Tips 'n Tricks for Trampers | New Zealand | Planning | Weather | Food & cooking | Clothing | Equipment | Packing | Shelter | Walking | Navigation | Above the bushline | Rivers | Plants and Animals | Thinking safe | Emergencies | Health | Creature comforts | Treading lightly | Glossary |
Treading lightly
@ home in the hills supports the introduction of the LNT program to New Zealand, visit http://www.leavenotrace.org.nz/ for more details.
Wilderness is a fast shrinking resource in most parts of the world. It faces many pressures from human activities such as agricultural development, air and water pollution, fire, roading, mineral, oil and timber extraction. Today In New Zealand most backcountry and wilderness areas are either protected by law or at least carefully managed by either the government or farmers/private owners. The bulk of human activity in these areas is now recreational, both kiwis and overseas visiters undertaking scenic flights, going tramping or climbing, rafting or 4 wheel driving, biking or fishing. Today the greatest impacts visited on the back country come from these activities.
"Rise free from care before dawn and seek adventures. Let the noon find thee by other lakes, and the night overtake thee everywhere at home. There are no larger fields than these, no worthier games than here be played ." Henry David Thoreau.
The 7 Leave No Trace principles
The Leave No Trace principles provide excellent guidelines to help New Zealanders reduce their social and environmental impacts when recreating in the back country.
Plan ahead and prepare
Careful planning can include minimising the food packaging you carry (and therefore the rubbish you need to carry out), choosing routes on durable surfaces, choosing to visit during off peak times and finding out about the area you are visiting. Good planning and preparation is your first step towards leaving no trace. Back to top of page
Travel and camp on Durable Surfaces
Look for the most resiliant or already impacted ground or vegetation to walk on or place high impact activities such as your tent entrance and kitchen. Durable surfaces include gravel, sand, bedrock, pasture/dry grasses, forest duff. Non durable surfaces include moss, wetlands and stream margins. When camping, leave no trace of your visit. Remember that good campsites are found, not engineered by over-zealous trampers with a fetish for digging trenches and building rock walls. When walking in areas with tracks, stick to the track and walk in single file. When walking in pristine areas, spread out to minimise your impact. Back to top of page
Dispose of Waste Properly
In areas without toilet facilities, bury your toilet waste (bury paper too or carry it out in doubled plastic bags) in a shallow hole well away (ideally at least 50 metres) from waterways, tracks, campsites, and huts. Using a stick to mix the contents of the hole with some soil will aid speedy decomposition, leave the stick in the hole. In Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park trampers and climbers are encouraged to use disposable 'poo pots' to carry out their waste for environmental and cultural reasons. 'Poo pots' are a good idea in other sensitive envrionments.
Rubbish and food scraps are harmful to wildlife, encourage harmful species such as rats and wasps, and can create health risks. Check your campsites and rest stops carefully before leaving for 'micro-trash' such as small food scraps and fragments of wrappers or packaging. When cleaning and washing, take the water and wash well away from the water source. Because soaps and detergents are harmful to water-life, drain used water into the soil to allow it to be filtered. If you suspect the water may be contaminated, either boil it, or filter it, or chemically treat it.Back to top of page
Leave What You Find
Humans can introduce harmful things into the environment, like didymo, and remove valuable things like suvineired historic artifacts. Leaving the interesting plants, stones and artifacts where you find them means that they remain in place for others to enjoy. By cleaning your boots, equipment and vehicles between outings you can prevent the introduction of invasive organisms. Click here for the lastest Didymosphenia (Didymo) control measures recommended by Biosecurity NZ. Back to top of page
Minimise Campfire Impacts
Portable fuel stoves are less harmful to the environment and are more effcient than fires. If you do use a fire, keep it small (using wood thinner than your wrist and a small hot fire is most efficient and reduces most wood to light ash), use only dead wood. Place the fire over sand or stones to avoid leaving a dead patch of vegetation, and ensure it is at least 3 metres from any living or dead trees. Make sure it is out by dousing it with water and checking the ashes before leaving (you are legally liable for the cost of any wild fire you start!). Remove any rock rings that you make and scatter cold ash in a riverbed where possible. Back to top of page
Respect Wildlife
Many of New Zealand's unique plants and animals are rare or endangered. It is especially important to avoid feeding native animals as human food disrupts their behaviour and often their health. In all conservation areas the collecting or harm of plants and animals (dead or alive) is a serious offence under New Zealand law.Back to top of page
Be Considerate of Other Visitors
Consider your impact on the experience of others. Keep your noise and visual impact down. Taking breaks away from the track and camping out of sight of others camps can help. Share huts and campsites with others.Back to top of page