NZ food for a longer trek (tramp)

[maxwellbest]

Hi all

Will be in NZ-Fiordland, Otago in January. And thinking about options for food on the trail. Have seen MREs or the like on the net, wondering if anything similar in NZ? Aware of some of the commercial dehydrated foods, in the past I have humped stuff I have bought in supermarkets, 'cos I found the commercial camping foods a tad expensive. If I am going to do something like the Dusky, then I would have to consider something thats easier to carry. Any suggestions? Suppliers in Queenstown, Wanaka or Te Anau?

Thanks in advance

[whynotwalk]

G'day - this stuff http://www.backcountrycuisine.co.nz/bcc/ isn't bad, and it's available in supermarkets all over NZ, incl. in Wanaka, Queenstown (or better in Frankton) and in Te Anua. I tend to add spices and other "niceties" to give it a bit more zing.

Given that it's made in Invercargill, and how strong the Aussie dollar is cf the Kiwi, it ends up being a fair bit less expensive than the equivalent in Australia.

cheers

Peter

[Tofu_Imprint]

G'day - this stuff http://www.backcountrycuisine.co.nz/bcc/ isn't bad, and it's available in supermarkets all over NZ, incl. in Wanaka, Queenstown (or better in Frankton) and in Te Anua. I tend to add spices and other "niceties" to give it a bit more zing.

Given that it's made in Invercargill, and how strong the Aussie dollar is cf the Kiwi, it ends up being a fair bit less expensive than the equivalent in Australia.

cheers

Peter

I used this stuff when I was in NZ. I thought it was way cheaper than in australia, though for me, it seemed to be the cheapest in Karamea which doesn't really make sense (given how small the town is).
Anyway, I was fine with the 1 serve packs for dinner, other guys I met used the double serve packs. On occasion I did eat them with bread as well though.
I also tried the muesli with yoghourt and apple which was quite nice. I would steer clear of the 'ready to eat' chicken crackers lunch meal though

[ninjapuppet]

MRE are American. Aussie surplus stores sell the Australian "rat packs". I found them expensive,heavy and bulky compared to commercial freeze dried meals.

I tried to dehydrate my meals before heading over to nz one year and had it confiscated so don't bother. Backcountry meals really aren't that dear if you compare it to eating out.

If you really want to save, look at the continentals packs, korean instant noodles, or buy normal pasta with dry sauce powder, and add some commercial freeze dried beef.

If you really want to take a chance, bring along a tenkara rod. I've managed to supplement my recent trips with fresh trout since nz streams are world class. But with the cost of fishing licenses possibly doubling soon for us, it's not economically strategic.

[andrewa]

Not convinced about the Tenkara rod - NZ trout are V big. Tenkara is best suited to small fish. Hook a 4lb "fush" on a Tenkara, and you risk losing the rod. My opinion is that you either fush with proper fushing gear, or take freeze drieds (or 3 min noodles)!

Looking at the Backcountry site, they seem to have some pretty good stuff, at minimalist weight and cost. If I wasn't fushing, I'd take a mix of freeze dried, and noodles.

AA

[ninjapuppet]

Took my sage 6 wgt to nz last year but my skill wasnt up to scratch (actually, no skills) and wasnt very successful even on the Greenstone river early season. All those youtube videos didnt help very much without personal instruction from another person beside me. I just couldnt get the line to go where i wanted it to.

But this year during a hike on the mataura river, without expecting to catch any, my tenkara caught 6 fish over a 3 day trip. The few big fat ones that bit my line would break the tippet before you'd loose the rod.

Under skilled hands, nothing beats a full 6 weight on the Mataura. However as a back up for complete beginners, a tenkara is much easier to learn and my rod is only 82g + 51g for the tippet/morrel fly box. My sage has a case which brings it to over 1kg. Great if you intend to fish but I wouldnt take it for backup if its not a specific fishing trip.

I'll try dig up some photos if the fish caught with tenkara.

[ninjapuppet]

Heres a couple of juicy fat ones landed on a Tenakara:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigskyry/sets/72157626427669605/

for only carrying 100-200 grams of gear, i'd gladly have this over instant noodles any day!

[MartyGwynne]

About ten years ago the food shops in Te Anu (?) were less than expected so try to shop for as much as you will need in the bigger towns such as Q/town or Dunedin where ever you fly in.
There is a fair bit of good selection available in Wellington now but have not been to the south Is for about ten yrs.
Check on the NZ quarantine web site to find out what you can get into NZ through customs.
Oh and declare everything you will use for camping as they will even take your boots off and clean them, the customs guys are dedicated.
Make sure you clean even the smallest bits of dirt of your tents, poles, boots, pegs, stoves, pants, jackets etc.
Yes the trout are very nice but the locals get a bit funny about their fush (I'm suck of hearing about thet fush), oh and I just used a spanner to cutch my fush.

[maxwellbest]

Anyone bought their grub from Te Anau lately? Would have thought they might have a couple of big supermarkets?

[whynotwalk]

Yup - there's a smallish supermarket right in town, and from memory another bigger one (Pak'n'Save?) pretty close in too. Most such supermarkets sell freeze-dried tramping food, and if they don't the outdoor stores do. They've got trampers going through town all the time, and they look after them pretty well,

Cheers

Peter