As my time in New Zealand slowly comes to an end, I have been reflecting on my favorite parts of this country. I have just been blown away by the incredible nature. Not a week has gone by in the past two months where I haven’t camped at least one night to take a big hike out in the bush (what Kiwis call the wilderness). A large part of what makes this scenery so incredible is how it is protected and made accessible. A whopping 33% of New Zealand is part of the Protected Areas Network, including DOC land, Nature Heritage Fund land, and other trusts and national parks. Compared to the US’s 13% of protected land, New Zealand pours huge amounts of resources into nature. The Department of Conservation (DOC) receives a budget of around NZ$710 million each year to devote to research, conservation, facilities, trails, campgrounds, huts, and education.
Protected areas fall under certain jurisdiction with requirements for licenses and leases for hunting and fishing, permits for entering certain areas, laws requiring visitors to stay on marked tracks and camp only in designated areas, fire regulation, and limitations to pets on the land. All of these laws are intended to protect and preserve the natural environment, especially native, endemic, and endangered wildlife. Part of this conservation includes eradication of invasive predators. International movement has brought with it many mammals which are not meant to be here and can devastate local plant and bird populations. Possums, rats, stoats, goats, pigs, deer, tahr, and other invasives fall under the category of animals licensed hunters are encouraged to kill.
Part of what the Department of Conservation does is manage thousands of trails, campgrounds, and huts throughout the country. There is an impressive network of trails weaving through New Zealand, all well maintained and clearly marked with distance and time to complete. On multi-day hikes, DOC-maintained huts are available for reservation. These huts are placed at intervals suitable for day-length walking in between. They make overnight hiking more comfortable and accessible. Because there is so much attention to these trails, it attracts large numbers of ecotourists, as well as inviting locals to engage with the beautiful scenery.
Beyond just being fun and pretty, these trails are important for education. One of the main ways to ensure that our environment gets protected is to encourage people to deeply interact with nature. It is impossible to want to continue destroying our planet when we have a meaningful connection with it. Beyond just the aim of conservation, DOC fosters this deep love for the planet just by making it accessible and easy to experience its joys.
A few weeks ago I did an overnight hike on the Copland track on the South Island’s West Coast. The track weaves through rainforests, across rivers, between moss walls, and up hills, culminating in a swim in the beautiful hot springs next to Welcome Flat Hut. These trails are carefully chosen, maintained, and peppered with huts so that people like me can walk in jaw-dropping awe of the natural beauty – dripping moss, foggy mountains, roaring streams, and twittering native birdsong. This semester in New Zealand has been eye opening. I have learned what I absolutely cannot live without, and have a clearer idea of how to structure my life to come around my desire to be outside.
