Wilderness wrapped: your favourite features of 2025

These were our most-read features articles in 2025! 📖

December 31, 2025

Let’s take a look back at which features were your favourite in 2025!

Which tramping meal is for you?

Unsure which tramping-ready meal is right for you? We remove the guesswork by putting our tastebuds to the test reviewing these 30 tramping meals.

‘The hut my dad built’

Ali nursed her father through the final two months of his battle with aggressive cancer. This trip wasn’t just any tramp – it was a pilgrimage to the hut her father built in 1968 with his own hands.

Walk1200km 2026 starts tomorrow!

Studies have shown walking to be one of the best ways to stay fit - both physically and mentally. Even a walk around the block can do wonders to clear the mind and stretch the legs.

1200km may sound like a lot, but really it works out at an average of just 3.3km a day, or 100km a month, and meets the Ministry of Health’s recommended guidelines for weekly activity. Along the way, you’ll gain health, happiness, friendship and more.

You’ll be joining thousands of others - 7100 in 2025!

Renewable energy breakthrough for Welcome Flat Hut

The heating project, uses energy from the nearby geothermal hot springs and also incorporates solar and hydro energy, means an end to flying coal to the popular South Westland hut.

Current issue: Jan/Feb 2026

A decade on the Old Ghost Road

As the Old Ghost Road turns 10 it’s time to celebrate its journey, from an old map and a community that dared to dream to the creation of NZ’s longest and most iconic single-track trail.

Sexual harm in the backcountry

Although low, the likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment or assault while tramping is real. If we find ourselves in a scenario where another person’s behaviour makes us feel unsafe, what can we do about it?