Photo: Lachlan McKenzie
This hut in Remutaka Forest Park is a serene all-seasons haven for family and friends or tramping newbies, with several options to get there.
It is tidy and inviting with gas cookers, skylights and double glazing. Its expansive veranda overlooks the surprisingly dramatic ridge of the southern Remutaka Range, including the deeply gashed flanks of Papatahi directly in front.
Missed yesterday’s feature? Once was not enough for Uwe Stemmer, the thru-hiking Cantabrian who has completed three laps of Te Araroa Trail.
Quiz
What is the highest point on the Otago Peninsula?
A - Sandymount
B - Peggys Hill
C - Mount Charles
D - Highcliff
Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer…
Current Issue - September 2026 Great Walks special issue
Get a free gear Checklist printed on 250gsm card with the September Great Walks special issue. Also inside, Which Great Walk is right for you, tips and advice from those who have done them, plus the birds and plants to spot on your Great Walk adventure.
Featured Book
Photographic Guide to Mushrooms and Fungi of New Zealand
Over a hundred species are presented in this book, with spectacular close-up colour photographs accompanying each entry. The ideal size for slipping into a backpack when walking through bush and forest, it will appeal to walkers, nature lovers, tour guides and educators, and fungi photographers wishing to identify their subjects.
Subscribers get a 10% discount.
Recipe: Blistered potato bake
Prepared and cooked at home, this recipe works well when you need a pot-luck dish and have the facility to re-heat it. You need to carry a dish; try a silicone one, which is light and flexible and easily fit in a backpack, saddle bag or storage hatch.
Profile
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
1 large onion
250gm bacon
3 or 4 large potatoes
200 to 300ml mayonnaise
200gm Colby or tasty Cheddar cheese
Method
Peel and slice the spuds 3-5cm thick, gently boil, add tsp of salt.
Peel and dice onion, remove fat and rind of bacon, then cut into pieces. Fry onion and bacon together in a pan with a little oil.
Spread drained and cooked potato over base of an oven proof dish to a depth of 50mm to 75mm. Spread the onion and bacon mixture on top, then the mayonnaise.
Gently mix the layers together, trying not to break the potato up too much, and spread evenly.
Grate cheese over the top until it covers the potato mixture.
Bake in a moderate oven (180°C) for 30min. If you assemble and bake when the potato is still warm, it won’t need so long in the oven.
Poll results
On Monday we asked Wilderness Daily readers if they would travel overseas for a hiking holiday.
The results are in: 60% would travel, 40% of you have plenty of exploring to do in Aotearoa.
Here is a selection of comments from our readers:
“Yes. Going to Corsica next week.”
“I have done quite a few overseas tramps and now I am quite happy to just explore NZ.”
“NZ has great tramping but seeing great outdoors views and culture on an overseas hike adds another perspective.”
“Anywhere, always looking for a hike to do either prior to or while travelling.”
Have a question you want to ask your fellow Wilderness Daily readers? Send us an email at [email protected]
Quiz answer
Answer C - Mount Charles
Mount Charles is 408m above sea level.
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