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.
Thinking of doing the Kepler Track, but overwhelmed by conflicting information? Check out this set of links to both official advice, and personal tales of Kepler Track shenanigans. Now get your boots on!
Despite the best of intentions, I’ve yet to spend any meaningful time working on the visual design and layout of this blog. The default ‘Kubrick’ theme that comes with WordPress is of course clean, subtle, and eminently suitable for a fledgling blog. Without considerable care and restraint, I could quite easily wreck things as they stand (though of course, I do have backups — more on that some other time).
A chance set of circumstances lead to a magnificent (but very long!) day’s trekking on the Kepler Track — one of New Zealand’s best “Great Walks”. This illustrated article reveals the delights of this splendid (if over-engineered) track.