During my tramps in New Zealand I met all kinds of trampers along the trail, and among them were many people who went on a hike totally unprepared, and without thinking about the possible consequences.

Here is one example.

When me and my partner were walking the Tongariro Northern Circuit we decided to climb mount Ngauruhoe, which is the mount Doom from the “Lord Of The Rings” movie. Though it was in the mid December, the weather that day was cold, windy and misty. We were wearing a thermal middle layer, a wind and water proof outer clothing, and fleece gloves. The visibility was very poor because of the fog and the weather could get much worse at any time.

Photo by Daniel Kelpe

After climbing about half the distance to the top, we decided that due to the weather conditions we should go back and return to our initial track (the Northern Circuit). On our way down we met a young couple who were climbing up. And we were stunned by their appearance - they were wearing shorts and t-shirts!!! They also left their backpacks at the beginning of the climb. After talking to them we found out that they were tourists from abroad and that this is their first time here. Unfortunately we didn’t success in talking them out of climbing the Ngauruhoe and I hope that they made it. But this was an unnecessary risk! The least that they could do is to wear proper clothes and have emergency equipment with them.

There is something very important that many tourists who hike in New Zealand don’t understand -

New Zealand’s nature is Wild and Unpredictable! Especially in the mountains.

So by all means, do tramp, go to the wildest areas, but be prepared for everything.

There is the whole section devoted to tramping on this blog. Some of the most important articles are:

• Wear The Right Thing - How to choose the proper clothing for tramping
• Using Tramping Huts Properly An article about New Zealand’s backcountry huts.
• Eight Important Things to Take on Trek Essential tramping gear

In this last article I didn’t mention one important device that should also be your companion on serious tramps - Personal Locator Beacon. This device is intended for emergencies only. The thing is that in New Zealand’s outdoors there is mostly no cellphone coverage, and if you have any kind of emergency during the tramp you won’t be able to call for help. In this case Personal Locator Beacon (PCB) can be a life saver - it sends an SOS signal with your GPS coordinates, so that you can be rescued. If you are only traveling in New Zealand for a short period and want to do only a couple serious tramps, you don’t have to buy PCB, but rent it at the nearest (to the tramp location) DoC center.

Markus Baumann recently wrote a comprehensive article about a newly released model of PCB, which you can find here. It will give you much more in-depth information about these tramping-essential devices.

So by all means go explore New Zealand’s wilderness, but do it wisely!

Related posts:

1. Best NZTramping Articles Four and a half months have passed since I did...
2. Using Tramping Huts Properly In this article I would like to talk about how...
3. Eight important things to take on a Trek It happens a lot. You go on a trek, take...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Hello Everybody!

I am happy to announce that there is a new section at NZTramping!

I created a special place where I will put beautiful photographs from New Zealand in high resolution, which everyone will be able to download and use as personal wallpaper for free. I will regularly upload new photographs to this place so come visit often to see what is new there.

You can reach this special place by clicking on “Free Wallpapers” in the top navigation menu or by clicking on “Download Wallpapers” link located in the left sidebar. You can also get there by clicking Here

In addition to me placing my high resolution photographs for people to download, I am also giving everyone the opportunity to submit your own photographs, and after a review I will also put them for a free download. It is important to note that any submitted photographs should belong to the submitter and that by submitting them owner gives me the right to offer them for free download, for personal use.

You can submit your photographs Here

Of course I will attribute the submitted photographs to their owners with links to their sites.

The more photos I will receive from you, the bigger this collection of free wallpapers will grow bringing joy to everyone, so don’t hesitate to contact me and submit your photographs !

Related posts:

1. Wallpapers For Free Download Wallpapers For Free Download Here you can download high-resolution photographs...
2. Wallpapers for Download Hi everyone, I am sorry that I didn't write for...
3. Wallpaper Submission Wallpaper Submission If you would like to submit a wallpaper...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Four and a half months have passed since I did my last NZTramping articles overview. Since then many interesting articles were written and posted here, and now buried in the site archives. During this time NZTramping blog came a long way, and now it is much easier to read archived posts.

For example in the left sidebar you can expand each topic and see the posts under that topic. You can also use the search bar in that same left sidebar. In addition below each post you can find links to related articles, and easily get to them. One more way to see all the articles posted on NZTramping is the Sitemap, which can be reached from the top navigation bar.
There is another cool way to read articles at NZ Tramping - Stumble Across NZ Tramping. This link is also located in the left sidebar just below the Topics list. By clicking on it you will reach random article, and after you read it you can click again to fetch another one! Last but not least is the “Featured Articles” section in the right sidebar, in which I put my favorite articles.

_________________________

And now to the actual overview. Here I will mention only my most popular articles and even not all of them, since there are simply too many.

• 8 Steps to Travel Courage - this article will help you to overcome different travel fears and set the right mindset for traveling.

• Six Things I Hate About New Zealand - here I described some of the New Zealand’s downsides. I don’t recommend this article to people without sence of humor though!

• Tribute To A Brighter Planet. This article is my contribution to saving our world from global warming, pollution and animal extinction.

• Eight Important Things to Take on Trek - here I presented a list of things that are the most important things, in my opinion, that you should take with you on your tramps. Of course this is not just a list. I explain the reasons for each thing I recommend to take.

• Wear The Right Thing Very important article for all of you who like tramping. It explains in very much detail what you should wear, when, and how. Knowing the information presented in this article might prevent you from getting hypothermia or a heat shock.

• Using Tramping Huts Properly This article explains the proper use of New Zealand’s famous backcountry huts in order to keep them clean and safe for fellow trampers.

I hope that reading these articles will encourage you to read more articles on my blog, as there is much more interesting and useful information on NZTramping Blog

Related posts:

1. Go Extreme but Stay Safe During my tramps in New Zealand I met all kinds...
2. Best NT Ztramping Articles Overview First of all: Happy INDEPENDENCE DAY United States! It is...
3. Backcountry Hut Fees In my last article titled Using Tramping Huts Properly I...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The coastline in the far north is fringed with ancient Pohutukawa trees against a spectacular backdrop of high hills. The Coromandel Coastal Walkway at the cape is a highlight of the region - walking there you will surely enjoy a great scenery including beautiful beaches such as 2 kilometers long Waikawau Bay.

Photo by Daniel Kelpe

The Coromandel Town itself is a small and clean town. It is located on the Coromandel Peninsula about three hours drive from Auckland, Hamilton or Tauranga. If you don’t like driving you can catch a ferry from Auckland via Waiheke Island to the town. Though Coromandel Town is a small place there are many things to do there - golf, gardens, museum, train, boating. You can even get a bus tour… though I am not really sure that it is essential for such a small town. Of course there are also shops cafes, bars, and restaurants which can suite any taste, the local specialty being freshly caught seafood.

The original “olde worlde” colonial buildings create a special local character of the town. The Driving Creek Railway runs (daily) a narrow gauge passenger train which winds up the hillside through tunnels and over bridges to the “Eyefull Tower” for great views of the area.

Photo by PhillipC

Originally Driving Creek was a potter’s community and the train was used to bring in raw materials. Nowadays the railway station complex is still a working pottery with glass blowing and an art shop - aimed for the tourists of course.

Coromandel town also hosts several annual festivals, which include the Coro Do, late in October with art and entertainments. Another festival is Keltic Fair, a large one day event with over 300 stalls, food, music and all day entertainment.

Photo by Robertpaulyoung

All in all this is a nice small town, which in my opinion is worth stopping by if you are visiting the Coromandel Peninsula, and don’t forget to visit the Waiau Waterworks, which is located nearby on the 309 road. About the Waiau Waterworks I’ll write in another article, and for now - Have A Nice Day!

Related posts:

1. Walks of the Coromandel Region In this article I will describe several walks in the...
2. Walks of the Coromandel Region - Part 2 This is the second article, in which I continue to...
3. Do you Dare to Travel the South? New Zealand is a tourist’s country. Therefore it has many...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Travel blogs where people describe their travel experiences are cool. Before traveling to a certain destination, I always find travel blogs about this destination and read them in order to get an idea about it.

But there is also another kind of blogs. Blogs in which people who live in a small country describe their experience of traveling around it. These blogs are also very valuable when you are in your trip-planning stage. They can give you an inside information that you won’t find in travel blogs.

Recently I discovered such blog named PohanginaPete.

Pete McGregor lives in the beautiful Pohangina valley, located in the lower half of New Zealand’s North Island. Pete writes about several different topics such as mountains and mountaineering, New Zealand’s natural history, his New Zealand’s (and other countries) traveling experiences, life in general, photography, and other things.

I liked his posts very much. Since he is enjoying hiking, traveling across NZ, and photography, most of hist posts include beautiful photos. But more important - the way Pete writes. The spirit of New Zealand feels so strongly in his posts that when I was reading, I felt like being there myself. I can say for sure that he really loves living in New Zealand and getting close to its nature.

If you decide to read his blog, I suggest concentrating on imagining the things Pete writes about. This way you will be able to really feel New Zealand. Of course it will be through Pete’s eyes and mind, but it is still a great experience. And when afterward you’ll be visiting New Zealand, your personal experience will be much more profound than it would be if you didn’t read PohanginaPete.

It might seem that I am recommending this blog only to people who intend to visit New Zealand, but it is not so. I am recommending this blog to anyone who loves the wonderful place called Planet Earth, who likes to truly live, feel, and experience, since Pete’s blog can enrich your experience of the world. It truly enriched mine.

Visit PohanginaPete

Related posts:

1. Best NT Ztramping Articles Overview First of all: Happy INDEPENDENCE DAY United States! It is...
2. Links GOnShare - Catch or Share a ride in New Zealand...
3. Home Welcome to NZ Tramping Blog This blog is dedicated...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Actually there are two lakes with this name, one is located on the North Island of New Zealand near lake Rotorua. But the lake I am talking about is located in Nelson Lakes National Park on the South Island. This lake is fed by the Travers River and gives birth to the Buller River.

There are several traming tracks circling the lake, and also going further into the mountains of the Nelson Lakes NP. I used the Lakeside track as a beginning of long seven day journey into very beautifull mountain passes and valleys of this captivating place. The Travers Saddle and Moss mountain passes are among the most beautiful mountain passes I ever crossed.

click on the image to view larger photo

Related posts:

1. Waterfall at Nelson Lakes National Park You can see this waterfall on one of the...
2. Lake Matheson Lake Matheson is famous for being a perfect photography...
3. Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk This is a view of Lake Waikaremoana from the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

As I hinted in my previous article about Ruahine Ranges there is trouble coming to beautiful Ruahines. But before going further into details, I will start from another place.

Windmills. They are what is believed to be one of the greenest energy sources. And at first it seems that they are, but here are some facts that show another side of windmills.

1. Windmills are not that safe for the environment: Inappropriately placed and/or constructed wind towers would negatively affect groundwater. Another important thing that their fast spinning huge rotors are a killing machines for birds.

2. Windmills are undependable power generators. It means that we can’t depend on windmills as the sole energy source, since the wind is not constant. As a result additional energy sources will still be needed to ensure dependable electric power.

3. Each windmill takes a lot of space. 3 MegaWatts wind tower takes about one square mile! Considering that such wind towers are never build in separate units but as wind farms, they occupy large areas. And also consider the fact that each wind gives in average only one third of its maximum capacity.

4. Windmills are dangerous to people’s health. One of the dangers is in the winters - in cold temperatures ice can appear on blades, and when rotor starts moving it can throw ice with great force. Another, perhaps more serious threat is as follows: at sunrise and sunset, shadow flicker can turn the huge spinning rotors into giant strobe generators, which can cause seizures in susceptible individuals, and also research shows that the persistent extreme low frequency noise wind towers generate can cause neurological problems.

5. Windmills are very loud when they work - they generate up to 90dB of noise! This is equivalent to a noise made by tractor!

And now, to the Ruahines’ troubles. Power companies intend to build MORE wind farms in Ruahines. Yes, there are already windmills there, but companies want to build more. In order to do that they are bullying local councils into altering environmental heritage policy, creating by laws to open up more and more areas to wind mills.

Now imagine this pristine land covered with forest, with huge wind farms! This is the end to the silence of nature, and a new, constant threat for birds. People living nearby may have health problems as I wrote above in section 4. And all this won’t even eliminate having additional power plants!

But this time you can make a difference! You can help fighting against building of additional wind mills in Ruahines, and here is how. Rob Kloss (I wrote about him in my previous article about Ruahine Ranges) submitted an objection to the Tararua district council against changing of the wording of the environmental heritage policy. If this objection will win, power companies won’t be able to put up windmills in Ruahines.

Please sign the petition supporting Rob’s objection, so when the public hearing is held, he will have many signatures to support his stand.

Related posts:

1. Wise Woman Wise woman is what the word “Ruahine” means in Maori....
2. WWOOF is not a sigh of relief ! In this post I would like to talk about WWOOF,...
3. Top Five most common questions about renting a Campervan 1. Are campervans or motorhomes easy to drive? Yes...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Wise woman is what the word “Ruahine” means in Maori. I am not really sure why Ruahine mountain range is named this way, but it is, and this is a very beautiful place.

Ruahine ranges run for 110 kilometers from inland Hawke’s Bay to near Woodville. The highest point in the Ruahines standing at 1733 meters is Mangaweka.

Ruahine Forest Park together with adjacent parks form an almost continuous chain of protected lands along the central North Island ranges, providing high rainfall events reaching an annual rainfall of about five meters. Four large rivers originate from the park - Rangitikei, Ngaruroro, Manawatu, and Tukituki.

Park has a very diverse vegetation. Top of the ranges, above the forest, is covered with leatherwood scrub and herb field grasslands, with red and mountain beech below it in the north and a mixture of forest and scrub with open tussock in the south.

The description you just read was a very short and objective one, giving mostly the facts about the Ruahine ranges. But there is much, much more to the Ruahines than those naked facts, and I know a person who can describe the Ruahines much better than me.

Rob Kloss moved from United States to New Zealand back in 1993 and now lives in Palmerston North. His passion to the Ruahines is very addictive and if you like hiking, you will definitely like reading his blog Ruahine Ramblings in which he mainly writes about his hikes in the Ruahines.

If you really want to get a feeling of this magical places you definitely should read Rob’s blog. But before you go on to reading about all the natural beauty of Ruahines, I must tell you that it might not last for long, as there is a danger coming to this land.

In my next article I will write about this danger and how all of you can help preventing it from happening! Stay tuned.

Related posts:

1. Wise Woman in Trouble As I hinted in my previous article about Ruahine Ranges...
2. The “First” Country New Zealand is “first” in many different areas. When reading...
3. Fuirous Fountains New Zealand - Country of Geysers In this article...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Good day everyone!
Today, unlike my other posts and articles I would like to talk about the climate change, whether it is really happening, what are the possible causes and whether we can do anything to stop global warming.
Wait, you say… but what this have to do with New Zealand? This is not an environmental blog, so what the hell this guy is thinking!? We came here to read about New Zealand and what can we do there on our travel!

But let me tell you this - there won’t be No New Zealand if we will not be aware of these issues and will not take action! So in order for you and your children and your grandchildren to enjoy the magnificently unreal Nature of New Zealand and all other parts of our planet, we Now have to start making every effort to save our Natural treasures.
There are several factors that put our environment in danger. I will briefly outline here two most devastating.
1. Human Development and Globalization.
Human population is growing fast, and with it grow demand for shelter, food, water, energy and also luxuries. As a result many wild animals are being killed for their skin and bones, many trees are logged for wood, for pasture and agricultural areas. Many fish species are becoming extinct as a result of brutal fishing methods, which don’t give the fish a chance to reproduce. Many wildlife habitats are being pushed away and settled by humans. Rapidly developing technology enables people to reach most remote and pristine areas of our globe and work them for resources such as oil, metals, and minerals. Seas and oceans are getting contaminated by spilled oil and toxic waste. Since there are less trees on the planet (and trees as you know are the “lungs” of the planet), and air pollution from cars and factories grows each day, we breathe more and more polluted air, and this doesn’t make us healthier either! Many flora and fauna species are disappearing each day!

2. Global Warming / Climate Change.
There is a big debate going on whether humans are responsible for climate change or not. Well I don’t know that, but the fact is that our temperature getting warmer, and as a result icebergs are melting, and ocean levels are rising, which for example will force some shoreline cities to move further inside the land. You all, my dear readers, are witnesses of floods in some places and water shortages in other places, as a result of the climate change. But here I must be honest - personally I don’t know if we are responsible for all that, or all human activity couldn’t influence the nature even if we wanted to.
What I can tell for sure that most humans are not helping to prevent or slow down the global warming.

The average working person in the western world knows about most of these issues but doesn’t relate to them, thinking that they are not real, that nothing “bad” will happen. Well, it might not happen in your lifetime, but chances are dramatically increasing that your children will suffer the consequences, and who wants their children to suffer?

But don’t think that nothing is being done to save the planet. All around the world passionate people are devoting their lives to this noble cause. Sustainable development projects are being created, environmentally friendly energy is being produced, nature movements are rising, and much much more… but in my opinion this is not enough, not enough people are making the necessary efforts. We need more!

There is a magnificent BBC production called “Planet Earth” which is available on DVDs and, I think, is also translated on the Discovery channel. Besides showing the incredible footage of the rarest wildlife, these series are also an eye opener to everything that has to do with our planet and the changes that it is going through for the last decades. For everyone who loves nature watching these series will be a magnificent experience, and I recommend it with all my heart.
You can see some previews of Planet Earth series on Discovery Channel internet site

And one more thing - if you are not a first time visitor to my site you might have noticed the new green badge on the right sidebar. If you didn’t, please take a look at it right now. It is one more way for me, and for other people who have websites to show their support in fighting climate change. I strongly encourage you to click on the badge and read about the 350 challenge. After all this is why I put this badge

The issues that I brought up in this article are very complicated and not “black and white”. I have only touched a tip of the iceberg here. If you don’t want to think about these issues it is your right not to! But if you would turn water and light off when you don’t use it, walk by foot when you don’t have to take the car, recycle if it is not too much trouble, and buy more of environmentally friendly products, I would personally be very grateful to you, because this is what being an environmentally responsible person is all about!

Related posts:

1. The Might of Volcano in Numbers This is the third article in my series of articles...
2. Working in the Land of sheep Sometimes when I talk to people about New Zealand, I...
3. World Environment Day Celebrated in New Zealand This year New Zealand will be hosting World Environment Day...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The proper outfit for serious tramping in harsh weather - layers!

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!

Related posts:

1. Tramping With Children I accidentally bumped into this information hidden deep inside...
2. Go Extreme but Stay Safe During my tramps in New Zealand I met all kinds...
3. Walks in Hanmer Springs By Jon Povey Jon Povey runs www.peakbagging.co.nz, which is New...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.