Tramping Lingo

Billy: a lighweight metal pot that may once have had proper handle that has long-since been replaced by a piece of wire. Also may once have had it's own lid, and if it still has a lid, it almost certainly doesn't fit right. Typically battered, dented and blackened from woodsmoke.

Bush-bash/bush-wack: off-track in the forest, not always be intentionally. Ironically, in dense forestry the bush typically does most of the bashing.

Bushline: the point on the hills at which the forest ends and open tussock tops begin. Not always a distinct line, sometimes more of a bush... fade?

Cairn: semi-pyramidal pile of rocks used to mark route on tops and riverbeds. Tradition dictates that one must add a new rock when used. New rock placement becomes increasingly precarious as the cairn grows.

A cairn on Armstrong Saddle in the Ruahines, near Sunrise Hut

Clag: thick misty cloud that likes to hang around the tops of the Ranges

DOC: the Department of Conservation, the government department responsible for (among many things) the maintenance of huts and tracks. Often praised and criticised in equal measure. Also woefully under-funded.

DOCware: colloquial term of uncertain origins, used to describe the green and yellow
metal DOC sings scattered throughout the bush at important and/or ambiguous points and junctions on a track.

DOCware near Mt Holdsworth

Flagging tape: a type of plastic ribbon often used to mark unofficial (but well trodden) routes. Often such routes tend to be old DoC or NZFS tracks that are no longer offically maintained. Also sometimes used to mark trapping and bait lines for pest control.

GPS: stands for Global Positioning System, but typically refers to the portable navigation device that uses the GPS satellite network.

Knob: high point on a ridge not significant enough to be called a mountain.

Long-drop: bush toilet facility consisting of a small structure and toilet seat situated over a hole. Typically dark on the inside and often inhabited by spiders. Become increasingly unpleasant as the drop decreases in length. Some huts now have composting toilets, although the two are mostly quite similar and are lumped together under the 'long drop' moniker.

Murk: damp misty weather with low visibility. Largely interchangeable with Clag.

Plod: a description of the steady pace at which trampers ascend. Or, in our case, describes our walking speed most of the time.

Polyprop: thermal clothing such as tops and long-johns made from the synthetic polypropylene fabric. Vary in style from simple black to candy-striped. Typically the undergarment of choice for trampers. Although lightweight and quick to dry, has the unfortunate attribute of becoming sweaty and smelly almost immediately, regardless of the temperature, making for an unpleasant car ride home. Often referred to simply as thermals, although this technically includes non-polyprop thermal under garments.

Pond: a sub-alpine Tarn

Route: usage varies, but mainly used to describe a path of travel that is known and used, but not well marked and/or maintained. A poled route is the open top's equivalent of a track, where poles are used to mark a known and well used path across the tops. DoC's current pole is a stick of blue-painted steel, but some poled routes use the old waratahs, which are significantly less visible in the murk. On this site, it is also used (in the context of computer mapping and GPS) to describe a series of connected waypoints.

Saddle: a point which is both the low point between two ridges, and the high point between two valleys.

The well-known Cow Saddle in the Tararuas.

Scroggin: a bag of loose snackfood that by the second day usually consists only of peanuts, raisins and dried fruit - all the chocolate, cashews and almonds having been carefully picked out and eaten (in that order) the day before.

Spur: the 'ribs' that run down off ridges into valleys.

Tararua biscuit: a nigh-indestructible biscuit originally designed sometime in the last century as a lunch alternative. Over the years many different recipes have evolved, but all contain oats as the major ingredient, and are similar to ANZAC biscuits.

Tarn: an alpine pond.

Thermals: warm underclothes. Typically polyprops, but refers to all thermal clothing such as merino base layers.

Track: the dashed lines on Topo50 maps. Well marked tracks that are officially maintained by DOC.

True left/right: terms used to unambiguously describe position relative to a river. True right is the right-hand side of the river when facing down-stream.

Waratah: a steel pole used to mark routes on open tops. Although the have been superseded by the blue pole present on the like of the Holdsworth-Jumbo track, most haven't been replaced.