Photo: Silentobserver1, CC 4.0
DOC’s call centre handles more than 40,000 calls a year.
Last year, some unexpected queries included a caller adamant a UFO had dropped from the sky to the Tararua Range, concern about a potential mixed martial arts (MMA) bout between a human and a chimpanzee, and a caller insisting DOC staff remove a seal from a stream on his property, as it was eating his “pet” eels.
Also in this week’s outdoor news: Why PCT thru-hikers find TA so difficult, new backcountry deal to boost support for hut and track network, rodent and stoat numbers drop to almost undetectable levels after predator control in Kahurangi National Park and more!
Missed yesterday’s feature? These 10 reliable stoves will have your brew, ready meal or your own scrumptious creation ready in no time. Read our guide to backcountry stoves.
Top reads
Take a look at this week's most read articles at wildernessmag.co.nz.
Featured Book
The Power of Trees
The follow-up to the international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, this book is a love letter to the forest and a passionate argument for protecting nature’s boundless diversity – not only for the trees, but also for ourselves.
Subscribers get a 10% discount.
Big Agnes makes space for ultralighters
Big Agnes is our October 2026 Walk1200km partner spotlight.
This month’s Walk1200km partner is spotlight is on Big Agnes. This year they mark their 25th anniversary with a new range of ultralight shelters designed to balance low weight with the space, ventilation and durability needed for long periods on the trail.
Current Issue - Oct 2026
Circling NZ’s sleeping giant, 22 walks across private land, applications open for the 2027 Shaun Barnett Memorial Scholarship, ultralight gear reviews, gear guides, the best places for field testing your lightweight kit and dozens more stories in our latest issue.
Hut of the week 🏡
Photo: Daniel Pietzsch, CC-2.0
Routeburn Falls Hut, Mt Aspiring National Park
The 48-bunk Routeburn Falls Hut offers fabulous views over the Route Burn valley and Humboldt Mountains.
Built in 1997, it replaced the old 30-bunk hunt that was on the same site.
In the Great Walks season the hut experience is one of true luxury with running water, flushing toilets, cooking facilities with fuel and solar lighting.
We stopped by the hut for our trip report to Harris Saddle in the December 2025 issue and published a full write up of the Routeburn Track in September of 2020.
Have a hut you want to see featured? Send an email to [email protected] with the hut and why you’d like to see it featured.
Want to receive fewer emails? Did you know you can select the days of the week you receive Wilderness Daily? Update your preferences here.
