11-719: The St James Walkway is a 66 kilometres (41 mi)-long subalpine tramping (i.e. the New Zealand term for 'hiking') track located in the Lewis Pass area of the South Island of New Zealand. It is administered by the Department of Conservation . The St James Walkway was the first walking track in New Zealand to be built in a sub-alpine area. The track starts near Lewis Pass and goes to Boyle Village and
22-698: A backpack and wet-weather gear, and may also carry equipment for cooking and sleeping. Alpine climbing has been a recreational activity from the early days of European settlement, and possibly earlier. From the 1950s tracks, huts and bridges were built in the forested areas of New Zealand to support hunters culling introduced deer species which had become a threat to the biodiversity of New Zealand . As tramping became popular these facilities were increasingly used by trampers. In later years tramping has become popular for both local and foreign tourists. Tramping clubs were formed in many towns, cities and universities with regular trips being organised. The clubs sometimes own
33-406: A bus to transport club members to the tracks. A network of tramping tracks has been developed throughout New Zealand of varying lengths and difficulties. A small number of tramping tracks cross private land either in part or in full. All of the major tramping tracks are on public land that is administered by the Department of Conservation . Among the best-known tracks are the ten Great Walks and
44-603: A local club and volunteers from clubs will perform much of the maintenance on these huts. In the Tararua Forest Park north of Wellington huts are managed in a partnership between DOC and various lower North Island clubs. In the eastern Southern Alps near Christchurch some huts are managed solely by the Canterbury Mountaineering Club and they rely on fees from these huts to help pay the cost of maintenance. Amongst experienced trampers there
55-480: Is a strong culture of looking after huts. The phrase "hut etiquette" encompasses looking after any hut that is used and showing consideration for other hut users. Most huts on the conservation estate are open to the public and the state of a hut depends on the care by those who use it. This environmental care code promoted by the Department of Conservation contains a 10-point checklist of things that can be done in
66-774: The Ada homestead. The track then climbs along the Henry River to Anne Hut and Anne Saddle at 1,136 metres (3,727 ft). From here, the track follows the Boyle River and reaches Rokeby Hut, Boyle Flat Hut, and eventually its terminus at Boyle Village at 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level. Five of the huts are serviced, i.e. firewood or coal is provided, and 14 to 20 bunks are available: Cannibal Gorge, Ada Pass, Christopher, Anne and Boyle Flat huts. Christopher Cullers and Rokeby huts are basic huts with four and three bunks, respectively. Part of St James Walkway passes through
77-558: The Boyle River Outdoor Education Centre. The track ends are 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) apart via State Highway 7 , and the Boyle Village parking area is considered more secure for leaving a vehicle. At Lewis Pass, the track starts at 863 metres (2,831 ft) above sea level, and descends down to a swing bridge at Cannibal Gorge at 720 metres (2,360 ft). Cannibal Gorge is formed by
88-582: The former St James Station . More than half of the track is part of Te Araroa , which joins between Christopher and Anne Huts at the Waiau River. Download coordinates as: Tramping in New Zealand Tramping , known elsewhere as backpacking , rambling , hill walking or bushwalking, is a popular activity in New Zealand . Tramping is defined as a recreational activity involving walking over rough country. Trampers often carry
99-428: The now defunct New Zealand Forest Service for deer culling operations. Other huts were built by alpine clubs, schools, and ski clubs. Some of the buildings on public land that are readily accessible by vehicle, are generally " baches " or "cribs" built by private individuals when control of the use of public land was less stringent. These baches are not made available to the public. Some public huts are associated with
110-713: The right branch of the Maruia River , and the track follows it to Cannibal Gorge Hut and continues to Ada Hut at Ada Pass at 1,008 metres (3,307 ft). From there, the track follows the Ada River to the historic Christopher Cullers Hut, and the Christopher Hut. The Ada River flows into the Waiau Uwha River , where the St James Walkway descends to 740 metres (2,430 ft), passing near
121-414: The ultra-long-distance Te Araroa . There is a network of more than 950 backcountry huts throughout New Zealand operated by the Department of Conservation (DOC) on public land. DOC operates a program of bookings, tickets, and passes to help fund the maintenance of these huts. Some areas have privately owned huts on public land used for commercial tourism operations. The majority of the huts were built by
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