Refuelling for outdoor adventures..
I though I would chuck together a photo montage of me and my occasional tramping companions enjoying some fine vittles while engaged in our outdoor pursuits. I will add more photos to this post as time goes on so watch this space....
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| Enjoying my sandwich in the Otira Valley in the summer of 2016 |
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| Georgia eating a snack bar outside Packhorse Hut |
The preparation and consumption of food plays a vital part in any outdoor activity, it can raise your spirits, can be fun to prepare and it provides the fuel we need to help us to achieve our outdoor adventure goals.
A daily tramping food ration...
I like to pack my food into daily 'rations' i.e. one bag contains all of the food I will be eating for that particular day. This is packed into a large sized Zip-loc bag along with any instructions or content information I feel I might need to prepare the food.
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| Four days of tramping food being prepared for a trip.... |
Below is a typical daily ration from a trip I took on the St James Walkway back in 2015...
Breakfast: Cream o' wheat + raisins + 1t sugar/milk powder + Tea
Lunch: Crackers + Pate + electrolyte drink
Snacks: Peanuts + Special K biscuit + scroggin pack+ Steak bar
Dinner: BCC Chicken a la King + mashed spuds + Miso soup + Refresh sachet (lemon/lime)
Extras: Puri Tabs + salt + pot scrubber +contents list
Nestle Iced Tea + tea ( 1 T sugar) (710gms total)
Kitchen duties: outdoor food preparation
At some point you are going to need to prepare food in the outdoors. Sometimes you will have a cosy shelter or hut to eat in...other times you might just be propped against a tussock on some hillside.
Here are a few photos of outdoor meal preparation.
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| Preparing lunch at the Onetahuiti shelter, Abel Tasman National Park 2017 |
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| Soup before the main meal, Packhorse Hut wardens quarters: we were doing a stint as wardens at Packhorse Hut |
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| Brewing up and lunch prep at Onetahauiti Shelter, Abel Tasman NP 2018 |
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| Cooking dinner at the Packhorse hut wardens bivy..we were doing a stint as wardens at Packhorse Hut |
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| Fixing lunch in the forest on Mt Thomas, North Canterbury |
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| Cheese and crackers at Fenella Hut, Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP |
Campsite/camp ground cooking shelters
Some of the more developed tracks will have shelters for you to cook and enjoy your meals in. These are mostly clustered at DOC campsites or campgrounds and can range from the most basic three sided structures to edifices that look like huts.
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| Eating at the Black Rocks Campsite shelter, Queen Charlotte Track |
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| The massive and rather splendid cook shelter at Pelorous Bridge campgrounds |
Camp shelters will often be the centre of camp life and the focal point for meeting other trampers/campers.
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| The campsite cooking shelter at Onetahuiti Beech, Abel Tasman NP |
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| The slightly mangy cook shelter at Bay of Many Coves Campsite, Queen Charlotte Track |
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Camp cook shelter at Manson Nichols Hut, Lake Daniell
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Approaching the camp shelter at Maori Beach, Rakuira/Stewart Island
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| The camp cook shelter at Brod Bay, Kepler track |
As you can see there is a wide variety of shelters used for this purpose...
The pleasure of a hot or cold beverage outdoors
Tea is always a part of my tramping experiences wither it be billy tea, a quick lunchtime cuppa or a more civilised brew enjoyed once I arrive at the hut. Earl Grey (Chai Nui by choice or Dilmah) and always black....like my soul.....or so I'm told....
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| Jon enjoying a mug of tea at the East Hawdon Hut, Arthur's Pass NP |
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| Swinging the billy for some tea...open fire and billy boiling |
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| Heating water for hot chocolate, Packhorse Hut, Banks Peninsula |
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| Brewing up in the bed of the Blue-Grey River, Victoria Forest Park |
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| Having a cup of tea at Davies Bay Shelter, Queen Charlotte Track |
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| If you are going to drink tea have a full measure!!!!! |
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| Enjoying a feast while walking in Hanmer Heritage Forest |
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Tea time at the Pororairi River, Punakaiki, Paparoa NP
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I also enjoy a cold drink from time to time...
Lunchtime tramping food
There is nothing finer in life than a tasty lunch after a couple of hours walking. It is a great pick me up and provides the energy you need to keep going into the afternoon.
One of the lunch mainstays I enjoy is pate.....this is usually small 90gm cans of pate made by the French company Haneff. Excellent on a wrap or crackers and power packed with calories to keep you moving while tramping.
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| My French inspired lunch repast while walking around Quail Island, Lytellton Harbour |
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| Pate for lunch while reading in Magdalen Hut, St James Conservation Area |
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| ...here it is pate with spinach wraps at John Tait Hut, Nelson Lakes NP |
I am also partial to tuna fish at lunchtime, be it canned or in a foil pouch it never disappoints when you are hungry. Good on a salty cracker, in a sandwich or wrap and with or without condiments it is tasty and full of energy.
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| Tuna and crackers while walking the Christchurch 360 Track, Summit Road, Port Hills |
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| Tuna and crackers for lunch again..... on Mt Isobel overlooking Hanmer |
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| Tuna and crackers while admiring the view from the Lewis Pass Tops in 2016 |
I also like cheese, salami and crackers, or for a change some peanut butter on crackers or a wrap...
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| Cheese, salami and crackers: a lunch of champions while strolling the Abel Tasman Coastal Track in 2018 |
If the trek is short or if you are willing to carry the weight your meals can be a lot more elaborate, like this anti-pasti spread Karen and I had while visiting Otamahua/Quail Island...
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| Antipasti spread at Swimmers Beach, Otamahua/Quail Island |
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Filled wraps on a visit to Mt Grey, Canterbury Foothills
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Snacks for the trekker on the go...
There is nothing like a snack on the trail as you make your way from one point to another. It might be savory or sweet or a combination of both. Personally I lean heavily to the savory (olives, steak bars, jerky, cheese wedges, Bhaji mix and I love a salty nut ....Brazil's, peanuts or macadamias) although my favorite outdoor snack is a box of raisins...
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| Le Snak: crackers and cheese spread...a great tramping snack |
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| Very occasionally I will eat muesli bars...Hanmer Forest Park |
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| Snack time on the Arthur's Pass Walking Track, Arthur's Pass NP |
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| My favorite tramping snack...raisins! |
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| I sometimes like a Kellogg's LCM snack bar to go with my tea.... |
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| My daughter Georgia chowing down on chocolate, Kaituna-Packhorse Hut Track |
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| ,,,tacking into a Kellogg LCM bar atop Mt Herbert, Banks Peninsula.... |
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| Snacks also include an ice cream if walking the Christchurch 360 Trail |
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Food bar at the Pororairi river, Paparoa NP
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Tucking into a freeze dried meal...
Most outdoor people will have had the dubious pleasure of tucking into a freeze dried meal at some point. The ubiquitous freeze dried can be heaven or hell depending on how you cook it, the mood you are in or how hungry you are feeling.
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| The ubiquitous freeze dried meal...before adding the water |
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| A Backcountry Moroccan Lamb meal after adding the hot water |
Wither it be a Backcountry, Outdoor Gourmet, Absolute Wilderness or some other brand we can all associate freeze dried meals with some outdoor adventure...
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| Miso soup with my freeze dried meal at Packhorse Hut, Banks Peninsula |
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| Cooking a freeze dried dinner at Nina Hut, Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve in 2017 |
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| Tucking into a Backcountry Tomato Alfredo Pasta at Mid Robinson Hut, Victoria Forest Park |
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| Backcountry Lamb & Veges and red wine, Hawdon Hut, Arthur's Pass NP |
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| Soup and Outdoor Gourmet Butter Chicken at Totoranui, Abel Tasman NP |
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| An Outdoor Gourmet Venison and Rice Noodle Stir fry, Packhorse Biv |
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| Tucking into a Beef Stroganoff at Luxmore Hut, Kepler Track |
DOC Huts: cooking benches, gas hobs, tables and general hut life
I enjoy the variety of cooking/dining facilities you find in DOC huts....again the quality of the experience depends on the facilities and your mood. Time spent in a hut will include sitting down to a meal or snack at some point.
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| Cooking space at the Rod Donald Hut, Te Ara Pataka, Banks Peninsula |
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| The cook bench at Lake Christabel Hut, Victoria Forest Park |
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| Clinton Forks Hut, Milford Track: Great Walk huts sometimes have cooking facilities provided |
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| Georgia eating some soup at the Packhorse Biv in 2018 |
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| Hut life...various trampers enjoying the late afternoon sun and each others company |
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| Brewing up at Hawdon Hut, Arthur's Pass... |
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| Lunchtime at Ces Clarke Hut on the Paparoa Track |
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| Dinner time at the new Manson Nichols Hut, Lake Daniel |
Lunchtime tramping vistas to die for
A good lunch stop will often depend on the view you are enjoying while eating. Some of our lunch stops are pedestrian but some are gorgeous and worth all the effort used to reach that point.
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| Lunchtime stop on the Christchurch 360 Trail looking at the Estuary at Redcliffs |
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| Mt Balloon, Milford Track from the lunch shelter at McKinnon Pass |
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| Tonga Island from the beach in front of Onetahuaiti Campsite, Abel Tasman National Park |
FYI: Pt 913 shown in the photo below is the second highest point on Banks Peninsula and is only 6 meters lower than the summit of Mt Herbert. It is to the south east of the Mt Herbert massif and has a radio relay building on its summit.
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| Lunchtime view from Pt. 913, Mt Herbert Scenic Reserve, Banks Peninsula |
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| The Apprentice (1678) from a lunch stop on the Lewis Pass Tops |
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| Lunch stop on the summit of Mt Grey, North Canterbury |
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A basic lunchtime seat on the Rakuira Great Walk
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| Kaikoura Peninsula from a memorable lunch spot on Mt Fyffe, Seaward Kaikoura Range |
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Lunchtime view from Mt Grey, Canterbury Foothills
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| View from picnic area, Swimmers Beach Otamahua/Quail Island |
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| Southern Paparoa Range, Paparoa Track, Roaring Meg Conservation Area |
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| View from the picnic table at Hanging Valley Shelter, Kepler Track |
