Wilderness

Each issue of Wilderness takes its readers to the most beautiful areas in New Zealand, whether by foot, mountain bike, sea kayak, raft, pony or dream.

NOBODY WANTS TO BAN KIDS FROM READING WILDERNESS

Wilderness

LETTER of the MONTH

YOUR TRIPS, YOUR PIX • What did you get up to last weekend?

A WARMER WELCOME FLAT HUT

GEARSHOP WINS MOST TRUSTED BUSINESS AWARD

A NEW GREAT WALK ULTRA

AMERICAN CARRIES A LOG ON TE ARAROA

PITCH IN AND HELP TO CARE FOR OUR HUTS

SHOULD YOU STICK WITH THE HUT OR CAMP?

WALK1200KM IN 2026 • JOIN US IN THIS, THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE WALK1200KM CHALLENGE, AND DISCOVER WHY WALKING IS THE BEST WAY TO IMPROVE HEALTH, FITNESS AND MIND.

GEAR TO HELP YOU WALK MORE THIS MONTH • This gear from Walk1200km partners will get you off to a flying start

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR FIRST FOUR WEEKS OF WALKING • SIGN UP FOR THE WALK1200KM CHALLENGE AND DISCOVER THE MANY EXCITING CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE THAT AWAIT YOU AS YOU BECOME A REGULAR WALKER. THE BENEFITS START ON DAY ONE.

WE'VE DONE IT! • TWO PARTICIPANTS SHARE THEIR WALKING JOURNEY, WHY THEY GOT INTO WALK1200KM AND WHAT THEY HAVE GAINED.

THE GAINS WE'VE MADE • LAST YEAR'S PARTICIPANTS SHARE HOW THEY HAVE BENEFITTED FROM DOING WALK1200KM.

WHY WALK1200KM? • WE ASKED PARTICIPANTS WHY SOMEONE THEY CARE ABOUT SHOULD WALK1200KM IN 2026.

MEET THE PARTNERS • WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE BRANDS ON THESE PAGES, THERE WOULD BE NO WALK1200KM. THEY ARE AS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE CHALLENGE AS YOU ARE AND HAVE BEEN HAND-PICKED TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS.

#microchallenge 25-27 WINNERS! • Complete the #microchallenges, as these Walk1200km participants have done, and receive an exclusive, can't-be-bought Walk1200km badge. The best effort in each challenge also receives a special prize from our partners!

Jan/Feb 2026 #microchallenge • In each issue, three new #microchallenges are set to add interest and silliness to your kilometres.

SHAUN BARNETT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP • Wilderness establishes a $1000 tramping scholarship for aspiring writers and photojournalists.

THE TOP 6 TRIPS IN ARTHUR'S PASS • Arthur's Pass National Park is one of those pristine pockets of Aotearoa that is a true tramper's playground. Here are six trips from one of the few towns in the country with an apostrophe in its name.

A BOOK THAT'S A WORK OF ART • Wilderness chats to author and photographer Peter Latham to find out, among other things, why his new book, Land of Light, is priced higher than you might expect.

THE DILEMMA OF DEER • Trampers love a good deer trail, but the presence of these animals comes at a huge cost to our forest ecosystems.

An uninvited guest • The cuckoo relies on other birds to raise its chicks.

THE PAST BENEATH OUR BOOTS • Before they became part of the tramping network, South Westland's tracks and huts served cattle drovers, deer cullers, roadmen and wartime miners. On the Haast to Paringa Cattle Track, each hut reveals a chapter of New Zealand's pioneering past.

FROM PEAKS TO BEAKS • For the last year, a longtime tramper has put aside his topo maps and picked up his zoom lens to dive headfirst into the world of birding.

IMPROVING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY GAME

TIPS FOR BIRDING SUCCESS

AOTEAROA'S BEST BIRDING SPOTS

50 GREAT WALKS for kids • KEEN TO TAKE YOUR TAMARIKI TRAMPING THESE SUMMER SCHOOL HOLIDAYS? WE ASKED EXPERT FAMILY TRAMPERS FOR THEIR TOP HIKES. THE RESULT IS 50 OUTSTANDING DAY WALKS, OVERNIGHTERS AND MULTI-DAY TRIPS THAT ARE SURE TO GET YOUR LITTLE PEOPLE LOVING THE OUTDOORS.

5 SHORT WALKS FOR LITTLE LEGS • Toddlers will love getting to these huts under their own steam.

SLEEPING...