Nature Tourism - History in the making, hiking tracks; Borland Peak, Hunter Mountains, Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Moko National Park hike

Content Partner: Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive. Borland Peak (1299m) Hunter Mountains. Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Moko National Park, on 4.11.2015 Images above taken by Mark Y Wilson and shared under a CC BY Creative Commons Licence. The text below is also licensed CC BY to Mark Y Wilson. Borland Adventures shared by Mark Y Wilson, NZ Hikes: "Getting out and about is something everyone should do often. A wander amongst the mountains can clear any clouds in your mind and the exercise will bring fitness benefits that will be valuable in the future. We are lucky here in Aotearoa, as a good walk is available to most. And for the lucky humans in the south, we have some of the best walking locations on the planet. A spare afternoon was all I had, so I headed to a place where I know I can make my afternoon extra epic! One of my favourite locations to visit to get some exercise and views is the Hunter Mountains. Access into Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Moko National Park via the Borland Road makes the place a step ahead of most when it comes to epicness. It is hard to believe that within the 1.3 million hectares that is Aotearoa New Zealand’s biggest national park, there are only three roads, and one of the roads requires a boat to get to it. The Borland Road is only an hour's drive from my home in Te Anau, and once there the huge range of options can make it difficult to make a choice. On this visit (one of many to the area) I decided to get some exercise and views on the ridge that climbs east from the Borland Saddle (990m). Most places in Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Moko require bush-bashing to gain the alpine areas above the treeline, but with the Borland Road you arrive at the Borland Saddle (990m) with only alpine scrub above. I have been lucky to begin lots of adventures from this spot and even though I had been up to the saddle many times the epicness never loses its charm. Car locked and time to begin the journey to the top. Starting in the long golden tussock above the saddle, I was soaking wet from the knees down due to the overnight dew that leaves everything covered in a fine layer of moisture. After pushing through the dampness I got to the ridge, which lacks foliage due to the Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Mokoweather constantly beating it with wind and rain. A short ridge heads east to Peak 1227m and a quick side trip took me to an epic view down the Borland Valley and up the valley of the South Branch. After enjoying the view I headed back to t