THE BACKCOUNTRY OFFERS SO MUCH.
FROM THE COMPLEXITIES OF DIFFICULT MULTI-DAY ADVENTURES TO THE SIMPLICITY OF TIME SPENT WITH FRIENDS; THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE FOUND FOR EVERYONE. TO US HUNTER GATHERERS THE OBVIOUS DRAWCARD IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SOURCE OUR OWN MEAT, BUT WHATEVER YOUR REASON FOR HITTING THE HILLS, THERE'S ONE UNAVOIDABLE ELEMENT. ISOLATION.
In an age of constant advancements in technology, the disconnect is slowly being connected. We had a sneak peek at that reality last winter when we set off on a 4WD deer hunt to the back of a Canterbury river armed with a Starlink dish.
Six of us met at Harry's early on Friday morning, eager to make the most of a long weekend. My brother-in-law William had flown down from Auckland for the trip - I was happy to finally repay the favour of an adventure after a few spearfishing trips up his neck of the woods. Old schoolmates Raddy and Robbie can never say no to a mish, so they joined the group. Tony from TrackMe also came along, armed with some incredible technology - the Starlink being one piece of that. When planning the trip, Tony asked what the 4WD track was like and whether he could tow a trailer with a quad on it. It had been a couple of years since I'd been in the area, but I remember it being a bit of a highway, driving well past the hut with little trouble. "Should be right… I think?"
Turns out that you don't pay all that much attention as a passenger. We rolled up to the hut without a jockey wheel or any lights on the trailer - the wiring was
