This mountain is one of a cluster of extinct volcanoes, whose outlines define the Waikato skyline.

Thanks to the vision and collaboration of the local community, landowners, iwi and council, it has become a 34kmᒾ enclosed eco-sanctuary with 47km of predator-proof fencing.

The bush has regenerated rapidly and native forest birds have returned to the area either naturally, or through successive reintroduction efforts that include North Island brown kiwi, North Island kōkako, the hihi stitchbird and the titipounamu rifleman.

Talk a walk on this track which provides access to a thriving ancient ecosystem and a conservation success story.

Missed yesterday’s feature? The Downhill Ski Club lodge was once the glittering jewel of Whakapapa ski field, but now it sits abandoned. Read more about its fascinating history.

What is the distance from Wellington to the Chatham Islands?

Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer…

Make these dumplings ahead of time, then freeze them so they defrost in your pack ready to be cooked on the first night.

Tip: For an extra special treat, you can make dessert dumplings with sliced banana and chunks of dark chocolate.

In a pan, sauté mushrooms and tempeh in olive oil and sesame oil for 3-4min. Add broccoli, garlic, chilli, and ginger and cook for a further 5min. Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and stir through. Remove from heat and allow to cool (now is your chance to watch a clip on how to fold dumplings).

Take a tablespoon of the mixture and place into the centre of the dumpling wrapper and pinch edges together – dampen your hands if they are not sticking. Continue until all the filling is used up. Place dumplings in plastic container with a little sheet of baking paper between layers then freeze.

To cook, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and half a cup of water in a frying pan. Place dumplings in batches of 5-10 into pan and cover with lid, steam fry for 3-5min until slightly opaque and golden on the bottom, make sure you move them about with a spatula while they cook as they like to stick.

Repeat process, topping up water and oil each time until done. Eat immediately dipped in a little soy sauce.

On Monday we asked Wilderness Daily readers: Are your children (furry or human) into hiking naturally or did they need warming up to the idea?

The results are in: 46% of you said yes, 36% said they needed some warming up to the idea and 18% of you are too busy tramping to start a family.

Here is a selection of comments from our readers:

“My fur baby, Teddy, loves the outdoors! He's never happier than when he's exploring a new trail or taking a nap on a summit somewhere after a taste test of my snacks”

“Its still an evolving situation with our 3 girls. The youngest doesn't like walking and while we had a backpack to carry her, she would only go in it if ‘mum’ was carrying her! We did our first overnight hike last autumn up snowfarm to the first hut. An easy 3.5km one way, had the hut to ourselves and a beautiful creek outside to explore. The catch was, everyone was using their own feet. It was a success and now im looking for the next small adventure.”

“They are both now in their 30s, very keen trampers/trail runners and now introducing the next generation aged 2.5 and 5 yrs!”

Have a question you want to ask your fellow Wilderness Daily readers? Send us an email at [email protected]

Answer A - 769km

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