Whether you want an overnight getaway with the family or you’re looking to spend a week exploring the valleys and peaks of Nelson Lakes National Park, this hut is a great choice. It’s the perfect spot for a cool dip by jumping off the jetty or as a break before the climb to Angelus Hut.

Missed yesterday’s feature? The lighthouse kids: For the seven Jamieson children, Cape Brett was home – a place of adventure, danger, wildlife and even school.

On this NZ Topo50 map, what do the blue dots in the water indicate?

Scroll to the bottom of this email for the answer…

A sleeping bag is a big investment in monetary terms as well as comfort and warmth. It’s wise, then, to clean your bag regularly to maximise its longevity and performance.

A bag doesn’t need washing after every use – a spot clean and an airing will usually do – but it should be cleaned thoroughly at least yearly to remove body oils and sweat that work into the fabric and insulation, decreasing the effectiveness of both. A dirty bag may not loft as it should and may soak up moisture more readily.

Cleaning is straightforward, but there are a few key things to remember. Read on to learn more.

See our list of upcoming tramping events and activities across the motu. If you have an event you want to feature, email the details!

21 July: State of the Snowpack #1

Location: Further Faster, Christchurch, 6:30-8:30

State of the Snowpack Aotearoa is several evenings over winter, of honest, practical avalanche intelligence from people who spend their winters digging pits, reading terrain and keeping others safe. Local professionals will break down what's happening in the Craigieburns, Arthur's Pass and surrounding Canterbury ranges — not in textbook terms, but in the kind of plain language that helps you make better decisions when you're standing at the top of a slope. More info.

23 July: International Packraft Film Festival

Location: The Tannery, Christchurch 7pm

The International Packraft Film Festival celebrates the stories that grow from this freedom of movement. Through films from across the globe, IPFF highlights the creativity, curiosity, and passion behind packrafting, and the many ways people use packrafts to connect with wild places and with each other. More info.

1 Aug: Sanctuary Planting

Location: Coutts Island Road, Belfast

Help restore Native Biodiversity to “The Sanctuary”, a 30 Hectare ECan Reserve on the banks of the Waimakariri River off Coutts Island Road. More info.

1-2 Aug: Boardgames in the Bush

Location: Waitakere Hut

Targeted at our younger members Small People on Big Hills and Rangitahi Ramblers. Come experience the Waitākere Hut for a social evening playing your favourite board games in front of the cosy fireplace. Bring your own food that you can prepare in the well-equipped kitchen; marshmallows welcome! Only ASC members will be able to join this event.

Please email [email protected]  with any questions or to book your beds.

1 & 30 Aug: Recloaking the Half Mile

Location: Half Mile Reserve Alexandra

This is the project's third year, and they have 1,000 plants to get into the ground this season.

The group is planting our eco-sourced, volunteer-grown native plants following the removal of pine trees. Go and join, meet some Central Otago locals (both plants and people), restore our environment, enjoy some fresh air and some afternoon tea afterwards. More info.

3 Aug: Canterbury Westland NZAC Section committee meeting

Location: NZAC headquarters. 6/6 Raycroft Street, Waltham, Christchurch, 7pm

We currently have several vacant positions on the committee. If you think you might be keen to give back to the club, come along to our next committee meeting to see what you think. More info.

4 Aug: SCUBA: Subterranean Critters - Understanding Biodiversity Aotearoa

Location: Ōtari Visitors Centre, Wellington, 7:30pm

Join Julia Kasper, Lead Curator Invertebrates at Te Papa, as she talks about Subterranean ecosystems - some of the least explored habitats on Earth. Globally, scientific knowledge of cave and groundwater invertebrates remains fragmentary, with most regions having only sporadic surveys or taxonomic treatments. More info.

4 Aug: Himalayan Trust Speakers Evening: Kiwi Mountaineering in the Himalayas

Location: Aldersgate Centre, Christchurch, 7pm

From the very beginning, the Himalayan Trust climbed and built on the same trips. A group would walk into the Khumbu, spend a month raising a schoolhouse or a hospital ward, then spend the next month on the high peaks putting up first ascents. Build a school, climb a mountain, and call it one expedition. Adventure and giving were never two things.

Seventy years on, that thread is unbroken, and it is still carried by real people. Join us in Christchurch for a relaxed evening of short talks, a panel and an audience Q&A with five New Zealand mountaineers whose stories run from Sir Ed’s era to the next generation heading for Everest.

A night of big mountains and the bond between New Zealand and Nepal, and a chance to support the Trust's education, health and clean-water work in the Everest region. More info.

6 Aug: John Roper-Lindsay speaker event

Location: The Cashmere Club, Christchurch, 7pm

More info.

The Great Outdoors Pub Quiz

Location: MD Outdoors

Back by popular demand for its second year with our amazing quiz master Emma. Grab your mates and test your wilderness wisdom at The Great Outdoors Pub Quiz! Theme attire encouraged - flannel, fleece or full tramping kit! More info.

29 Aug: Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour NZ 

Location: Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, 2pm

Celebrate 10 years of New Zealand's premier adventure film tour spotlighting women who absolutely send it! Since day one, Gutsy Girls has been championing fearless female adventurers who push boundaries, shatter expectations, and prove that gutsy is a way of life—not just a moment. More info.

3 Sept: Outdoor Training New Zealand Auckland Branch meeting

Location: Point Chevalier Tennis Club, Auckland

The Auckland branch of OTNZ has an active committee, a manageable course schedule, and holds two monthly evening meetings to introduce new topics of interest and engage with the wider membership. More info.

10-12 Sep: OTNZ Basic Navigation and Compass Skills

Location: Wenderholm Regional Park

This course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to be able to navigate using a Topo-50 map and ground features on well-marked tracks in areas typically open to the general public. More info.

Answer B - Sand and mud

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