Lightweight tramping has dominated gear talk for years — cut every gram, shave the handle off your toothbrush. But a newer, cheekier trend is going the other way: deliberately hauling a few indulgences into the backcountry because, honestly, why not?
Wilderness Magazine spotlights exactly this, following members of the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club on a two-night trip into the Orongorongo Valley, one of the Lower North Island's most accessible walking playgrounds. Their destination was Paua Hut, and their packs carried a little more weight than the ultralight purists would ever forgive — all in the name of extravagant, bougie tramping.
The idea is simple. If the walk is short enough and the company good enough, a few kilos of comfort pays for itself. Think real food instead of dehydrated pouches, a proper bottle of something to share at the hut, comfy extras you'd never take on a summit push. Overnight hut trips like this one are the sweet spot: the Orongorongo Valley track is gentle and well-formed, following the river through native bush, so the penalty for a heavier pack is minimal and the payoff — a hut evening with actual wine and decent cheese — is considerable.
The Orongorongo side of the Remutaka Range is ideal terrain for this style of trip. The valley is dotted with private baches and Department of Conservation huts, reached by a straightforward valley walk rather than a grind over a ridge, which makes it a classic Wellington-region weekend outing for families, first-timers and comfort-seekers alike.
For travellers, the appeal is obvious: it reframes the outdoors as something you can enjoy rather than endure. You don't need a sub-5kg base weight to have a good night in the bush. A fold-out seat, fresh coffee, a change of clothes just for the hut — these are the small luxuries that turn a basic overnighter into a proper break. The club-trip angle is a useful reminder too: tramping clubs across New Zealand run trips for all ability levels, and tagging along is one of the easiest ways for visitors to see the country's backcountry safely and meet locals who know where the good huts are.
So if your idea of wilderness involves a saddle blank of dehydrated risotto, consider the counter-argument from Wellington: carry the good chocolate in. Your knees will forgive you, eventually.
