Nathan Weathington
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Peak reading
The best things come in small packages, or in the case of the climbing section at The Next Chapter, small bookshops. Set smack against the Southern Alps, Wānaka is a small town with a big reputation in the climbing world. You can see Tititea / Mount Aspiring, also known as the ‘Matterhorn of the South’,…
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Glass / Glace
THE OUTSIDE FLOODS IN AND THE INSIDE FLOWS OUT. THE VIEW FROM INSIDE IS TO THE MOUNTAINS WHICH HOLD ONE’S STEADY, WONDERING, APPRECIATIVE GAZE: TO THE LIGHT, AND TO BIRDS WHICH MAY KNOW NOTHING OF THE WONDERING GAZE AND WHICH FROM TIME TO TIME FLY RIGHT INTO THE GLASS. Some of this is seasonal. In…
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The greatest outdoors
The 1964 guide to the sweet campgrounds of the South Island. IF NEW ZEALANDERS HAVE A SUPERPOWER, IT’S THE ERECTING, AND DECONSTRUCTING, OF CAMPING INFRASTRUCTURE WITH MILITARY PRECISION. EVERY SUMMER, THEY USE THIS POWER TO SPEND SEVERAL WEEKS LIVING ON A DIET THAT IS 70% SAUSAGES AND 30% FRUJU ICEBLOCKS, DROPPING MANUS OFF WATERLOGGED WHARF…
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Space race
Size matters on the Interplanetary Cycle Trail. I HAVE A PHOTO ON THE LOCK SCREEN OF MY PHONE. IN IT, OUR PLANET IS A PRICK OF LIGHT. THE ONBOARD CAMERA ON NASA’S JUNO SPACECRAFT SNAPPED THE IMAGE OF EARTH IN 2011 WHILE IT WAS ON ITS WAY TO JUPITER. I LOOK AT THE PHOTO WHEN…
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Chapter one: Seasons
Kawerau, New Zealand is not your typical holiday destination. As Aotearoa’s youngest town (just a baby, established in 1953), it was set up purely to service a timber mill. Tasman pulp and paper mill was responsible for the birth of this little North Island town, made up initially of mostly factory workers. Kawerau very nearly…
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Book Review: The Wilder Years – Selected poems by David Eggleton
YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT DAVID EGGLETON WAS CROWNED LONDON TIME OUT’S STREET ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR IN 1985, BUT THAT’S AN ENVIABLE BIO NOTE AND ALSO A GREAT REMINDER TO TAKE TO THIS, HIS LATEST COLLECTION. The Wilder Years, Selected poems, comes to you in ten sections, spanning 1986 to the present. It’s an…
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Fundraiser for new Wanaka Climbing Guidebook
The Wanaka Rock Climbing Club (WRCC) needs help publishing the newly updated (and classic) Wānaka climbing guidebook. This guidebook is an invaluable resource for anyone climbing the local crags. The book is also the main source of funding for the not for profit, volunteer driven WRCC. WRCC has developed and maintained around 1000 (including 300…
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Why Cardrona Needs To Be Your Next Winter Holiday Destination
Planning on going to New Zealand for the winter and looking for a ski destination? Cardrona Alpine Resort should be your next stop. Located in the South Island of New Zealand, this fun and family friendly resort is known for being ‘higher and drier’ – its location, altitude and south facing slopes mean the mountain…
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Can’t buy me trout
“THERE’S LITERALLY A GODZILLA-SIZED BROWN TROUT LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER, AND YOU’RE TELLING ME NOBODY IN GORE SERVES TROUT AND CHIPS? ISN’T THIS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ‘BROWN TROUT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD’?” MY SERVER GIVES ME A FAMILIAR LOOK. IT SAYS: “YOU’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE, AND MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP TALKING.” The immense…