Climbing Mount Titiroa from Manapouri gave me an inkling of what New Zealand has to offer beyond the Great Walks, or indeed anything off the extensive network of marked tracks. Increased difficulty and seriousness is attended by more intense solitude, “purer” wilderness, and a tangible sense of exploration and discovery. That such ventures are possible in a First World country with a such a small landmass, still astounds me.
Eight days solid in the remote, primeval, temperate rainforest of South West Fiordland. Meet the Dusky Track. Find out what you’re letting yourself in for, and you shouldn’t need choppering out.