Welcome to the New Zealand Bushcraft Manual.
This manual has been developed to help hikers and trampers, whether you’re a beginner or advanced, to safely enjoy tramping in New Zealand’s great outdoors.
The manual provides foundation knowledge on a range of essential skills and competencies, such as river safety, navigation, trip planning, clothing and equipment, managing risk, weather, shelters, communication, and much more.
First published in 1968, the manual has been updated many times since then. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the development of this resource over the many years.
You can find most of the information contained within the manual throughout our website. We recommend you also take a look at our skills and resources sections for other essential information.
Plan My Walk is another excellent resource. This trip planning tool will help you plan and prepare effectively for your next adventure in the NZ outdoors.
Explore the chapters
Chapter 1: Going into the outdoors
Chapter 2: Environmental care
Chapter 3: Trip planning
Chapter 4: Managing risk
Chapter 5: Clothing
Chapter 6: Equipment
Chapter 7: Food
Chapter 8: Shelter
Chapter 9: Weather
Chapter 10: Tramping skills
Chapter 11: Navigation
Chapter 12: River safety
Chapter 13: Hazards
Chapter 14: Firearm safety
Chapter 15: Above the bushline
Chapter 16: Emergency procedures
Appendix III: Additional information
Appendix IV: Forms and lists
Get the Best Out of Your Online Experience, You Can:
- Read it in the full screen page viewer
- Download the PDF by clicking the download icon in the top left corner of the viewer
- Word search the PDF with the search icon in the bottom right corner.
- Share it with your friends, you can even share certain pages by copying and pasting the URL in your search bar when you are on that page
If you have further questions, please get in touch with us.
Want to Learn in Other Ways?
Continue your preparation with our online resources. There is still plenty to learn to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable trip!
Explore Our Resources
- Get more skills | Navigation, River Safety and other essentials in our Skills Section
- Watch our how-to videos | There are plenty more useful tips in our video section
- Use Plan My Walk | A free app that takes the guess work out of planning your next trip
- NZ Avalanche Advisory | Avalanche forecasts for 13 alpine regions across New Zealand