Justin Sprecher

1 week ago | wildernessmag.co.nz | Justin Sprecher

A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world. A weka who inadvertently hitched a 300km ride to Christchurch has been returned to the West Coast via a one-way bus ticket. Kim Ranger and partner Ian stopped at Berlins campsite near Inangahua over Easter weekend, where the weka took advantage of an open door and climbed into their ute, hiding among dog blankets. When they returned home, Kim saw the weka in the footwell.

2 weeks ago | wildernessmag.co.nz | Justin Sprecher

A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world. Is this finally proof that famed Fiordland moose is real? Annie-Pier Bourgeois, Antoine Beauchamp and Chanel Sabourin-Dubois were on their third day on the Kepler track when they came across a large animal near the bank of the Iris Burn River. Mr Beauchamp said when they approached, the animal was scared into the bush. They decided to cross the track and look for it.

3 weeks ago | wildernessmag.co.nz | Justin Sprecher

A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world. The popular Hooker Valley Track in Mt Cook/Aoraki National Park has been closed after heavy rainfall over Easter weekend. The Department of Conservation said the second bridge on the track was already suffering from riverbank erosion and with the rain at Easter and the prospect of more heavy rain and snow this winter, it has decided to close the bridge permanently.

1 month ago | wildernessmag.co.nz | Justin Sprecher

A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world. For the first time, mountain rescue teams in England and Wales were called out every day of the year in 2024. Callouts in Scotland topped 1,000 for the first time. Rescues jumped by 24% between 2019 and 2024, according to data from Mountain Rescue England and Wales analysed by Ordnance Survey and shared exclusively with the Guardian.

1 month ago | wildernessmag.co.nz | Justin Sprecher

A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world. Fourteen years, two landowners, three agencies, hundreds of emails – and still free public access to a Marlborough conservation area remains closed off. It started with a trespass complaint way back in 2011. Police called for action, as they worried someone would get hurt. In 2014, local DOC staff declared they would make it a priority.