Jargon

Bush-Bash

This term speaks for itself. It describes travel through untracked forest. In order to experience this, simply step three or so metres off any cut track in the NZ bush and continue parallel to it for a while. Or alternately, head off on a compass bearing in a random direction (you need to know how to use a back bearing if you do this). Prior knowledge and experience of bush-bashing is essential if you are to visit some of the huts on this site. It varies in difficulty depending on the forest type and terrain, from an easy passage under an open canopy, to a slow crawl through dense tangles of shrubs, seedlings and vines. Usually it is somewhere in between these two extremes.

Scrub-Bash

Similar to the above but generally more difficult. It pertains in most cases to travel through the alpine or sub-alpine zones and often requires crawling, climbing and pushing or dragging packs, through sometimes impenetrable walls of close knit vegetation. This is often on steep and bluffy country to boot. I remember it once taking us an hour to cover a distance of 200m on the top of Ajax Hill in the Catlins Forest Park.

Cruise Tape

This is thin, stretchy plastic ribbon, usually a fluorescent orange or red colour, that is tied to branches in order to mark overgrown or overgrowing routes. The tape is durable and usually lasts several years before breaking down. It is normally used by surveyors.

Cairn

A pile of rocks at regular intervals used to mark a route, usually in open areas, such as riverbeds, or above the bushline. They are also commonly used to mark the beginning of a route or track, or a transition from open or river travel to a cut track.

Grid and GPS References

These are sets of coordinates that locate an object (hut) or feature (top of a mountain) in geographical space. They are derived from the lines of to latitude and longitude that the planet has been divided into for the purpose of mapping and navigation. A grid references is taken from a maps; for example, 2361330E/ 5806080N is Browning Biv's grid reference taken from the 1:50,000 series topographic map K33. The first set of numbers followed by the "E" relate to the vertical grid lines or "eastings." The second followed by the "N" are from the horizontal delineations or "northings." Topographic maps have traditionally been drawn from aerial photographs and survey data, mostly by folk in offices. Sometimes the huts and tracks in remote areas are not accurately marked. Sattelite technology is superceding this and GPS bearings are exteremely accurate. These are provided for some of the huts on the site as people send them in to us. You can help us out if visiting Huts on the site by providing GPS updates where we don't yet have them.

Permolat

Permolat is the name (an old brand name originally) given to the small strips of venetian blind material that the Forest Service used to mark its high-country tracks with. They are usually white in this area, occasionally red, or a mix of the two colours. Many of the tracks and routes on this site are still marked in this way. White markers generally signify a track. Red permolat going in a line uphill perpendicular to the valley floor may be marking an old NZFS vegetation survey line. These usually follow compass bearings up to around the bush or scrubline and following one does not guarantee a safe or easy passage to anywhere useful. There may be plots on these at regular intervals consisting of aluminium pegs with red or yellow permolat sails, and tagged trees. Please don't disturb or pull any of these markers out as they are a valuable source of data on forest health over time in relation to introduced animal numbers.

Route

Usually untracked and unmarked except possibly in a rudimentary way with the odd cairn or blaze. Routes often follow natural features such as rivers, creeks or ridges, providind the easiest line of travel through a particular area. They can be poled in open tussock areas. Routes vary considerably in difficulty depending on the terrain, altitude, seasonal factors, and vegetation types.

Snow Pole

These are commonly used to mark routes above the bushline. Pole materials vary considerably, from unadorned wooden or metal stakes, to treated timber posts and plastic stakes with or without markers (permolat or plastic triangles). Most of the tops routes on this site are un-poled.

Track

The word "track" on this website has diverse meanings, which we'll attempt to specify on the relevant hut page. It may be a well maintained, marked, benched track on a main valley route with sidestream and river crossings bridged. It will more likely be something far rougher, less well maintained, or unmaintained. Tracks in this area are generally unbenched. This means they follow the lie of the land with lots of ups and downs in places. They are in various states of repair ranging from easy to follow to nigh unrecognisable. The main type of marker tends to be permolat, occasionally augmented by old blazes on trees. Some of the tracks in poorer condition have been cruise-taped in places where the permolat has fallen off, where it is particularly overgrown, or where the track has been washed out or fallen away. Thus, the quality of the tracks and followability vary hugely. The orange plastic triangles found on DOC's fully maintain tracks are uncommon outside of the main valley tracks and circuits. The art of following remote tracks is a learned skill and folk who have only done tourist-standard tracks stand a good cahnce of getting into trouble on a lot of the tracks and routes on this site.

True Left (TL) and True Right (TR)

These are very important terms and describe the left and right side of a valley or catchment when looking downstream.

Tops

This is a small word used to describe big spaces; the open, majestic expanses of high-country that lie above the bush and scrub lines. At lower levels the tops are vegetated, usually native snow tussock, alpine herbs and mat plants. These give way gradually with increased altitude to scree, rock, permanent snow and ice. On the Coast the tussock line is generally around 1100m-1200m, and varys depending on aspect, soil type and other parameters.