Missing tramper Wright's body was located in bush about 5km from where his car had been found, Sergeant Phil Bell of the Waikato Search and Rescue Squad said. : This is a fine example of why someone should carry the proper equipment and know how to use it. It's sad that people…

Hi Guys. Here are some photos of my overnighter in the Puhoi Village area.

Puhoi is 15 minutes north of the Auckland Harbor Bridge. I have been meaning to hook up with a couple of the Bushcraft NZ fellas and check out this area but timings and weather have made it difficult. On Friday I figured I would just pack and go regardless of the weather. At least it would be a chance to test my wet weather gear.

It was raining but not too heavy when I started out about 2pm Saturday. A…

Hi guys. Our latest news letter had a link to Fish Pond to buy a Columbia River Knife And Tool Company knife called the 1103. I wanted to buy this knife and emailed CRKT to see if it had a full tang. They let me know the knife advertised was a counterfeit and not one of theirs. I'm glad I found out before buying it and relying on it in the bush only to have it break on me. I have used Fish Pond before, good company, and will continue using them. Goes to show that it is good to check some…

hi every one daveo is the name  live in west auckland i have been looking for a site like this for a ages. As i love all aspects of the bush im am learning new zealand eatable plants at the moment witch is fun do a bit of hunting tramps fly camps and missons  helicopter camps and in to doc hut. As i love going bush i find it hard to find others keen so i hope to meet some other keen bush men that love the bush and out doors to. im keen to meet new people all over nz who love out door life…

I thought I would make a leather pouch for my Lansky Puck Sharpener. I got the piece of leather for $1.90, the thread for $3.50. The thread I used is called Sullivans Strong Thread. It lives up to its name and is worth the money for strong thread. I would recommend getting strong needles as i broke two of them. This took me roughly two hours to make. This is pretty much my first attempt at making something like this. Next time I will probably use a different stitch to make it…

Since winter is coming I thought I would do a post about Winter Clothing that I use. This may help anyone new to bushcraft and visitors from overseas:

The correct clothing for winter is far more important in NZ than during summer as the weather can change rather rapidly here. Due to the weather patterns and location of NZ, it can be sunny one minute and raining or snowing the next. It's important to try and remain dry, both from rain and sweat. This is where the clothing layering…

Yesterday I got from Kiwi Disposals a pair of Waterproof British Army Socks - SealSkinz DUTY Military Issue

I have seen these around on the net and in store and I thought I would get a pair to try out. I got mine Grade 2 for $19.50. They are in really good condition for grade 2 only a slight bit of rubbing on them.

I tried them out today on a short bush walk to see how…

I recently downloaded the U.K based Viewranger GPS mapping software for my Motorola Defy Mini and purchased the New Zealand Maps for it.

Before hand I was using Backcountry navigator Pro but I found it rather difficult to download maps off the provided…

During Summer I normally wear Lightweight Nylon outdoor clothing or Summer weight Army/Tactical Clothing. I find this type of clothing the best for what I do, Some people can't wear nylon as it will cause various skin issues, I have mine kind of loose fitting to help the air circulate. At the end of the day you have to get what you feel comfortable wearing. But just remember the saying " Cotton Kills" as when It's wet, it stays went for ages. And If you get stranded wet and cold and you…

Today I bought from Kiwi Disposals a pair of British Army 95 Gloves.

The Description from the Kiwi Disposals website is as follows:

Military style soft cattle hide leather shells.

Special web cinch strap secures each glove at the wrist.…

Last week I got a Condor Lochnessmuk Knife from blademaster.co.nz it cost $119. I am quite inpressed with this knife, it's the first Condor brand knife that i own. It is designed by Joe Flowers of equip2endure. It has a nice comfortable handle and has a good weight to it. It chops well. It reminds me of the parang…

I recently got a Lansky Tactical Sharpening Rod for $45 from top-gear.co.nz. I opted for this as a upgrade from my Buck Diamond tapered sharpener as I found the Buck sharpener a bit small for me to use and it felt like it was going to pop out of the handle, I am going to keep the Buck sharpener with my ESEE Knife kit as a backup.

I wanted a all in one sharpener for when i'm out in the bush instead of carrying a puck sharpener for my axe and machete and a sharpening stone for my…

This week I ordered from Dave Canterbury's online store  5 bundles of Pathfinder 7 Strand 550 Paracord for $64.87 NZ.

The cost details are as follows:

(Prices are in U.S Dollars)

5 Pathfinder 7 Strand 550 Paracord (Black) @ $6.30 = $31.50

Sub-Total: $31.50

Shipping: $20.00 (USPS)

The Pathfinder School LLC Total: $51.50

which at the exchange…

Alright guys its been a while but nothing much has caught my attention which is good enough to share but i found this site quite a while ago but a forgot till i found my old laptop. So on the website there is a heap of FREE E-books that you can browse or download and i found this one (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41668) Its called rustic carpentry but is full of furniture instruction to make furniture out of logs and…

Went on the trip I talked about. The other hard men chickened out! Me and a mate went, kayaked and fly camped in some wild country and had epic adventures. Made cool camps and cooked awesome food we had made up. Met some other folk in the most unlikely remote spots and shared a brew and tales with them.

Kissed the beach when we got back through squalls, whirlwinds, and sleet.Thankfully didnt shoot anything but really enjoyed the challenge. Will try to post photos.…

I wanted to make a gift for someone who I know has done a bunch of archery, so what better gift than a couple of primitive arrows, with a pair of those jade tips I made the other day? First I had to make the shafts:…

April 2011

Auckland

Went back to the big smoke to vist me ol' ma.

Had this idea fresh in my mind, just couldnt silence the voice in my head that said "make it...c'mon...maaaaake iiiitt"

So I made it. The yellow goopy looking stuff is wood glue. Picture should be pretty self explainatory. This thing rips through firewood like there's no tomorrow, and fits on the outside of your pack like a glove.

Blade cost 5 bucks from Mitre10 Mega

Wood cost…

September 2009

Lake Waikareiti, North Island…

Not really a bush craft book but I thought I would mention it as it has credit for using native plants in food dishes. Charles also describes on how to gather the edible parts and Maori uses for the plants. I bought it from Charles website. He signed it and sent some samples as well.

Description of this Book from …

Fishpond: Outdoor Survival Handbook The Classic Indispensable Guide to Surviving the Outdoors By Ray Mears

raymears.com: http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/43-Ray-Mears-Outdoor-Survival-Handbook/…