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If you want to feel comfortable while tramping during cold and/or rainy weather, you have to find balance between your activity level, sensitivity to sudden temperature changes, and the environment. Clever choice of your clothing layers will help avoiding discomfort and also prevent danger to health.
The concept of wearing layers of clothes is suitable for any kind of outdoor sports activity including tramping. The challenge is to maintain constant body temperature not depending on activity level, whether it is rock climbing, hiking or relaxing by the fire, and on weather conditions (such as rain, wind or snow).

Usually three different clothing layers are used:
1. Inner layer. Inner layer removes moisture from the body.
2. Middle layer. Middle layer preserves the body heat.
3. Outer layer. Outer layer protects from wind and moisture.

The key principle is to be able to quickly adjust to weather and body condition changes, removing layers when your body heats up (during activity) and adding layers when your body cools down.
Now lets look at these three layers in more detail:

Inner layer – removing moisture from the body.
This layer significantly controls the body temperature. It should be made from synthetic, moisture removing materials made from polyester such as Polartec, CoolMax, and PowerDry. These materials are able to remove moisture from their inner side, the side that is close to the body, and evenly distribute it across their outer side, from which the moisture quickly evaporates. As a result you will feel comfortable even when you are sweating.
In order to maintain coolness in summer and to avoid hypothermia at extremely low temperatures it is very important that your body will remain dry. Inner layers are available in several types – thin, medium, and warm, so that you can choose according to your needs. It is very important for inner layer to adhere to the body for best moisture removal.

Middle layer – insulation.
This layer helps retain body heat, keeping a layer of air around your body. Fleece jackets, vests and trousers are good examples for middle layer clothes. In addition to retaining hot air, the fleece polyester fibers are also removing moisture thus keeping their insulation properties when wet and getting dry quickly. Apart from fleece, good insulation are also wool and down. However, unlike synthetic materials, they can accumulate moisture.
Good fleece types such as Polartec and Thinsulate ensure insulation with minimal fabric weight for different environment conditions. For extremely low temperatures down is still the best insulator but it should be used only in dry weather.
During serious physical activity(for example biking or running) it is recommended to use light fleeces such as Polartec Micro, in order to avoid overheating. For colder conditions choose thicker fleeces – Polartec 200, Polartec 300 or Polartec Thermal Pro. You can also use clothes made from Gore Windstopper and Polartec Windblock. These materials incorporating wind blocking membranes.

Outer layer – harsh weather protection
Outer layer protects you from wind, rain, and snow. Properly made, it retains heat allowing evaporations to go out. Otherwise moisture will condense on the inner surface of this layer.
For most of outdoor activities it is essential for outer layer to have good breathing properties and ventilation. In addition outer layer should be spacious enough so that it wouldn’t hamper movement, and additional layers could be worn underneath.
Fabrics that are most suitable for the outer layer should incorporate waterproof impregnations or membranes, which protect from wind and moisture. Outer layer items should also have a waterproof zippers.

Most popular fabrics for outer layer:
Waterproof/Breathable – Gore-Tex, Dermizax, Marmot MemBrain. Such fabrics are suitable for any type of activities and for any weather.
Waterproof/Not breathable – usually such fabrics are made from polyurethane-impregnated strong nylon, which has waterproof and windproof properties. Not breathable fabrics are cheaper and can be used when your outdoor activities don’t involve much sweating.
Water-repelling/Breathable – such materials are suited for temperate climate, low rainfall, and high level of physical activity.

Enjoy your outdoor activities and tramp safely!

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Mount Paku
A short walk, about 30 to 45 minutes return with last 10-15 meters of the climb being steep, but you get 360 degrees of beautiful views from the top. From the mount Paku you can see the Tairua Harbor, Tairua and Pauanui beaches, and also the islands of Castle Rock, Aldermen Islands, Mercury Islands, and Slipper and She Islands. There is a legend that says if you climb Mt Paku you will return to Tairua within seven years, so if you want to assure your return to NZ, climb the mountain! ☺

How to get there
From Tairua town center follow Manaia Road, turn right into Paku Drive, and then right into Tirinui Crescent. The start of the track is signposted from the end of the crescent.

Twin Kauri Scenic Reserve
About 10 minutes drive north of Tairua there is a 30 minute return walk through regenerating kauri forest. Twin Kauri, mark the start of the track.

Broken Hills
19 kilometers south of Tairua at Hikuai is a turnoff the right that takes visitors to a DoC area called Broken Hills, part of the Puketui Valley. Broken Hills has a number of walking tracks of varying lengths in New Zealand’s bush.

How to get there
The access to Broken Hills is via Morrisons Road, which starts from opposite the Pauanui turnoff at Prescott’s Mobil service station (19km south of Tairua and 27km north of Whangamata). After 1km, just before crossing the Tairua River, turn left onto Puketui Road, Broken Hills is 6 kilometers along the unsealed road.

Cathedral Cove
Probably the most popular walk in the Coromandel peninsula, just type “Cathedral Cove” in google and see many beautiful photos of it. From Cathedral Cove you can also access Gemstone Bay, Stingray Bay, Mare’s Leg Cove and Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve. The whole walk takes about two hours return.

How to get there
This walk is located near Hahei (small settlement). From Hahei shops take the signposted road to the lookout car park.

Te Pare Historic Reserve Walk
This walk takes you to a historic pa site (Maori fortress), which is located on a headland. From here the views are very beautiful – looking northward to Hahei Beach and Cathedral cove, and southward to rocky outcrops.

How to get there
Access to this walk is down Pa Road which is the first turn right before entering Hahei. The start of the track is signposted from the end of Pa Road.

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Kauaeranga Kauri Trail
This eight hours roundtrip walk can be done in one day, but it can also be done as an overnight staying at the Pinnacles Hut. It is about three hour walk to the Pinnacles Hut then a two-hour return trip to the Pinnacles from the hut. Pinnacles Hut is a big 80-bunk hut.
Please take care at the summit, as you will have to scramble up the rocks a little.

How to get there

Take the signposted turn from State Highway 25 opposite the Toyota factory at the souther entrance to Thames. Kauaeranga Visitor Centre is 13 km up the valley and this is where hut tickets can be acquired. The start of the walk is at the Kauaeranga Valley road end, 9 km from the visitor center.

Waiomu Kauri Grove Walk

This short walk will take you through divers forest to one of the best remaining stands of Kauri in the Coromandel Peninsula. Here you will take a historic walk through past mining remnants. The whole walk takes 2.5 hours (return).
Keep in mind that you will have to cross a number of shallow fords and creeks. In some cases swing bridges will provide an alternative to wetting your feet.

How to get there
12.5 km north of Thames is the settlement of Waiomu. The track starts at the end of the Waiomu Valley Road.

Coromandel Coastal Walkway

The walkway is from Fletcher Bay to Stony Bay located at the very top of the Coromandel peninsula, and can be walked in both directions. It provides great views of the coastline and offshore islands such as Mercury Islands, Cuvier, Great Barrier Island, and others. You have the option to do the return walk, which will take you from 6 to 8 hours, or join organized tour, that will collect you from Coromandel town, drop at Fletcher Bay, and pick you up at Stony Bay to return back to Coromandel town. The walk is 7 km long and will take you about 3 to 4 hours one way.

How to get there
For starting at the Fletcher Bay. Fletcher Bay is located at the end of the road, 36 kilometers from Colville and 7 km past Port Jackson. Please note that the road from Colville is unsealed, and some rental car company’s insurance policies don’t cover this road.

You can read the second article, in which I describe additional walks in the Coromandel region in my next article titled Walks of the Coromandel Region part 2

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Before continuing to the actual theme of this article, I’ll just stop for a moment, and explain a little about what the backcountry hut is. This paragraph is intended for all the people who never tramped in New Zealand before, and are not familiar with New Zealand’s backcountry huts.
A hut is a wooden cottage built on a tramping track. People hiking the track use the hut as a shelter to spend the night or wait for the bad weather to pass. Huts vary in sizes and may contain anywhere from 6 to 40 people (and sometimes even more). Huts usually have mattresses to sleep on, a stove to heat the hut, and a drinking water which is collected from the rain falling on the roof of the hut. Huts are usually built on tramping tracks at such distances that it would take an average tramper about six (more or less) hours to hike from one hut to another.

Now I’ll start with the actual theme, beginning with more obvious things and proceeding to the less obvious but not less important.

1. When arriving at the hut always fill in your name and tramping route in the log journal. This is important in case of emergency, and since a weather in New Zealand can be highly unpredictable, you never know when your journal entry might save your life. If you get lost, it will be much easier for the search party to track your movement in the outdoors and eventually to find you.

2. Don’t enter the hut with your dirty tramping boots on. It is very convenient to carry with you a light thongs or slippers so you can wear them inside the hut.

3. Huts have no electricity, so you will have to use your flashlight when it gets dark. But much more pleasant is to use candles. In some huts you will find candles, and in some you won’t, but in almost any hut you will find a candle holders, so if you prepare in advance and take with you a couple of candles, they will make your after dark hours in the hut very cozy. Be careful with the candles and always place them in the candle holders – always remember that huts are built from wood! Always extinguish the candles before going to sleep.

4. This one is very important. Remember that the water supply in the hut comes from the rain. Rain water is collected from the roof of the hut and stored in big plastic containers. If there was a relative long dry period (may be as short as three days) prior to your arrival at the hut, you may not have any drinking water! Think that before you, during that dry period other people visited the hut and used the water. So always carry extra drinking water with you, or a water filter if you know that a hut is located near a stream or a lake. Boiling water for drinking purposes on your portable stove is a very bad option – you must have extra gas for this purpose, and you also will have to wait for water to cool down before you can drink it.

5. Many huts have stoves for heating, and they also have a firewood for that purpose. Here is the thing – in many huts you will find a firewood and a coal. A firewood is used to START a fire and then you should put a coal into the stoves. Coal burns longer and gives more heat, and this is why its there. Don’t finish all the wood and leave the coal intact! To start a fire use the smallest pieces of wood you can find and then gradually add bigger ones, and finally when you have a good fire put in first portion of coal, and then you need only to put more coal.

6. Don’t burn or put plastic wraps (from food or other stuff) inside the stoves! I can’t tell you how many times I had to take this garbage out from the stove before starting a fire. Please take all your rubbish (garbage) with you.

7. It is useful to carry a rope with you. When you come wet into a hut and want to dry your clothes and other stuff before the next day’s tramp a rope can be very handy. Not all the huts have hangers for clothes above the stoves.

8. Some huts at peak seasons can get very crowded and there is a chance that you won’t find a bunk and a mattress to sleep on. So if you are going on a popular tramp in the peak season, take a sleeping mat with you so you can put it on the floor in the hut and sleep on it (in your sleeping bag of course).
Thinking of this – always take your sleeping bag with you!

9. Take a toilet paper with you. Though all the huts have pit toilets near them, there is a big chance that you won’t have a toilet paper there.

10. Before leaving the hut, make sure that you leave the hut in the same condition you found it or better. Sweep the floor, and bring some amount of firewood if you used the last of it.

And most important – enjoy your tramp, and tramp safely !
Always yours,
Greg Brave.

P.S. In this article I didn’t cover one very important aspect of hut use. I fixed this in my second post titled Backcountry Hut Fees

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So let’s see the most important things that should be with you on a
real multi-day trek. And I am not talking here about backpack or tent. I
am talking about the the less obvious things but not less important.

1. Map! This is mostly a beginners mistake. People might think that if
the trek is marked and signed then there is no need to take a detailed
map. What you forget is that the marking on the trek can disappear or
the distance between two marks can be long and you might get lost in
between. This is where a map is vital.

2. Compass. If you do get lost due to a lack of marking or another
reason, then a map alone might not be enough. Compass will help you to
better position yourself on the map and choose the right walking
direction.

3. First aid kit. Don’t ever underestimate the importance of the first
aid kit. Most of the chances that you won’t sustain a serious injury on
your trip, but even a little cut can get infected  when you
don’t have a quick access to water and soap. Or if you will eat
something that wasn’t properly washed and get a stomach disorder.
Without proper medication that can ruin the whole trip for you.

4. Flashlight. You will sure notice the absence of it when you’ll need
to find something at night while laying in your tent or if you’ll need
to go to toilet. Remember that in the nature there are no street
lights, and don’t forget to take a spare set of batteries. Best
flashlights are using LEDs as a light source. They are very bright and
power efficient.

5. Lighter and Matches. I always take both, since matches are
generally better when lighting a fire but lighter is more waterproof.

6. Wet wipes. This is one of the most useful things for me at the
evenings and during breaks while trekking . When you take a break
from walking and want to eat something, first you’d like to have a
clean hands, and water for washing (as I said earlier) is not always
available. Wipes solve this problem for you. They are also good in
cleaning  gear.
Just one  important thing  - always take used wipes with you and dispose of them properly.

7. Thongs or other light footwear. After a long day of walking you
REALLY want to take off your trekking shoes, but you still need to move
around your tent (or a Hut if you tramping in New Zealand).

8. Trekking poles. Many people underestimate trekking poles. They can
take up to 20 percent of pressure off your knees and help your balance.
After getting used to my trekking poles I never go on a multi-day trek
without them. They are very helpful, for example when crossing rivers
and climbing hills. Highly recommended.

I didn’t write here about the obvious things such as food and water, or
spare clothes. I didn’t write here also about a survival equipment
because it should be adjusted to the area (and season) of your trek. Of course there
are always more things, which are also important and I didn’t mention
here, but I chose these eight because they are common to most of the
multi-day tracks.

I really hope that this list will save you some unpleasant situations
and bring up a smile on your face when you’ll use one of the things
mentioned here.

Greg.

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