This is a story about a wilderness area, but it starts, ironically, with battling the red tape of civilisation. But I suppose not every wilderness area borders what is arguably the most trafficked track in Aotearoa New Zealand: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
I hastily put together a tramping adventure for a buddy keen to go bush after a long spell in Auckland's lockdown. He had only two requirements: 1) avoid humanity; 2) light a fire and watch some Bush TV. I had two KPIs: 1) eat righteous snacks; 2) go through the intriguingly named Te Tatau Pounamu Remote Experience Zone. I designed a trip that would see us traversing Tongariro National Park and Te Tatau Pounamu from Ketetahi to Whakapapa Village. We'd need to arrange parking for both cars.
And that's where the silliness comes in. For parking permits, I called DOC's Visitor Centre at Whakapapa. I had it vaguely in my head that Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC) had advocated for its members to be allowed to park in restricted areas in the national park if they first had a permit. A permit for Whakapapa Village was no problem, but Ketetahi?
