Climbing through an alpine garden on Heartbreak Spur. Photo: Jon Harris
Tramping the Tākitimu Track is a fantastic way to spend three or four challenging days in the Southland wilderness. Be prepared to navigate muddy beech forest, valleys filled with chest-high tussock, rivers and steep saddles.
The reward for tackling this difficult track is that there will be long stretches – if not the whole track – without another soul, if you time it right.
Missed yesterday’s feature? This dramatic Taranaki track rivals the Great Walks.
Quiz
Woolshed Creek Hut is located in which region?
A. Otago
B. Fiordland
C. West Coast
D. Canterbury
Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer…
Current Issue - June 2026
Expert tips for winter camping, seven overseas trails you’ll love, why a night under the stars is the perfect sleep fix, BTS at the OGU, mapped trip reports, gear guides and dozens more articles!
Recipe: Aotea Circuit cheesecake 🍰
Make this dairy and gluten-free cheesecake that can be chilled in a river.
Photo: Warwick Prewar
Profile
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Set time: 3-4 hours
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
Base ingredients:
½ cup almonds
½ cup cashew nuts
½ cup dates
¼ cup boiling water
Filling ingredients:
1 cup cashew nuts
5 pitted dates
Pinch of salt
½ cup boiling water
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)
Topping ingredients:
1 cup dehydrated blueberries
1 teaspoon thickener (e.g. arrowroot, cornflour, tapioca)
¼ cup cold water
Rind of half a lemon
1 tablespoon Cacao nibs
Method
At home:
Combine almonds and cashew nuts for base into a food processor and process until a clumpy texture. Bag this up. Process cashew nuts for filling ingredients until no nut pieces are left. Add pinch of salt and optional vanilla essence. Bag up.
2- Grate half a lemon and mix rind with one teaspoon of thickener. Bag these together.
At Camp:
Chop the half cup of dates (base ingredients) and soak in boiling water to soften. Mix this with the base nut mixture. Press the base into a 12cm bowl lined with greaseproof paper. Make sure you have a thick crust along the sides.
Soak filling dates in boiling water for 2min and combine with the blended cashew mix. Stir into a smooth cashew cream. Pour over the base.
Topping:
Mix the thickener, rind and water from rehydrated blueberries in a pot. Add the rehydrated blueberries and stir well on a low to medium heat, until a gel has formed. Pour blueberry topping over the cheesecake and distribute evenly.
Chill covered and out of the sun beside a cold source – placed on or touching a water tank, in a shallow stream, or snow so it’s not submerged – for 3-4hr. Sprinkle cacao nibs on just before serving.
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Poll results
On Monday we asked Wilderness Daily readers if they agreed with the judges’ choice for the 2026 Outdoor Photographer of the Year award winner.
The results are in: 44% said yes, 39% said it was too close to call and 17% said they would have picked a different image from the finalists.
Here is a selection of comments from readers:
“Difficult decision as they are all high calibre. The Milford weather and actually “feeling” the struggle is real as we have all been there make it worthy.”
“Loved the Robin, but the brilliant Rifleman, was a personal favourite of mine.”
“A great series of photos. Glad I was not the judge with such a good lot.”
Have a question you want to ask your fellow Wilderness Daily readers? Send us an email at [email protected]
Quiz answer
Answer D - Canterbury
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