Tag Archives: news

Otaki Gorge Road Closed, Also for Foot Access

Posted on 22 December, 2015 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Just quickly, for now at least, it looks as if Otaki Gorge Road has been closed. Not just for vehicles due to the usual slip, but also to foot access. At this time, it also appears to be indefinite. Alternatively, … Continue reading →

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The tragedy over the long weekend

Posted on 30 October, 2013 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

People who read this may have heard about the climbing tragedy up Mount Taranaki over the weekend, within Egmont National Park. I’ve wandered around the park a few times, and I walked to the top of the mountain in late … Continue reading →

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A New Trusted Contact Service for Outdoor Safety in New Zealand

Posted on 5 December, 2012 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

About a year ago, DoC announced that it was pulling out of the business of taking intentions for visitors to New Zealand’s back-country. It was only ever doing so inconsistently anyway, through ad-hoc arrangements at various visitor centres, but the … Continue reading →

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Completing a Kaiwharawhara Stream Walk

Posted on 20 August, 2012 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

It’s good to read (via The Wellingtonian and Stuff) that some positive effort is being made to open up a small section of land on the harbour side of Wellington’s incoming motorway. The article doesn’t mention it, but the beach … Continue reading →

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Cooking gas to be removed from some Tararua Huts

Posted on 19 July, 2012 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

I realise there will be concerns about the Department of Conservation’s Wairarapa Conservancy deciding to remove cooking gas from several huts on the Wairarapa side of the Tararuas. DoC’s current Wairarapa Alerts page lists three of the affected huts as … Continue reading →

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Kime Hut Replacement is Actually Happening

Posted on 14 April, 2012 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Visiting Kime Hut at 9pm on a winter’s night. For several years now there have been rumours that Kime Hut would be replaced, and they’ve been subsequently quashed or pushed back for one reason or another. (Budget issues and such.) … Continue reading →

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Suggestion of Charging Overseas Visitors for National Parks

Posted on 11 February, 2012 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

The Otago Daily Times has recently been pushing a story (parroted in the NZ Herald) about a suggestion of charging tourists for entry to National Parks in New Zealand. A further ODT story from the same day (last Thursday) briefly … Continue reading →

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A Storm Brewing in DoC Intentions

Posted on 30 November, 2011 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

There’s an interesting storm brewing in Canterbury over DoC’s decision to phase out paper-based intentions forms in favour of instructing people to use the AdventureSmart website instead, which either helps people to create their own intentions forms with their own … Continue reading →

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DoC announces its camping restrictions

Posted on 16 September, 2011 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

As was noted in this thread in the NZ Tramper forums (thanks madpom), the Department of Conservation has published its list of places where it prohibits “Freedom Camping”. Note that this list only relates to DoC land, and doesn’t include … Continue reading →

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Let’s acknowledge some Avoidable Mistakes

Posted on 4 August, 2011 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Last week was a very media-busy time for people being rescued from the New Zealand back-country. That time of year again, perhaps? Just a general kind’a day when the weather’s not so happy. This eventful day, where our actions were … Continue reading →

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