New Zealand Huts: unique features and loose ends
This is a miscellany brief notes on topics about which I’d hoped to learn and write more fully. Alas, this is the best I can do as I’ve run out of time for this phase of my report on NZ huts. Hoping to revisit some of these topics in future, these are simply place-holders/reminders to spur further inquiry on interesting topics, by myself or, I hope, by others.
(Note: this is part of the larger work New Zealand Huts: Notes towards a Country Study)
Unique features of New Zealand Huts:
1. Literature, journals and publishing. The world of writings about NZ huts and tramping is large for such a comparatively small nation. This is a reflection of the depth of engagement of Kiwis in thinking about the outdoors, in addition to experiencing it! I fantasize that I’ll have time in future to luxuriate in some deeper dives into this rich vein of outdoors literature. If and when I do, some of my obvious guides will include:
An overview article by writer, reviewer, and bibliophile Shaun Barnett in June 2016 FMC Bulletin, p. 20-26, “Rucksack of Knowledge: New Zealand Outdoor Literature”. Shaun covers highlights of the early mountaineering, hunting and tramping literature, features the top five choices of five avid readers of NZ outdoor books, lists some key club histories and anthologies, and lists general histories by topic.
The rich literature of newsletters and histories created by tramping clubs.
Perusing back runs fo periodicals such as Wilderness; Backcountry (formerly FMC Bulletin), published by the Federated Mountain Club; and the glossy journal Walking New Zealand.
The publications of Potton and Burton (Nelson), the premier publisher of tramping books in NZ.
Outdoor recreation in New Zealand, vol. 1 A Review and Synthesis of the Research Literature, a joint publication of the NZ Department of Conservation and Lincoln University, 1995.
And of course the books and articles of Shaun Barnett, Rob Brown, Geoff Spearpoint, Gerard Hindmarsh, and Mark Pickering.
2. Libraries and archives. As a retired librarian, I spent very little time in NZ libraries while there in 2018, opting instead to walk the walks and talk with folks. One day I hope to spend many days browsing the collections of at least some of the major collections, e.g.:
National Library (Wellington)
Alexander Turnbull Library
Lincoln University Library
Archives New Zealand (Wellington and other locations), and
Department of Conservation Library (the hours I spent there were somewhat disappointing due to the lack of funding allocated for library collections and services, but certainly worth more time).
3. Hut bagging. Is NZ the only nation with a “hut-bagging” culture? I’m interested to learn the extent to which other nations have developed a semi-formal outlet for those obsessed with visiting and recording their visits to as many huts as they can, aka “hut bagging”. In New Zealand the cool website Hutbagger is: 1. a forum in which trampers can record the huts they have visited and look at a list of the top 100 hut baggers, and 2. a source others can search by hut name and find photos of the hut and information about the its amenities and location, including GPS coordinates. While there can be a competitive dimension to this enterprise, it seems primarily to be a way of keeping track and sharing information among the hut nuts. It is understood that many NZ trampers, including the legendary Mark Pickering (who at more than 1,250 huts, according to a 2016 article by Shaun Barnett, appears to be the record holder) and Paul Kilgour, (at 1,174 huts as of Nov. 2018) do not list their huts visited on the site. Kilgour claims to eschew “hut bagging” as mere hut bragging. None of this detracts from the good fun of the enterprise for those keen on hut bagging. The universe of NZ huts is large, providing hut baggers a lifetime of opportunity!
Check out a 6.5 minute You Tube slide show of 76 of the 80 huts along the Te Araroa Trail.
4. Huts and the Te Araroa Trail. The 3,000 km long distance trail, officially opened in 2011, is on the international trekking radar as a premier destination. It is popular as a way to test the mettle of folks who have already completed other major walks. For example, among the hard core Americans who have completed the “Triple Crown” (Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail), quite a few seem to set their sights on Te Araroa Trail as the next logical challenge. Use of the trail has grown dramatically, and is projected to grow about 9-10% per year in coming years. DoC has studied the significant environmental impacts of increased use of the trail and associated tramping infrastructure including huts, bridges, campsites, toilets, and streams and lakes (See Te Araroa Visitor Growth: visitor demand report, Draft 2016, DoC Recreation, Tourism and Heritage Unit). About 80% of use is by international tourists. Other very popular long distance trails suffer similar environmental impacts. There are 44 huts along the TA, most of which were not designed for the level of use they are experiencing. Hut usage is up by as much as 300% in some cases. While serving as hut wardens in Nelson Lakes National Park we met lots of millennials (and other age groups) tramping Te Araroa, and were struck by the fact that for the many Americans this was their first introduction to huts. Accustomed to thinking of huts as “cheating” for long distance walkers, Americans embraced huts as destinations and gathering places, but were mostly disinterested or uncertain about how they thought huts might fit into the American hiking scene. It will be interesting to try to track how this significant experience of NZ huts by Americans and other international TA hikers affects their views of huts in the long term. The TA Facebook site may be a place to solicit observations about huts from TA through hikers.
5. Gear designers. New Zealand has had a robust outdoor gear industry for a century now, and is known for its focus on durability and innovation. I have not made a study of NZ gear design, but to me the three most interesting companies I encountered are committed to manufacturing their products in New Zealand and employ designers dedicated to innovation and durability to meet the needs of Kiwis tramping and climbing in rugged NZ terrain. These include: 1. Canterbury-based Cactus Outdoor has been manufacturing rugged work and outdoor clothing and gear for over 25 years. They favor rugged canvas and privilege durability over light-weight. I bought a pair of their gaiters, which I think will last a lifetime! 2. Canterbury based Earth Sea Sky is a family owned business that has been involved in manufacturing for six generations and owns and operates the two NZ-based factories that produce the designs for which they are famous. I bought a knee-length raincoat that is remarkably effective in a veritable deluge. 3. Aaran Bodypacks specializes in ergonomically sophisticated backpack design that distributes the load on the musculoskeletal structure in a naturally balanced, body friendly way. These award-winning designs are becoming popular world-wide. What makes these companies notable is their commitment to local manufacturing, design for local conditions, and commitment to high quality. That such comparatively small, locally owned businesses can thrive in today’s international marketplace is a testament to both their values and their commitment to quality, and equally to the recognition and valuing of those qualities by Kiwis.
Derry Kingston, courtesy nz radio
6. Car relocation services. A unique feature of several car relocation services is that the owners/operators, serious trail runners, is to use the return trip as training. For example, TrackHopper in Glenorchy will drive your car several hours from the beginning of the Routeburn Track (east end) to the end and leave it for you. Then they will run the 33 km Routeburn Track back to the beginning (usually in 3.5-4.5 hours), near where they live. Trackhopper owners, Mike and Kiyomi, were inspired to do this when they met Derry Kingston, who ran a similar service on the Heaphy Track for years. Kingston — who recently retired at age 73 after walking the 78 km Heaphy Track over 400 times — appears to have invented this model. We met his daughter, a guide on the Heaphy Track, and learned that years ago he decided he needed get fit after a heart attack. He thought doing the 20 hour Heaphy Track walk on a regular basis, which most trampers do over 3 or 4 days, was just the thing. Over the years he became a legendary walker and has walked the Appalachian Trail and Lands End to John O’ Groats in UK. And he invented what may be a uniquely Kiwi business model along the way!
Loose ends:
Cobb Valley Pilgrimage and Asbestos Cottage – I’d hoped to write a trip report on the incredibly rich tramp we experienced in the Cobb Valley Hut, and the wonderful people we met. In addition, I wanted to write a piece examining the widespread appeal of the unlikely story of Henry and Annie Chaffey of Asbestos Cottage fame. Like so much else, these topics have already been covered by others!
Meeting with people and better understanding the work of the Walking Access Commission, NZ Alpine Club, and Federated Mountain Clubs is a future goal.
While visiting NZ the first three months of 2018, we tramped for x days, covering xxx km, and we visited y huts. Here are the lists:
List of tramps 2018
List of huts visited 2018