Outdoors: Guides on the right track

By COLIN MOORE

Choosing somewhere to go in the hills is a lot easier nowadays. The library of guidebooks to the New Zealand outdoors is growing by the shelf-full.

It wasn't all that long ago when, despite our rich outdoors tradition, there was a dearth of useful guidebooks. I say "useful" because there has never been a shortage of lavishly illustrated, coffee-table-style books in praise of the countryside. They have their place - but it is not in a rucksack, and they are little use for route or trip-planning.

Until recently, our guidebooks fell short of the standard of those found in other countries, such as the 12 classics by renowned British hiker, the late Alfred Wainwright. His guides, including that on the Coast to Coast walk he created, are hand-written, highly detailed and full of line drawings of the trail and features along it.

Line drawings have a way of heightening perceptions and are usually a better aid to route-finding than photographs.

Hiking trails in countries such as England can be just as complicated as trying to find your way in the "crumpled bed" topography of the New Zealand bush wilderness.

Among the first useful New Zealand walks guides to appear were those produced in the 1980s by the special publications division of Wilson and Horton.

Long out of print but available in libraries, they are rich in historical information and interesting facts on flora and fauna. But some more recently published series are superior in design and ease of understanding.

Guides from the AA New Zealand Leisure Walks series, edited by Kathy Ombler and published in the mid-1990s, fit easily in a daypack and, although relatively spartan, contain most of the relevant information needed to choose where to go, make the trek and return safely.

Unfortunately, the publishers seem to have tired of the project. Just six guides were produced in what could have been a comprehensive series covering the entire country.

The six that were published, and are now out of print, were a random selection of regions without any apparent coherence.

That seems to be the way with New Zealand guidebooks, no doubt for perfectly sound economic reasons.

So you can find guides to some tramping routes or treks in our national parks but they may be in an unfamiliar format.

And if you do find a style that appeals to your trip-planning instincts, you probably won't find an edition that covers the region you want to visit.

A promising addition is Walking in the Waitakere Ranges by Alison Dench and Lee-anne Parore.

The guide, published by New Holland Publishers and supported by the Auckland Regional Council, lists more than 30 coastal and bush walks in Auckland's most popular wilderness area.

These are standard Waitakere trails and not tramping-club bush bashes. But Dench and Parore trekked every trail, and it shows in the detailed yet easy-to-follow narrative.

I can confirm that the Zion Hill Track on the Karekare to Pararaha loop is usually as they describe it: "This section down to the valley may be very muddy and slippery: walking poles will come in handy, otherwise you may find yourself clutching at kauri rickers or flax leaves to keep your balance".

Using walking poles - a length of the wooden flower stem from a flax bush works well, too - is sound advice.

The guide also includes interesting introductory chapters on the history of the Waitakere Ranges, its geology and flora.

A fascination with that sort of information sets tramping apart from fitness walking, and sets a good guidebook apart from a bald route description, which is little more than a map in narrative.

New Holland has also published Walking Auckland and Walking Wellington, excellent guides to those cities' urban walks. Major hotels in Auckland and Wellington should have a stack on hand so the concierge can provide a copies for guests.

The growing library of guides also takes in mountain-biking trails, cycle-touring routes, whitewater rivers and sea kayaking.

You'll find most good bookstores stock a reasonable selection. Shops that specialise in maps and travel information usually carry a comprehensive range.

* Walking the Waitakere Ranges, by Alison Dench and Lee-anne Parore (New Holland, $24.95).

Discover Auckland Outdoors, by Ruth Connor (Random House, $24.95).

Specialty Maps, Albert St, Auckland, ph (09) 307 2217; Auckland Map Centre, Wyndham St, Auckland, ph (09) 309 7725, email: sales.amc@clear.net.nz

Nature & Co

* colinmoore@xtra.co.nz