New Zealand Archives | Rambling Feet

Taking the Plunge at Okere Falls

After a wild ride through the Okere Falls on a raft, our group reached the point where we exited the river. As six of us hauled the raft onto the bank, I pointed to Trout Pool Falls downstream and asked the guide a seemingly innocent question.

‘What’s beyond those falls?’

‘That’s too dangerous for us. People have died there,’ he cautioned.

One week later, those words rang in my head as I looked down at the Kaituna river. I was standing on the edge of a cliff not far from the danger zone. The water looked tamer there, but would it be forgiving if I jumped in? [Read on]

The Best Place to be in Milford Sound isn’t on a Boat

I was expecting to be bowled over by Milford Sound, but I wasn’t. The two-hour cruise should have been the highlight of the visit, but it was a little anti-climatic. My favourite moments turned out to be the ones that were unplanned. [Read on]

Te Anau Bird Sanctuary: Face-to-Face with the Takahe

The story of the takahe’s return from near-extinction is a remarkable one. This rare flightless bird was once widespread throughout New Zealand – until habitat loss, deer and stoats took their toll. By the end of World War II, no one had seen a takahe in the wild in nearly half a century.

However, one Dr Geoffrey Orbell, a doctor from Invercargill, persevered with his belief that there were living birds in the Kiwi wilderness. In 1948, deep in the Murchison Mountains near Te Anau, Dr Orbell and his companions rediscovered the birds. It kickstarted efforts to nurse the species back to healthy numbers. It was thus fitting that I came face-to-face with the takahe in Te Anau.

[Read on]

Baldwin Street: How Steep is the World’s Steepest Street?

Let’s get the mundane facts about Baldwin Street out of the way first. This 350-metre stretch of road in Dunedin, New Zealand is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world’s steepest street. Its official maximum gradient is 19 degrees (though there are little bits that are 21 degrees); in other words, the ground rises a metre for every 2.86 metres you cover horizontally. You might be able to find another place or two with a slightly steeper slope, but it isn’t in the records.

The inclusion of roads like Baldwin Street that lead up the rugged slopes of Signal Hill was entirely intentional. In the mid-19th Century, Charles Kettle surveyed Dunedin and designed its city plan based on the widely-admired layout of Edinburgh New Town. Kettle died before the bold plans were realised, but a mining and farming boom ensured that they became reality.

A remarkable location comes with remarkable events, like the Jaffa Race and the Gutbuster (more details below). It’s tempting to grab a GoPro and do something even crazier, so here’s a reminder that one student died and another suffered serious injuries when they rode a wheelie bin down the slope in 2001.

Enough of the dry stuff that you can find on the web. How steep is Baldwin Street in the flesh?

[Read on]

How Climate Change Has Ruined Glaciers for Everyone

There was a time not so long ago when you could climb glaciers in New Zealand for NZD120.

No expensive helicopters were needed. All it took was a coach ride into the Fox Glacier valley, a coat and rented crampons. You didn’t have to worry about not having enough people to go on the tours either – they were almost always full. [Read on]

60 Memories Made in New Zealand

Some memories will stick with me forever, especially those that involve personal ‘firsts’. I could write a story about each of these 60 moments from Middle Earth. [Read on]