Recreation |

Drawing in the bush

Department of Conservation — 09/01/2014

Felicity Deverell has left her home and studio behind her to embark on a drawing adventure in the New Zealand backcountry. She plans to draw about 50 huts to feature in an exhibition/book. Felicity writes about some of her challenges so far.

Drawing Mangamuka Hut in the Kaimai Range with my co-plotter Caleb

Drawing out in the wilderness is very different from in the studio. It has its difficulties but is very enjoyable on the whole. I love being outside, and I love drawing, so it was a great holiday for me.

Te Totara Hut in the Te Urewera National Park

The challenges of drawing huts abounded. In the first place, it was difficult to find a good angle to draw the hut from. It wasn’t just a question of which side the hut looked most interesting from, often finding one possible drawing angle was hard. Most huts were either closely surrounded by bush or long grass, so I had to find ways of getting around that.

Getting far enough away from the hut to get a good view of it, and to get it to fit on my paper, was a challenge, but I always found a way.

At Te Totara Hut in the southern Ureweras I sat up on a slip over the river from the hut. The hut was surrounded with tall grass so that was the only place I could get a proper view of it.

Sketching amongst the native bush

Before I began drawing the huts, I thought of just doing sketches of them, and working on larger more detailed drawings later, as the main thing to show at an exhibition. But I am now thinking that what I draw out there is worth more than what I could do in my studio. They have more interest and character to them, and capture the feel of the place.

A watercolour paining of a hut hanging on the hut wall.

Watercolour on location

For an exhibition and a book, all I really need is the material I get out there. But I still intend to do a few paintings on canvass and for those I will work on my studio from sketches and photographs.

More information on Felicity Deverell and her ‘The Art of a Hut’ project is available on her blog.

You could enjoy a backcountry hut experience of your own by finding your ideal hut break on the DOC website.

In Huts Art, Artist, Backcountry, Drawing, huts, Painint, Shelters, Sketching, Te Totara Hut, Te Urewera National Park

An Abel Tasman Coastal Track adventure

Department of Conservation — 06/01/2014

Today, our adventurous American friends John (the photographer) and Jean (the writer) Strother are on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track:

Onetahuti Bay seen on Abel Tasman Coastal Track in Abel Tasman National Park. Photo: John Strother © All rights reserved.

Onetahuti Bay, Abel Tasman Coastal Track, Abel Tasman National Park

Our first Great Walk on the South Island was the Abel Tasman Coastal Track in Abel Tasman National Park.

This track is not a loop but the DOC (Department of Conservation) brochure lists several transportation options including travelling by air, bus and boat.

We had Aqua Taxi transport us from Marahau to Mutton Cove. After getting off the boat we did the short side trail to Separation Point which separates Golden Bay from Tasman Bay.

Golden Bay seen from Separation Point in Abel Tasman National Park. Photo: John Strother © All rights reserved.

Golden Bay, from Separation Point

As is common with nearly every coastal hike this track frequently climbs up over headlands before dropping back down to the coast.

Sometimes we had great views of the golden beaches and aquamarine water below…

Tasman Bay

And sometimes the track took us through forest dense enough we almost forgot we were near the coast…

Forest. Photo: John Strother © All rights reserved.

Forest dense enough we almost forgot we were
near the coast

And, just like other coastal hikes, it was essential for us to consult a tide chart as there are portions of the track that cross estuaries.

The Onetahuti estuary and the Awaroa Inlet, can only be crossed within a specific time period around low tide. But, just because the tide is low doesn’t mean your feet don’t get wet.

Jean crossing Onetahuti Bay at low tide

In some cases there are high tide routes available. While the hide tide route around Torrent Bay is longer than the low tide route it does take you closer to a side trail to a feature known as “Cleopatra’s Pool”.

Cleopatra’s Pool

Access is easy by boat to any number of spots along the Abel Tasman track and it is a popular track for day hiking and kayaking. As a result there seemed to be more people than on other tracks.

On our first night we were dismayed by how cramped and crowded the Awaroa Campground was. Although it was entertaining to hear a young French woman in a nearby tent explaining her “relationship issues”, which were apparently complicated by her “sensual nature”, to a fellow she had recently met.

However, our second night at the Anchorage Bay campground was great. The camping area is more spread out and most campers had their tents clustered near the cooking shelter. We were happy to find find a spot in the trees well away from anyone else so we could listen to the waves instead of hearing about “relationship issues”.

The beach near Marahau

Doing the Abel Tasman Track also provided us with an educational introduction to a common native species—sandflies.

What New Zealand lacks in things that want to kill you; mountain lions, bears, snakes, etc., it makes up for with sand flies.

Anytime we sat down to rest, eat lunch or enjoy the view we did not have to worry about being tempted to sit there too long. The presence of those small but incredibly voracious insects made the decision to get going again very easy.

Bark Bay

We were lucky to have had great weather for the first two days of our trip. Given New Zealand’s commonly wet weather it was not surprising that it deteriorated on our last day. However, it occurred on what we thought was the least scenic part of the track, so we had no complaints.

Read more on panafoot — Jean and John’s blog.

pan-a-foot (păn’ ũh fʊt) v. covering great distances to see more of the world under one’s own power

A big thanks to Jean and John for giving us permission for us to publish this on the Conservation Blog!

In Great Walks, Nelson/Marlborough, Recreation, Walking/hiking/tramping Abel Tasman Coast Track

Walking the Tongariro Northern Circuit

Department of Conservation — 30/12/2013

After selling their house in the United States in 2010, retired couple John and Jean Strother have been travelling full time. They love to hike and backpack and have had some amazing adventures around the world — including here in New Zealand.

We’re going to be sharing some of their stories (and incredible photos) over the next few weeks.

We start with Jean and John’s experience on the Tongariro Northern Circuit…

John and Jean in the old Waihohonu Hut on Tongariro’s Northern Circuit

After more than two weeks of driving and sightseeing we were more than ready to see some mountains and do our first Great Walk, the Tongariro Northern Circuit in Tongariro National Park.

Looking across Central Crater at Mt Ngauruhoe and Red Crater

We had heard that in New Zealand it rains on average one day out of every three so it seemed inevitable that we would get wet at some point on every Great Walk. Our goal was to try to arrange it so we encountered the poorest weather on the least scenic part of the track. Apparently the weather in Tongariro is especially difficult to accurately predict.

After a couple of days of cloudy rain with “fine” weather in the forecast we booked our tramp. In order to increase our chances of seeing the “best parts” under better weather conditions we decided to do the track counterclockwise, opposite to how it is commonly done.

Our best view of Mt Ngauruhoe on our first day on Tongariro Northern Circuit. © All rights reserved by panafoot.

Our best view of Mt Ngauruhoe on our first day on the
Tongariro Northern Circuit

We left Whakapapa Village in cloudy drizzle and headed toward the Waihohonu Hut and campground. The trampers we encountered who were heading out stated that visibility had been less than 10 meters and that they had seen “nothing” during the previous three days on the track.

We consoled ourselves with the fact that this was the least scenic part and were grateful that it briefly stopped raining twice; once long enough for us to eat lunch and later to set up our tent.

This was our first experience with a DOC hut and while it is our preference to sleep in our tent we certainly appreciated being able to get out of the rain to cook and eat. However, we were happy to later leave the loud intensity and retreat to our tent. We were unaware at that point that at some huts tents campers are forbidden from using the hut facilities, but in those cases a cooking shelter has been provided.

Inside the Waihohonu Hut

The next day continued to be cloudy and drizzling and we had some trouble leaving the warm dry (and now quiet) hut. Once we got going the track first climbed up through a forest that looked as though we had been transported back into the North Cascade Mountains. However we got above the trees and the clouds began lifting so that by noon we began to get great views of the Rangipo Desert…

Jean following the track through the Rangipo Desert

and the dramatic volcanic landscape of the Oturere Valley and Mt Ruapehu…

Mt Ruapehu, as seen on Tongariro Northern Circuit

The clouds continued to lift and break up as the day went on and we climbed higher. It appeared that our late start worked in our favor as we were thrilled with our views of the lower Emerald Lake, views that those who passed through earlier in the day would have missed.

Lower Emerald Lake

The next morning the skies were only partly cloudy and we were treated to views of all three of the Emerald Lakes…

Emerald Lakes

and of Mt Ngauruhoe…

Mt Ngauruhoe and the South Crater

and into Red Crater…

Red Crater

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is purported to be the best day hike in New Zealand. It starts at the Mangatepopo car park, follows the same track as the Northern Circuit across the saddle before descending to the Ketetahi car park.

The 12 miles (19.4 kilometers) takes about 7-9 hours and is done by hundreds of people every day, some better prepared than others. A challenging part for the less skilled is descending the steep scree slope from the saddle.

Tongariro Northern Circuit

Read more on panafoot — Jean and John’s blog.

pan-a-foot (păn’ ũh fʊt) v. covering great distances to see more of the world under one’s own power

A big thanks to Jean and John for giving us permission for us to publish this on the Conservation Blog!

In Central North Island, Great Walks, Recreation Alpine Crossing, Great Walk, Tongariro Northern Circuit, tramping, Tramping New Zealand

Students’ hut design delights

Department of Conservation — 26/12/2013

A fresh look at the humble backcountry hut by Year 12 students at Rangiora High School has brought forward all kinds of new ideas and concepts for consideration.

Rangiora student Adam Mitchelmore chats to Jeff Dalley

Throughout 2013 DOC Ranger, Jeff Dalley, has been working with visual communications and design students in Rangiora to design a new hut for the St James Cycle Trail, a 64 kilometre track through stunning scenery of mountain peaks, crystal clear rivers, high-country lakes, alpine meadows, sub-alpine beech forest, and expansive grassy river flats.

A prescriptive Standard Operating Procedure for hut design in the backcountry means new ideas and designs are rarely considered, but the project at Rangiora High School was a great way to think of new and creative approaches to building these shelters.

Callum Bradbury shows Jeff his Computer-Aided Design drawing

The idea was the brainchild of teacher, Carey Prebble, who contacted DOC. Fortuitously a new hut was being considered and DOC staff were keen to collaborate.

The students were given a very specific and comprehensive design brief which would have been exactly what would have been provided to any architect.

The hut design, for 12 people and their bikes, and had to cater to various constraints, including cost, materials, weight and construction complexity.

One student’s final hut design poster

Many of the students had fond memories of staying in DOC huts and wanted to ensure their designs would be attractive and comfortable for future visitors.

DOC staff were impressed with the students’ work, they were truly creative and many of the innovations designed by the students could be immediately incorporated in any final design.

In Huts Canterbury, design, Hut, Rangiora High School, St James Cycle Trail, Students

Marlborough campsites are waiting for you

Department of Conservation — 24/12/2013

By Clare Moore, Community Relations Ranger, Marlborough

If you’re not keen on camping you obviously haven’t explored one of our lovely Marlborough conservation campsites.

Momorangi campsite

I know campers can be a bit picky, so we cater to a range of campers and camping styles; from lush forest settings, to sandy beaches and shimmering lakes.

You can camp in scenic surroundings from as little as $6 a night.

Wilderness wanderer

For the wilderness wanderer, camping is definitely about getting away from it all. A bit of bush or forest perhaps, or maybe a tranquil lake or a bubbling brook… Ah, the serenity!

To satisfy your quest for peace and quiet, campsites off the beaten track are your best bet. They have toilets and a water supply (possibly a stream), and that’s probably it! You don’t need to book them either and some are even free.

In Marlborough there lots of campsites which would suit the wilderness wanderer, especially those in the Marlborough Sounds which you need a boat to reach, like Putanui Point, South Arm and Tawa Bay.

Molesworth Station. Photo: Gregor Ronald

If you are travelling by car you could visit Titirangi Farm Park in the outer Kenepuru Sound, Cob Cottage in Molesworth or Whatamango Bay on the Port Underwood Rd.

Family camper

Family campers have young ones that can dictate where you can go.

To keep them happy, and yourself sane, you’ll need access to activities in the area to occupy them—and it wouldn’t hurt to have a few facilities to help make things simpler.

Most family campers don’t mind having other families and campers around, and like the idea that an ice-cream treat isn’t too far away!

Pelorus Bridge and Whites Bay are perfect for families – good facilities, safe swimming areas, plenty of walks and not too far to travel.

White’s Bay beach

Glamper

If the thought of camping freaks you out a little, because you don’t want to use a long drop and would rather not go without a shower, then you might just be a glamper (glamour camper). You know that camping is a fun, social summer ‘must-do’, but you want to ease in to it gently.

At these sites there may not be cell phone reception, and there won’t be a power plug for your hair straightener sorry, but you will find showers and won’t be too far from an ice cream, or a coffee if you’re lucky!

Glampers in Marlborough should check out French Pass campsite or Momorangi Bay.

French Pass campsite

Check out the DOC website to find links to more conservation campsites in Marlborough, and the rest of New Zealand, and dust off your tent, air out the chilly bin, and get out and create some long-lasting memories in our great outdoors.

In Camping Campers, Campsites, French Pass, marlborough, molesworth, Pelorus Birdge, Putanui Point, Sounds, Summer, Tawa Bay

Archives For 30/11/1999

Drawing in the bush

An Abel Tasman Coastal Track adventure

Walking the Tongariro Northern Circuit

Students’ hut design delights