The real Lucky Beach

I feel sorry for Colin Moore, editor of Wilderness Magazine. It's obvious he's dedicated to putting out a first rate magazine for trampers, among others. But the poor guy seems stuck with relying on a bunch of clutzy amateur contributors. So many of these wouldn't know how to check a fact if they needed to use it as an abseil anchor.

The other month it was John Rhodes presenting the Grant Wheaton "don't-try-this-without-parental-supervision" dodgy rivercrossing technique.

This month's edition has the glitch right on the front cover. It features a photo of a couple walking in the surf on a long sandy beach on Stewart Island. The caption says it is "... Lucky Beach..." and attributes it to Rob Brown/Hedgehog House.

Well I guess many people will recognise in the photo here the Lucky Beach I remember on each of my sojourns to the glowing skies of Rakiura.

I'm pretty certain I've got it right too. I know I checked my map many times  every day walking that magnificent coastline.

In fact the beach of the cover photo was Smoky Beach. That's a day's journey away on the other side of Yankee River hut from Lucky Beach.

But anyway, I guess it's easier for me to remember which is which. I spend 11 months of each year thinking about our next trip across Foveaux Strait. And that isolated and pristine stretch of sand along Smoky Beach features in a lot of my daydreams.

 

Come to think of it, I can even smell the masses of Easter orchids (Earina autumnalis) just up the track at the western end of the beach.

Anyway, I've suggested to Colin that he reward his eagle-eyed readers and fund it by fining his sloppy contributors. Now I'm sure that would generate interest, and fix the problem.