Outdoor Pursuits Books

At 7.22am on May 26th 1998, Bear entered The Guinness Book of Records as the youngest, and one of only around thirty, British climbers to have successfully climbed Everest and returned alive. He was only 23 years old. The actual ascent took Bear over ninety days of extreme weather, limited sl...

This is the guidebook of Te Araroa Trail: The Long Pathway, a continuous trail running from Cape Reinga to Bluff, 35 years in the making, which will officially open in late 2011. The book maps the 3000-kilometre trail in 40-kilometre sections, with maps by leading map maker Roger Smith of Geographx....

Building on the success of his highly successful North and South Island Short Walks books, inveterate tramper Peter Janssen presents 200 short nature walks in New Zealand that are ideal for those people who like to stretch their legs without having to tackle a full tramp. With the informative 'natur...

This gripping and triumphant memoir follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time. For eighteen years Ed Viesturs pursued climbing's holy grail: to stand atop the world's fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled o...

The bestselling pocket size guide on how to survive in the wild, in any climate, on land or at sea. This updated edition contains all the latest techniques on survival training and timeless advice from the foremost expert in survival, Lofty Wiseman. All of it is rooted in the training techniques of...

Following the success of 'Spot X Tramping NZ', Spot X has followed up with a similar style book on short NZ walks close to urban centers. 2 - 4 hour walks, maximum 6 hours. Topographic maps with elevation profiles. Rated for fitness, difficulty, time and length. Access, feature...

Tramping in New Zealand is a highly innovative new tramping guide, that has been developed around the latest generation of 'bird's eye' computer-generated maps. These completely accurate panoramic overviews are constructed from map data, but because they can recreate a view of the landscape from any...

As a follow-up to his North Island volume, inveterate tramper Peter Janssen presents more than 250 short walks in the South Island and Stewart Island that are ideal for those people who like to stretch their legs without having to tackle a full tramp. Among others, this includes parents with young f...

Jon Krakauer's international bestseller "Into Thin Air", claimed by many as the best in its genre, left the world reeling in astonishment at the worst disaster to beset climbers on the world's highest mountain: Everest. His book sold in excess of four million copies in the US alone. The IM...

Moir's Guide South Book was first published in 1925 as Moir's Guide Book and is recognised as the definitive, classic guide to the tramping and hunting areas of Fiordland and the Eyre, Snowdon and Takitimu Mountains. This completely revised seventh edition describes every known track and route in th...

Off the Beaten Track is a tantalising guide to 20 multi-day walks across New Zealand farmland, through forest sanctuaries and along stretches of coastline--from the kauri-fringed bays of Great Barrier Island to the alpine tarns of Southland. While not all walks featured are over private land, wha...

The definitive guide on how to prepare for any crisis--from global financial collapse to a pandemic It would only take one unthinkable event to disrupt our way of life. If there is a terrorist attack, a global pandemic, or sharp currency devaluation--you may be forced to fend for yourself in ways y...

New Zealanders love travelling around their beautiful country and part of that experience encompasses the time-honoured ritual of pitching a tent in the great outdoors. Happy campers Sarah Bennett and Lee Slater have travelled the length and the breadth of the country to inspire you to get out o...

Lonely Planet knows the Patagonian Andes This vast, varied region is home to some of the world's great treks, with trails that take you through pristine forests to the rims of glaciers, under granite monoliths and over rickety suspension bridges, well beyond the crowds. Our expert author has chosen ...

Fully revised edition with Bird's Eye maps throughout. This book collects together the best two to three day tramping trips in the South Island. Recognising that most of our tramping has to be fitted into weekends, photographer and writer Nick Groves has selected a range of trips that allow plent...

Day walks are one of the most popular recreational activities in New Zealand, enjoyed by both New Zealanders and overseas visitors alike. In 2006 nearly half a million tourists completed either a half-day bush walk or a full day of trekking or tramping. This is not surprising given New Zealand hosts...

Wellingtonians and visitors alike have difficulty choosing a walking area to explore because they are so spoilt for choice. The region's landscape boasts an enviable mixture of dense podocarp broadleaf forests and the dappled interior of beech forests, bare high hills with unencumbered views and win...

 Tramping and bush walking is one of New Zealander's favourite past times and arguably we have one of the best countries in the world to do it in. Colin Moore has walked a great number of these tracks over the last 40 years and along with other Xpert trampers has complied a list of the top trac...

The North Island has a spectacular and varied coastline, from the perfect curves of its golden and black-sand beaches to the dog-toothed skyline of its storm-battered headlands, volcanic brows and rocky cliffs. Palm-fringed lagoons, island-studded bays and tranquil tidal flats add to the unique brew...

Peter Janssen introduces more than 250 North Island short walks with a difference. They are grouped by region, and each can be accomplished within the span of a couple of hours (and some much less), putting them well within the grasp of most people. What's more, all of them have a memorable highligh...

With well over 320 individual listings, The New Zealand Adventure Guide is the most up-to-date and well-researched directory available, and offers a smorgasbord of outdoor activities to be explored. Discover adventures in the air, on the land, at sea and in fresh water. Not just for the daredevils a...

This guide leads you through breathtaking alpine scenery flanked by well-graded paths and excellent mountain refuges that verge on hotels, which are easily accessible with the excellent network of public transport from major towns and travel hubs, such as Venice, Verona, Munich and Innsbruck. Any on...

Participation in the sport of rock climbing has exploded in New Zealand in recent decades, and New Zealanders and visitors alike flock to the diverse range of crags and alpline cliffs that are found all over the country. Rock climbing is now taught in virtually all outdoor recreation courses, and th...

 Canterbury presents a great richness of outdoor experiences, from the Kaikoura Coast to the heights of Aoraki/Mt Cook. Day Walks of New Zealand: Canterbury and Kaikoura offers over 60 of the best short excursions throughout the region, selected by well-known outdoors writer Mark Pickering. ...

Walking Wellington has been a strong seller in New Holland's city walking guide series since its launch six years ago. And now, to meet the rapid pace of change in the capital, the book is brought up to date in a new edition. Twenty-one popular walks from the original edition are retained, but with ...

Practical, attractive, informative and easy to carry about, Walking Auckland has remained in print since its launch in 2000. This new edition not only has 23 fully updated walks but also offers two that are new: Okura Bush Walkway and Dacre Cottage (a leafy portion of the Te Araroa Trail), and Mang...

The packhorse lobster (Sagmariasus verreauxi), found off the coasts of northern New Zealand and mid–eastern Australia, is the largest and among the most primitive of all the spiny lobsters (often referred to as 'crayfish'). Its remarkable life history includes migration across vast distances, both w...

Rugged forested ranges, spectacular coastline, wild national parks, stunning alpine vistas - the central North Island region of New Zealand offers so much to the casual day walker. This user-friendly guide, containing almost 200 walks in all, is designed to encourage visitors and locals alike to...

Around the world Sir Edmund Hillary is a legendary figure - climber, bold adventurer, practical philanthropist and one of the most widely respected persons of our time. He has survived extremes of human experience - from historic triumphs to crushing personal loss - but he sees himself as an ordinar...

A fully up-to-date guide to one of New Zealand most popular scenic and historic routes for trampers and cyclists, the Otago Central Rail Trail. The Otago Central Rail Trail is a hike and bike trail that follows the old railway line built through Central Otago in the late 19th century, at a time when...

“A narrative of arresting force. Anyone who ever fancied wandering off to face nature on its own harsh terms should give a look. It’s gripping stuff.” —The Washington Post By examining the true story of Chris McCandless, a young man, who in 1992 walked deep into the Alaska...

In Deep Survival, Laurence Gonzales combines hard science and powerful storytelling to illuminate the mysteries of survival, whether in the wilderness or in meeting any of life's great challenges. This gripping narrative, the first book to describe the art and science of survival, will change the wa...

'Sir Edmund, he's worshipped, you know, as a god among the Sherpas.' Jamling Tenzing. The first man to set foot on the summit of Everest, the man who led a team of tractors to the South Pole, the man who jetboated up the Ganges from the ocean to the sky has, for the first time, gathered all the rema...

New Zealand has some of the most magnificent and accessible wilderness areas on earth, and exploring them on foot is both exhilarating and rewarding. The key to an enjoyable and safe outdoor adventure lies in sound preparation, and The New Zealand Tramper's Handbook is an excellent starting point. ...

If huts could talk they could tell the whole history of the back country. Of Scottish shepherds who arrived in the high country with the fresh, vivid memories of the Highland Clearances. Of the flush and fury of goldminers and water-racemen in Central Otago. Of the patient and poorly paid jobs of bo...

In this essential guide to living wild, Bear Grylls reveals the secrets of his years of fieldcraft experience. This is the information you really need to know about living in the field from the man who has passed 21 SAS selection, climbed Everest and survived in some of the most inhospitable regions...

New Zealand boasts one of the best networks of tramping huts in the world. These come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from two-person bivvies to multi-roomed lodges, and contribute hugely to the experience and character of tramping in New Zealand. This illustrated journal features colour photog...

At the heart of "Born to Run" lies a mysterious tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahumara, who live quietly in canyons and are reputed to be the best distance runners in the world; in 1993, one of them, aged 57, came first in a prestigious 100-mile race wearing a toga and sandals. A small g...

Volume one (which is a revised reprint of a book first published in 1997 that sold 10,000 copies) covers a wide variety of 4WD tracks (some of them very tough indeed). The book has no photographs but includes a free CD which has photos taken all along the routes and details for the GPS user. (This w...

High Misadventure explores the dark face of climbing in New Zealand - the times when a slip or a poor decision can lead to tragedy. Climber/journalist Paul Hersey takes eight incidents from among the many of recent decades, and explores the critical factors behind them. Among the incidents he covers...