New Zealand Tramping Kiwi Dundee Points Out The Easily Missed On A Hike On The Coromandel Peninsula

“Kiwi Dundee? You’ve got to be kidding,” I said.

“That’s what he calls himself. I hear he’s quite a character,” said New Zealand guide Richard Bryant, as he led my husband and me through the bush near Queenstown.

Having planned to spend at least part of our New Zealand adventure on foot, we had lined up several guided walks - or tramps as the Kiwis call them - before leaving home.

Bryant not only guided us on our first New Zealand tramp, but he was the first to mention the name Kiwi Dundee. Prior to this we only knew Dundee as Doug Johansen, an environmentalist and guide with whom we would be hiking in the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island in a few week’s time.

As we worked our way up both the North and South islands toward our much anticipated meeting with the legendary Dundee, his name continued to pop up in conversations.

During a hike to a fur seal colony near the Hollyford Valley, our guide Matt Rose asked, “Are you going to the Coromandels? There’s a guy there that’s terrific. He goes by the name of Kiwi Dundee.”

Walking through Abel Tasmen National Park, our tramping mates for the day were a group of fun-loving Aussie travel agents, so it was bound to happen.

“Hey if you two are going to be in the Coromandel, you should look up Kiwi Dundee. He knows that area like the back of his hand,” one of them announced.

When John Wilson, senior member of the Abel Tasmen National Park Enterprises asked about our next tramp, I figured I’d beat him to the punch. “Ever heard of Kiwi Dundee,” I asked.

“Oh sure, Doug Johansen? Everyone’s heard of him.” No kidding!

At a farmstay at Te Ana farm near Rotorua, hostess Heather Oberer informed us with a chuckle, “We’ve had quite a few guests tell us about him. Apparently he has quite a personality.”

We arrived in the Coromandel town of Whangamata and checked into our hotel. Not 10 minutes later Dundee and his partner, Jan Poole, arrived at our door.

To tell the truth, we didn’t know quite what to expect of the legendary Dundee. As it turned out, the first thing that struck me were his calves. Garbed in shorts - and it was chilly - his sturdy legs looked like they could carry him anywhere. He was in his late 40s, tan, blond and seemed intense and earnest.

Poole, with her pixie haircut and sunny smile, fairly radiated positive energy. It was only a quick impression however, because, after a brief chat about what to wear and the time to meet the next day, they were gone.

The next morning, in the van driving to start of the tramp, both Dundee and Poole were bubbling over with superlatives about New Zealand’s natural charms. They were also passionate and verbal about environmental issues. In fact, Dundee, who won the 1992 New Zealand Eco-Tourism Award, told us that he has made some very powerful and even dangerous enemies with his outspoken campaigns to stop gold mining and logging.

“We are extremely keen environmentalists,” explained Poole. “We feel that nature is precious and should be protected.”

By introducing travelers to New Zealand’s natural beauty, the two hope to open people’s eyes to the importance of preserving natural areas everywhere.

Well, all this would explain why the guy is well known across the country, but how did the man once known as Johansen evolve into Dundee?

“In 1988, after the movie Crocodile Dundee came out, they ran a contest in the Auckland paper for a New Zealand equivalent. I didn’t even know my name was entered,” he explained with a shrug.

Out of hundreds of entries, this quintessential outdoorsman impressed the judges with his feats of daring-do - carrying injured trampers to safety on his back; swimming a swollen river twice to care for a group stranded by a torrential rainstorm; surviving a 45-foot fall out of a tree; and free-diving to 96 feet.

This Dundee earned his nickname the hard way.

We stopped at a lovely bit of farmland with a river running through it. We changed into well-worn tennis shoes, rolled up our pants legs, and arm-in-arm stumbled along the rocky bottom, our feet tingling from the chilly water.

On the other side we changed back into our tramping boots and set off across a lush green field and disappeared into the bush.

Unlike the other tracks we’d been on, this one had no signs, no other trampers and no clear path. While Dundee and Poole breezed through the underbrush and around clumps of foliage with complete confidence, I realized that we would never find our way out without them. And that is the whole idea.

“We want this to be as much of a wilderness experience as is possible,” explained Dundee, “so we are very careful to leave the area as untouched as we can.”

This also discourages vacationers who might not be as environmentally aware from tramping through the area unguided.

Both Dundee and Poole were full of information about the local flora and fauna. My head swam with wonderful-sounding but hard-to-pronounce Maori names like mamaku, kauri, pohutukawa and totara.

And we heard about the dreaded possum.

Looking nothing like the North American variety, these furry, cute looking brown and black creatures have rabbit-like breeding abilities and insatiable appetites. New Zealand is estimated to have 50 to 80 million of the little pests who ravage bush areas by gobbling up amazing amounts of greenery and bird eggs.

Leading us to a pool in the gurgling stream, Dundee whipped off his shoes and socks and waded out into the frosty water.

“Don’t say anything yet, we don’t want them to be disappointed if nothing happens,” he told Poole.

Having no idea what to expect, we scanned the clear water as it drifted around the large gray boulders.

“There’s Arthur,” exclaimed Poole excitedly, pulling a plastic baggy full of raw bacon out of her pocket.

Arthur turned out to be a shinny black eel who glided over to us anxious for a treat. He and two friends soon were gently nibbling bacon out of our hands.

“Isn’t it amazing how they’ve come to trust us,” said Dundee as he picked one of the eels out of the water and stroked it tenderly.

To balance our bush experience, we spent the next day along the coast, with the most unusual stop being at “hot water beach.” Here, when you dig a hole in the sand at low tide, it fills up with hot water generated by a thermal vent about a mile out to sea that comes up from a crack in the rocks. When we arrived the beach was dotted with bathers luxuriating in these self-dug natural saunas.

We stood on rock precipices high above the sea while Dundee told us about the early explorers that had sailed into the various bays in the area. He lamented the rape of the stately kauri tree, logged into endangerment for its 100-foot-long trunk and exquisite wood. And he vowed to continue his fight to keep present-day gold miners from damaging anymore of the area’s natural habitat in their search for riches.

As with all good things, it was over too soon. With hugs and promises to return, we left the famous Kiwi Dundee and the Coromandel Peninsula. But we won’t forget this lovely country and its impassioned protector.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Richard Bryant’s Guided Walks New Zealand offers full- and half-day walks near Queenstown on the South Island and three- and four-night walking packages based in Queenstown, but including more remote locations, including the Routeburn Track. Prices run from $65 to $645 (New Zealand) and can include (depending on the package) accommodations, breakfast and lunch, guided walks and airport or coach transfers. Contact at P.O. Box 347, Queenstown, New Zealand; tel. 64-3-442-7126, fax 64-3-442-7128, e-mail walk@inq.co.nz

Hollyford Valley Walk, operated by Matt and Rachel Rose, offers walks lasting two to five days. Prices run from $395 to $1175 (NZ) and include round-trip transfers (coach or plane) from Te Anau or Queenstown (depending on the walk), full guiding service, meals, lodge accommodations and a jet-boat ride. Contact at P.O. Box 360, Queenstown, New Zealand; tel. (toll-free in New Zealand only) 0800-832-226, 64-3-442-3760, fax 64-3-442-3761.

Abel Tasman National Park Enterprises offers three- and five-day guided walk packages, a three-day kayaking and trekking trip and a two-night tour extension. Package price run $580-$920 (NZ) and may include meals, shared twin accommodations, bedding, day pack, sea kayak, coach transport, guide, transfers from and to Motueka or Nelson, launch cruise and GST. Contact at Motueka RD3, Nelson, New Zealand; tel. Motueka 64-3-528-7801, fax 64-3-528-6087.

Kiwi Dundee Adventures has full- or half-day wilderness hikes and a full-day gold mine and coastal, with prices varying according to the number of people. Dundee also arranges special hikes and bus tours for groups and individuals. Dundee and Poole are in the process of setting up overnight trips. Contact at P.O. Box 198, Whangamata, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand; tel. & fax 64-7-865-8809, mobile phone 025-746-219.

Te Ana farmstays are hosted by Heather and Brian Oberer. Visits include a tour of the farm, full breakfasts and optional dinner. Bed & breakfast costs $90 (NZ) per couple, dinner (including wine) $30 (NZ) per person. Children 12 and under are charged $25-$35 (NZ) for bed & breakfast and $10-15 (NZ) for dinner. In addition there is 12 1/2 percent GST tax. Contact at Poutakataka Road, Ngakuru R.D.1., Rotorua, New Zealand; tel. & fax 64-7-333-2720.