lou Sanson, Director-General of DOC, was on TV3/Newshub this evening. He was talking about the possibility of charging for entry to certain National Parks. The angle of the report from Samantha Hayes was that New Zealand should charge more for … Continue reading →

Posted in musing | Tagged charging, department of conservation, government policies, media, musing, tourism | Leave a comment

Protecting Paradise, by Dave Hansford (my thoughts)

Posted on 31 January, 2017 by Mike McGavin

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Before I launch into this, I’ll insert a word for one of the best presentations I’ve ever seen on how the world’s going, and the impact we’ve had on it. Less than a week before his death in May 2001, … Continue reading →

Posted in reviews | Tagged book, department of conservation, government policies, pest control, review | 1 Comment

It’s about the spending as much as the funding

Posted on 30 December, 2016 by Mike McGavin

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Last March I expressed my views here on calls to add more charges in various forms to parks and their facilities, and particularly on differential charging for tourists. Recently this topic has been refreshed in media. It might be because … Continue reading →

Posted in musing | Tagged department of conservation, government policies, great walks, media, musing, tourism | Leave a comment

Is this normal?

Posted on 18 November, 2016 by Mike McGavin

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On Friday 22nd October, 2016 (last couple of paragraphs): Pouakai Hut Meanwhile, police also rescued two people who had got lost on the Pouakai track on Friday. The pair were reached at Pouakai Hut on Friday afternoon, and were walked … Continue reading →

Posted in musing | Tagged egmont national park, musing, search and rescue | 4 Comments

LINZ seeking feedback on Topo Map Production

Posted on 3 November, 2016 by Mike McGavin

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New Zealand has a great official mapping system in place, thanks to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) having a mandate to produce and maintain consistent, national topographic mapping. Since 2009, this mandate has materialised in the Topo50 and Topo250 map … Continue reading →

Posted in musing | Tagged government policies, land information new zealand, maps, musing | Leave a comment

Something to listen to

Posted on 14 September, 2016 by Mike McGavin

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I’ve not yet read Laurence Fearnley’s Going Up Is Easy, but it’s on my reading list. It’s the biographical account of Lydia Bradey as the first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen, and the only New Zealander to do so. … Continue reading →

Posted in update | Tagged audio, link propagation, media, mountaineering | Leave a comment

One Way Communication

Posted on 7 September, 2016 by Mike McGavin

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There was a report a couple of days back of some people being rescued in Kahurangi National Park, having activated a personal locator beacon. The three women […] had been tramping on the Leslie-Karamean track when they became stranded on … Continue reading →

Posted in musing | Tagged media, mountain safety council, musing, plb, police, rccnz, search and rescue | 12 Comments

Comparing accounts of accidents

Posted on 31 August, 2016 by Mike McGavin

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I’ve only been reluctantly following the recent winter incident on the Routeburn track, where a man slipped and fell, eventually dying. His partner stayed with him in freezing temperatures for several days as he died, then made her way slowly … Continue reading →

Posted in musing | Tagged accident, media, musing, police, routeburn track, search and rescue | 2 Comments

Why can some huts be locked from the inside?

Posted on 21 July, 2016 by Mike McGavin

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Yesterday, Federated Mountain Clubs published an informal facebook post. It noted an experience at Blue Range Hut, in the Tararuas, where the overnight inhabitants had locked the door from the inside. Most of the discussion under that post has been … Continue reading →