This is the third instalment of my post Slow Walking NZ’s South Coast Track. After we left the Waitutu Corporation’s wonderful Long Point Hut we intended to have a short day and be at the Waitutu Lodge within 4-5 hours (which we should have been). We were at the Angus Burn in around three hours […]
This is a continuation of the post Slow Walking NZ’s South Coast Track. After we left the Waitutu River on the South Coast Track we planned to detour South before the Angus Burn to spend a night at the Long Point Hut – and perhaps visit its extensive grassy sandhills and lighthouse, a red deer
I called the post ‘Slow Walking NZ’s South Coast Track’ as that was what we intended to do with both of us now in our seventies and not really fit enough for the rigours of the track, ie 7+ hour sections etc. I thought I had worked out ways to shorten each section (and I
I have spent the past four days walking ~6okm alongside the Wonnagatta River within the trackless Mt Darling Wilderness with my lovely dog, Honey as (illegal) company. At 76 a 20 km stretch which used to take me five hours is now taking me six (with a 10 kg+ pack) but it is much less
It’s months ago now (I have fallen behind on my posts) when Della and I took three delightful days rafting a section of the Mitchell River (Gippsland) back in autumn (April), of course with the dogs. Last time I pack-rafted this section (by myself Mitchell River Overnight) I took only two days but the double
As I have said many times, you don’t have to break the bank to go hiking. I have been eyeing off various Dyneema packs on eg Aliexpress for years but recently (it was my birthday – 76. Who’d have thought?) I decided to buy yet another unnecessary pack. The ‘choice’ was between a ‘conventional’ (ie
We have been having some predation of our Finnsheep lambs by wedge-tailed eagles which is costing us a lot of money – and anguish. The other morning as I went around the lambs I saw one flying higher than our largest gums with a lamb’s head in in its claws. I clapped my hands and
I made a sub one ounce hand saw for this purpose, but this is even easier than sawing a branch to length: You can cut approx 10″ (25 cm) of 1″ (25mm) poly pipe to join two hiking poles like this. I used standard ‘rural C’ grade poly pipe because we have it lying around
The Toothbrush Spoon was not my original idea but had been patented way back in 1934 as I discovered when I re-invented it back in 2020. Still Della and I were both very pleased with it/them and have been using them ever since. I realise now that I could have drilled a hole in it
Having mastered the art of lighting a fire in terrible conditions (I hope you have: How to Light a Fire in the Wet), and making a passable comfy shelter so you can enjoy your time in the bush, the next big step is mastering the art of walking. Too many men take overlong strides and
