Ōtaki River is the beating heart of the western Tararua Range. It flows from under the main range, fringed by dense forest and rugged peaks. Its headwaters are bounded on one side by Oriwa Ridge, a once popular traverse that faded into obscurity following the ‘big storm’ of 1936, a tropical cyclone that devastated the ridge, destroyed Waiopehu Hut and killed tramper Ralph Wood, who died of exposure on nearby Twin Peak.

Today the watershed is ringed by paths less followed and seldom visited huts. Author Sam Harrison, formulated a plan to link the remote huts surrounding the Ōtaki on an ambitious four-day traverse.

Missed yesterday’s feature? We covered how to know when to change your plans in our outdoor skills feature.

Which moth is Aotearoa’s largest moth?

Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer…

Make this simple and hearty one-pot meal using seasonal vegetables with nutritious and cheap pantry staples.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium-sized pot and when hot add onion, garlic, carrot, cumin, and bay leaves. Cook for 5min, stirring until the onion is almost golden. Add tomatoes, fill the can with water and pour in with the dried lentils.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 10min.

Add the fennel and Brussels sprouts and cook for another 5-10min until the sprouts (and lentils) reach your desired tenderness. Turn off the heat and add spinach. Wait for it to wilt (if using kale it will need a couple of minutes on the heat to soften). Carefully fish out the bay leaves.

Season generously with salt and pepper and chilli flakes.

Finely slice the green fennel stalks and fronds and use as a garnish along with nuts and seeds (walnuts and almonds and pumpkin seeds are nice) and feta/cottage cheese/something tangy.

A crusty piece of bread, if you have it, soaks up the soupy remnants of the meal.

On Monday we asked Wilderness Daily readers if you or your kids did Duke of Ed at school.

The results are in: 55% of you said no, and 45% said yes.

Here is a selection of comments from readers:

“I did D of E Bronze, Silver and Gold. It was by far the best training I ever received and the hypothermia training resulted in lives saved. I went on to become an Army Officer and complete Mountain Leader Certificate (Summer), so I don't make that comment lightly.”

“Getting my Gold Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Scout Award from the Governor General is one of my proudest moments. For my Gold Award, I organised for our Venturer Group to do the Abel Tasman - quite a feat in organisation for a teenager! Tramping continues to be a key live of my life.”

“Always thought DE was a bit woosey. I got out and did my own thing which was much more exciting.”

"My daughter went with her school to do the Heaphy for her gold award and is now ticking off all the great walks. She’s hooked!”

Answer A - Pūriri moth

The Pūriri moth is Aotearoa’s largest and most spectacular moth which takes 4-5 years from egg to adult, but with no functional mouthparts it lives for only a few days at most.

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