Manson, the king of the western Kāweka, sits at a chiefly height of 1448m above sea level and has a commanding view over the rest of Manson Country and the highlands beyond.

The scarred peak bears the marks of a legacy of ill-fated farming failures, fires and introduced foragers, such as deer and rabbits. A visit to the remote summit of Manson is a must-do for the intrepid multi-day tramper. 

Manson is one of our 75 Top Trampers’ Peaks. View all peaks in the list.

Missed Friday’s feature? Everest guides have been accused of drugging foreign climbers to trigger expensive evacuations as part of a $35m NZD insurance fraud scheme, DOC closes Nelson visitor centre at Millers Acre, border collie rescued after a week waiting for injured owner, and more news in last week’s The World Outdoors.

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Officially opened by Prime Minister Jim Bolger, the boundaries of Kahurangi National Park were based on the old North West Nelson Forest Park. Kahurangi (‘cloak of the sky’) became the second largest national park in Aotearoa. The massive 5193 square km region includes a huge variety of landscapes including mountains, rivers, gorges, raised peneplains, karst features and deep cave systems. Kahurangi also contains 80 per cent of all New Zealand's alpine species plus 18 endemic bird species.

This week's photo comes from Jeremy Sanson. Jeremy’s photograph of a titipounamu in flight won him the Wildlife award in our 2025 Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition.

Entries are open until 26 April, 2026 for this year’s comp. Winners will win prizes from our generous prize pool with over $3500 worth of camera gear from Panasonic Lumix.

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