Local Tramping Resources

Maps

Land Information New Zealand surveys and provides topographic maps of New Zealand, but besides this there are a variety of ways to get the information.

  • NZ Topo Map — collates all of New Zealand’s official Topo50 and Topo250 maps into a zoomable, scrollable interface. Great for planning and getting ideas in front of a screen.
  • MapsPast — shows New Zealand’s topo maps, with a time dimension via the layering. If you’re looking to compare newer representations with older representations, finding out where routes and facilities used to be, MapsPast is an excellent resource.

Collections of Trip Reports

These are some of the places where you might find more trip reports about locations within a reasonable reach of Wellington.

Local blogs and websites

These are some weblogs run by other people nearby, which often talk about tramping and hiking related issues in New Zealand and Wellington.

Good reads and other New Zealand outdoor blogs and websites

I follow several weblogs by people who write a lot about tramping and mountaineering in New Zealand in general.

  • Up Country is a blog which specialises in re-living representative outdoor anecdotes.
  • Lightweight Tramping Gear is Rob McKay’s blog about his experiences with searching for ways to reduce weight when tramping.
  • The Tramping Report — Frank and Honora, based in Christchurch, are two very experienced outdoors people, and blog about some very interesting back-country trips.
  • Tristan Riley is based in Nelson, but has previously worked in places such as Stewart Island and Raoul Island. He writes a lot about tramping expeditions around parts of the South Island.
  • Bob McKerrow is a very experienced climber who’s been all over over the world, and writes about it. His weblog collects together thoughts about current events, friends in the outdoor scene, and past experiences (of which there are many).
  • Remote Huts Westland profiles many back-country huts on the western side of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, aiming to promote their preservation and continued maintenance as well as providing current information about visiting.
  • Andrew Barker’s Southern Traverse documents Andrew’s project to plan and complete a traverse of the South Island over several stints.
  • Bushcraft NZ is a social networking community for people interested in learning about and exchanging ideas in bushcraft. It’s a combination of forums, users’ blogs and tutorials, and overall a great resource.

Trusted Contact Services

These places provide a service of acting as a trusted contact, for when you need someone to start panicking and notifying emergency services with the relevant details if you haven’t returned from the wilderness in time.

  • Adventure Buddy is run by people with a Search and Rescue background, and provides a free service.
  • Safety Outdoors provides a nominal fee-based service.

Various Wellington Clubs and Organisations

There are lots and lots of tramping clubs both in Wellington and around New Zealand. Specifically in Wellington, the major organisations are probably the following.

Official resources for places to go

If you’re just looking for somewhere to go, here are some starting points.

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