Oteake Conservation Area is a vast, rugged, mountainous wilderness area in the central South Island of New Zealand.

Located in New Zealand's stunning Southern Alps, the Rees-Dart track is a popular hiking route that takes you through some of the most...

he journey to the hut is an adventure in itself, passing through stunning scenery and offers breathtaking views of the Canterbury Plains.

Pinnacles Hut offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. A popular destination for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.

If you're looking for a challenging hike with breathtaking views, Buckland Peaks near Westport is the perfect destination. This stunning...

We had planned to do the full circuit around Mt Somers in a day, knowing full well it was going to be 26km and take us anywhere between 10 and 12 hours. Well we got half of it done, and it was more a case of the weather beating us down than our inability to complete the task.

Lower Salmon Creek Biv is a nice side trip from Black Hill Hut, something I completed while doing the Wharfedale Hut and Black Hill Hut circuit.

The Dingle Burn Valley stretches from the upper Ahuriri in the east all the way down to Lake Hawea in the west, with access to the Ahuriri via Birchwood Road just out of Omarama.

An early December 2021 tramping club trip was rescheduled due to weather, it went from plan A to plan D in the space of about a week, I wasn't too worried as I was eager to get out and it didn't really bother me where we were going.

The Lewis Pass Tops is an incredible place to explore, with expansive views and tarns dotted along to tops you are never short of distractions.

My first attempt at Sebastopol was about 12 years ago as part of a trip with the Methven and Districts Tramping Club. It was winter and at that time I had no winter tramping experience, including the use of ice axe and crampons. This time I have more years of tramping behind me, along with many winter trips including a seven day mountaineering course in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park.

After an uncharacteristically last minute organisation, a wild Waitangi weekend was had on the Lewis Pass Tops. By last minute, I mean we planned it on Thursday and left Ashburton after work on Friday heading for Hanmer Springs for the night. With spirits high and eager anticipation for the trip ahead, we arrived in Hanmer about 8pm and set about repacking and getting the final few supplies.

Mt Peel stands out along the Canterbury Foothills, driving up and down State Highway 1 between Rakaia and Timaru it’s hard to miss. The three peeks of Peel have caught my attention for years, unfortunately I have never been able to make it on a trip to any of the peaks. So on the bucket list it went.

Foggy Peak lies at the top of Porters Pass and is visible from just about all over Mid Canterbury. Every time I am heading west via Porters Pass it captures my attention. I have been on top of Foggy Peak five times now, one of those times was via an alternative route to the top, the other four vis the steep climb from the top of the pass. Everything you will read about Foggy says that starting from here cuts the climb in half, but it doesn't make the climb any less difficu

October is a funny time of year here in Canterbury, it's getting warmer, the nor' westers are dying out but the weather is still very much up and down. So it was with my planned weekend trip that ended up being Plan D. But it's always a good idea to be flexible, be prepared to change according to the weather and sometimes accept defeat.

It’s been a few years since I have set foot on the flanks of Mt Winterslow, but time passes quickly and it’s always good to get a different perspective. A number of years ago, I was still a new member of the local tramping club and eager to experience my big new back yard of Mid Canterbury.

Kakahu Bush is 15 kilometres from Geraldine, on the way to Fairlie. It's somewhere I have heard of but never been to before, and was glad to have the opportunity to check it out.

The initial part of this track follows a marked walking/mountain biking track that takes you to Lake Emma, but to get to Mt Harper you divert off this track and aim for the clearest spur going up. There is no marked path and the initial climb is significantly steep, but the views are worth the effort.