Photo: Jokin Lacalle, CC 2.0
DOC is investigating allegations a Tongariro Alpine Crossing shuttle operator breached rules over the Waitangi Day weekend by transporting hundreds of hikers despite hazardous conditions.
At least two rival operators have complained that Tongariro Expeditions ran multiple services to the volcanic plateau crossings, despite a Hazardous Weather Advisory issued for the day.
Also in this week’s The World Outdoors the first kākāpō chick in four years hatches on Valentine's Day, famous ice caves in USA open to hikers for the first time in 14 years, DOC grants three multi-decade concessions and more!
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Top reads
Take a look at this week's most read articles at wildernessmag.co.nz.
Current Issue - March 2026
Every Tararua hut ranked, the possibilities of packrafting, three life changing journeys, 7 mapped trip reports, gear guides and dozens more articles!
Hut of the week 🏡
Photo: Mark Watson
Upper Travers Hut, Nelson Lakes National Park
Upper Travers Hut is a serviced 24-bunk hut in the Nelson Lakes area and can be booked online. It was built by DOC in 2004 as a replacement for the previous 8-bunk hut, which stood in an avalanche path.
Upper Travers Hut was named after William Thomas Locke Travers (1819-1903), who was a New Zealand lawyer, politician, explorer, and naturalist. Born in Ireland in 1849, Travers and his family moved to Nelson, where he practised law. In 1853, he served in NZ's first parliament.
The route to the hut is part of the famous Travers-Sabine Circuit, and a journey into the upper Travers Valley encapsulates much that is special about tramping into New Zealand’s subalpine zone.
We featured Upper Travers Hut as one of our 25 huts to visit in 2025.
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