NZ Topo Map

You found all the bears and their friends last national lockdown, so this time see if you can find our lost gear scattered around New Zealand in the Gear Hunt! @bivouacoutdoor are running this one, so check out their twitter feed for the clues!

Get hunting!

The prizes up for grabs:

1 × Osprey Hikelite 32 Ventilated Daypack

1 × CamelBak Cloud Walker 18 Tramping Hydration Pack

2 × CamelBak MultiBev Insulated Stainless Steel 650ml Bottle/500ml Cup

2 × CamelBak Chute Mag Vacuum Insulated Stainless 1L Bottle

2 × Black Diamond Spot 350 Headlamp

The popular Locus Map app for Android phones & tablets is able to load MBTiles tilesets for offline use. It can also load the MBTiles files from the SD card which is a useful feature when storage space is at a premium.

This is a quick step-by-step guide to loading MBTiles tilesets onto your Android device, as it may not be the most intuitive process for newer Locus Map users...

Open the top left menu:

Open the Map manager:

Add a new offline map:

Choose External maps:

Use the add button:

If your MBTiles file isn’t located on the devices internal storage, use the top right menu item:

Select Local drives:

The SD card may not have an obvious name:

Locate your MBTiles files and select it:

Select the External map that has now been added:

Enjoy the map:

Some light entertainment based on the popular lockdown Bear Hunt...

Some naughty teddy bears and their friends have snuck off into the wilds, can you help find them? You'll be in to win some great prizes if you do!

Get hunting!

The prizes up for grabs:

1 × $250 Bivouac Outdoor Shopping Spree (online voucher)

2 × Osprey Packs (Arcane Tote Pack & Arcane Large Day Pack)

2 × Sea to Summit Camp Kitchen Sets (X-Set 32 & Alpha Set 2.2)

3 × Wilderness Magazine Subscriptions (website-only)

1 × $50 Cactus Outdoor Voucher

2 × Cactus Socks

Thanks to our very generous sponsors:

The bear hunt will run until we get below alert level 3. So what are you waiting for? Get searching for those bears!

You can easily print sections of topo map directly from NZ Topo Map using the provided print functionality but sometimes you want something a bit more professional...

Topo50 Map Sheets

The complete range of official LINZ printed map sheets are available from Bivouac.

If you’re willing to spend a bit extra for something a bit more durable then Repro-Online can provide the maps printed on Tyvek -

"They are completely waterproof, resist mildew and mold, not affected by petrol, diesel or other solvents, can be rolled and folded unlike plain paper laminated charts which they replace. They can be written on, almost impossible to tear and extremely durable."

Both LINZ Maritme Charts and Topo50 Maps are available from  Repro-Online.

If you want to print the Topo50 maps yourself, then they are available as downloads from the Tools > Downloads menu on NZ Topo Map.

Great Walk Maps

Geographx provides maps for each of the nine New Zealand Great Walks - 

"These maps are double-sided and available folded or flat (rolled). Each has a 2D plan map of the featured track on one side and a 3D map of the wider region on the reverse (the exception is the Whanganui River map, where different sections of the river are featured on each side). The maps are sized 840 x 594 mm. They are printed on waterproof, tear-resistant, environmentally sustainable Stone Paper."

Custom Maps

If your map printing requirements are a bit more specialised then give SB Consulting a shout, they help you out - 

Show your support for NZ Topo Map by buying an Entertainment Book / App. It’s a win-win - 20% of every membership sold contributes towards hosting, developing, improving and maintaining the service and you get great deals.

What's to lose? Go out for a meal twice using the Entertainment Book and you've most likely already recovered the cost of the book. Treat yourself.

NZ Topo Map is available as an app for Windows Phone:

NZ Topo Map for Windows Phone

The app has lots of useful features, but probably the most valuable is the ability to take the NZ topos offline with you when you go bush. Sections of map can be downloaded individually, or you can download the entire North or South Island so you always have the complete topo map available on-hand whenever you want.

Top tip: Turn flight mode on when you're in the bush without a cell signal, you're battery will last a lot longer! You can still use GPS for tracking while flight mode is on.

Would like to show your support for NZ Topo Map and have some spare ad space? Feel free to flick the service an ad and use any of the ad images below. Thank you!

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The prize draw has now been made and the winners contacted. It's now my pleasure to announce the winners of the Christmas Pressie Hunt on NZ Topo Map...

Zane Fryer from Onerahi won the McMurdo Fast Find 211 Personal Locator Beacon

Shane Hunt from Auckland won the $250 Bivouac Outdoor Shopping Spree

Nicky Armstrong from Westport, Leigh Quadling-Miernik from Auckland, Michelle Conder also from Auckland all won Osprey Raptor 6 Packs

Pearce Carey from Benneydale, Josh Sullivan from Dunedin, Dan Roberts from Auckland all won Camelbak Hydration Packs

Tim Wiel from Waihola, Bill Krippner from Auckland, Dave McFadzien from Gore, Andrew Scott from Christchurch, Clare Macintosh from Auckland, all won Wilderness Magazine subscriptions

Ryan Evison from Wellington, Bradley Amos from Tauranga both won MapToaster for PC + GPS bundles

Congratulations to all the winners! And thanks to everyone who expressed their enjoyment taking part in the Christmas Pressie Hunt, as well as the generous sponsors who provided all the great prizes and made it all possible!

The sponsors have now been informed of the winners and will be sending the prizes directly.

The sponsors:

Bivouac Outdoors

Wilderness Magazine

A big thanks to the great sponsors who provided the prizes to make the Christmas Pressie Hunt possible:

Bivouac Outdoors

Wilderness Magazine

MapToaster

And thanks to everyone who had fun taking part, hopefully they'll be more prize hunts to come! Generous sponsors willing ;)

Here's final batch of hidden pressies - 41 to 50 for all those that are curious...

41: Bluff

#HuntClue From Cape Reinga to The ... topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 9, 2012

42: Moeraki Boulders

Maori legend tells that the boulders are remains of calabashes, kumaras and eel baskets that washed ashore after the legendary canoe, the Araiteuru was wrecked at nearby Shag Point (Matakaea).

#HuntClue Remains of calabashes, kumaras and eel baskets that washed ashore... topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 10, 2012

43: Te Aumiti (French Pass)

#HuntClue The only place in the world where two different levels of ocean can be seen at once - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 11, 2012

Apparently this fact is wrong, so sorry about that! Always a good idea to check sources found on the internet ;)

44: Split Apple Rock

#HuntClue You'd break your teeth if you tried to take a bite out of that apple! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 12, 2012

45: Waikato River

#HuntClue Drifting somewhere along our longest river - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 13, 2012

46: Lake Rotomahana

The Pink and White Terraces now under Lake Rotomahana.

#HuntClue The pink and white eighth wonder of the world... topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 15, 2012

47: Gisborne

#HuntClue First city to see the sun each day - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 16, 2012

48: Ballroom Overhang by the Fox River

Ballroom Overhang Track.

#HuntClue A limestone ballroom... topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 17, 2012

49: Whakaari / White Island

White Island has the honour of being New Zealand’s most continuously active volcano during the last 40 years.

#HuntClue Our most continuously active volcano - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 18, 2012

50: Herrick Creek in Fiordland

The last confirmed sighting of a Fiordland moose was by Robin Francis Smith, who photographed a moose cow at Herrick Creek in 1952.

#HuntClue Where was the last confirmed sighting of a Fiordland moose in 1952? topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 19, 2012

Hope you all had fun hunting for the pressies, it was certainly fun coming up with the clues!

A big thanks to the great sponsors who provided the prizes to make the Christmas Pressie Hunt possible:

Bivouac Outdoors

Wilderness Magazine

MapToaster

Here's the next batch of hidden pressies, 31 to 40 for all those that are curious...

31: Bivouac Outdoor product link to Middle of Nowhere

The clue lead to a product on our Bivouac Outdoor sponsors website, which provided a link to the hidden pressie on NZ Topo Map: Cactus Supertrouser WK

#HuntClue These don't wear out, they wear in... Find the answer at bivouac.co.nz - it'll lead you to a well hidden pressie!

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 28, 2012

  32: Bivouac Outdoor product link to Middle of Nowhere

The clue lead to a product on our Bivouac Outdoor sponsors website, which provided a link to the hidden pressie on NZ Topo Map: Silva Expedition S Compass

#HuntClue The most technical gear that points north? Find the answer at bivouac.co.nz - it'll also lead you to a well hidden pressie!

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 29, 2012

  33: Bivouac Outdoor product link to Middle of Nowhere

The clue lead to a product on our Bivouac Outdoor sponsors website, which provided a link to the hidden pressie on NZ Topo Map: Arc'teryx Men's Alpha SV Pro Shell Jacket

#HuntClue The best Pro Shell around, designed in Canada. Find the answer at bivouac.co.nz - it'll lead you to a well hidden pressie!

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 30, 2012

  34: Bivouac Outdoor product link to Middle of Nowhere

The clue lead to a product on our Bivouac Outdoor sponsors website, which provided a link to the hidden pressie on NZ Topo Map: Asolo Men's TPS 535 V Full Grain Leather Wide Boot

#HuntClue These boots were made for 'a-soloing' routes... Find the answer at bivouac.co.nz - it'll lead you to a well hidden pressie!

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 1, 2012

  35: Flock Hill

#HuntClue Climbers flock there - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 2, 2012

36: Poor Knights Islands

#HuntClue Not poor at all, but rich in marine life - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 3, 2012

37: Paeroa

The giant L&P bottle in it's home town.

#HuntClue Lemon and? topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 4, 2012

38: Te Puke's Giant Kiwifruit

#HuntClue Look at the size of that Chinese Gooseberry! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 5, 2012

39: Christmas Flat Hut

As mentioned in the article on page 18 of the December edition of Wilderness Magazine. You didn't need to buy the magazine as it was mentioned in the issues table of contents given on Wilderness Magazine's website.

#HuntClue You'll find a pressie on festive page 18 of Decembers Wilderness Magazine - wildernessmag.co.nz

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 6, 2012

  40: North Cape's Surville Cliffs

#HuntClue Santa ran out of land before he could get back to the North Pole - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) December 8, 2012

A big thanks to the great sponsors who provided the prizes to make the Christmas Pressie Hunt possible:

Bivouac Outdoors

Wilderness Magazine

MapToaster

Here's the next batch of hidden pressies, 21 to 30 for all those that are curious...

21: Stewart Island

#HuntClue Silly, it's not Stuart it's Rakiura - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 19, 2012

22: Harwoods Hole

#HuntClue That's pretty deep... our deepest vertical shaft in fact! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 20, 2012

23: Fox Glacier

#HuntClue The sly fox Te Weheka changed it's name - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 21, 2012

24: Napier

#HuntClue It's a bit 1930's - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 22, 2012

25: Near Cloudy Range

Shown in a screenshot on one of the sponsors, MapToaster's website.

#HuntClue It's staring you in the face on nztopomap.tumblr.com ;)

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 14, 2012

  26: Pancake Rocks near Punakaiki

#HuntClue Want maple syrup with those? topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 24, 2012

27: Mount Taranaki / Mount Egmont

Used as a stand-in for Mt Fuji in the movie The Last Samuri.

#HuntClue Is that Mt Fuji I can see? topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 26, 2012

28: Tukino skifield, Mt Ruapehu

Location used as the Gates of Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

#HuntClue Gates of Mordor - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 27, 2012

29: Bivouac Outdoor product link to Middle of Nowhere

The clue lead to a product on our Bivouac Outdoor sponsors website, which provided a link to the hidden pressie on NZ Topo Map: GoPro HERO3: Silver Edition Camera

#HuntClue Film your next extreme adventure with this. Find the answer at bivouac.co.nz - it'll lead you to a hidden pressie!

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 28, 2012

  30: Rotorua

#HuntClue Smells a bit eggy - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 28, 2012

A big thanks to the great sponsors who provided the prizes to make the Christmas Pressie Hunt possible:

Bivouac Outdoors

Wilderness Magazine

MapToaster

Where pressies 11 - 20 were hidden for all those that are curious...

11: Mt. Christmas

Provided as an example on the pressie hunt instructions content.

#HuntClue Have you looked at the example on topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012 ?

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 11, 2012

  12: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

#HuntClue The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower... topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 12, 2012

13: Ross

#HuntClue There's gold in them thar hills, and that one was pretty big! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 13, 2012

14: Christchurch

#HuntClue Unfortunately a bit too much drop, cover and hold! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 13, 2012

15: Xmas Flat

Shown here in a post on tumblr introducing the Christmas Pressie Hunt.

#HuntClue It's staring you in the face on nztopomap.tumblr.com ;)

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 14, 2012

  16: Hobbiton

#HuntClue There's a lot of very short people with hairy feet living here - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 15, 2012

17: Moa Farm

#HuntClue I wonder if they produce giant drum sticks there?! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 15, 2012

18: Oamaru

New Zealand's home of Steampunk.

#HuntClue Steampunk central - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 16, 2012

19: Aoraki / Mount Cook

#HuntClue It's pretty high up here!! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 17, 2012

20: Akaroa

#HuntClue Do they serve frog legs? topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

Congratulations to all those that played the Christmas Pressie Hunt and found some or all(!) of the prizes. It was awesome to see how many of you were having great fun with the pressie hunt.

A big thanks to the great sponsors who provided the prizes to make it all possible:

Bivouac Outdoors

Wilderness Magazine

MapToaster

Now it's all over it's safe to reveal where all the pressies were hidden for all those that are curious...

1: Maori Rock Carvings at at Okuta Bay, near Taupo

#HuntClue Chiselled features - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 5, 2012

2: Fossil Forest at Curio Bay

#HuntClue Wood as hard as stone - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 5, 2012

3: Taylors Mistake, near Christchurch

#HuntClue Ships may have mistaken the Bay for Lyttelton - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 6, 2012

4: Middle of nowhere in Raukumara Range

A bit of a tricky on this one requiring Windows 7 and IE 9 or a bit of html digging.

#HuntClue Know how to pin a website to the taskbar in Windows 7 from IE9? You might find something there ;) topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 7, 2012

  5: Raurimu Spiral railway line

#HuntClue Trainspotting an engineering masterpiece - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 7, 2012

6: St. Kilda Beach Shark Bell, Dunedin

#HuntClue Surf's up... hope that isn't a dinner bell I see! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 8, 2012

7: Waitomo Caves

#HuntClue Who would have thought you'd need to take a torch rafting?! topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 8, 2012

8: Mount Ruapehu

#HuntClue Fire and ice - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 9, 2012

9: Bivouac Outdoor Store in Hamilton

#HuntClue Santa's visiting one of our sponsors stores - topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 9, 2012

  10: Waipukurau

aka Waikikamukau / "Why kick a moo-cow"

#HuntClue Waikikamukau (Why kick a moo-cow) topomap.co.nz/Xmas2012

— NZ Topo Map (@nztopomap) November 10, 2012

Christmas is almost upon us again, so it's time for a bit of fun!

Santa's hidden some great pressies all over New Zealand, can you find them? Search the Topo50 map series and see how many you can find to be in with a chance to to win some great prizes!

Get searching!

The prizes up for grabs:

1 × McMurdo Fast Find 211 Personal Locator Beacon 1 × $250 Bivouac Outdoor Shopping Spree (Gift Certificate) 3 × Osprey Packs (Raptor 6) 3 × Camelbak Hydration Packs (Fairfax, Classic & Hydrobak) 5 × Wilderness Magazine subscription 2 × MapToaster for PC + GPS bundle

Thanks to our very generous sponsors:

NZ Topo Map allows you to overlay your own KML and GPX files on to the map. Handy for sharing your latest tramping adventure route recorded on your GPS device or sharing a route you've planned out for an upcoming trip.

For example, here's a GPX file someone has recorded of the Heaphy Track:

View Larger Topographic Map

Unfortunately NZ Topo Map can't share files sitting on your C: drive as they're private to you, they need to be sitting somewhere on the internet. Some people are lucky enough to have a bit of free web space somewhere they can use, but for those of you that don't there are a number of services that will host files for you for free. One of my favourites in Dropbox.

Here's the simple steps to upload your file to Dropbox:

Open your "Public" folder.

Upload your GPX or KML file to the public folder.

Right-click the file to "Copy public link" that you can then use in NZ Topo Map.

Once you have your file publicly available on the internet you can then share it on NZ Topo Map:

Open the "Share" tab.

Expand the "KML / GeoRSS / GPX" advanced options.

Select the file type you'll be sharing.

Paste in the share link you copied from Dropbox.

Garmin Custom Maps for New Zealand are now freely available for download from NZ Topo Map.

Each map sheet is available as an individual kmz formatted Garmin Custom Map download so you can pick and choose the areas you want coverage for.

To get an idea which Garmin devices support Garmin Custom Maps visit their website: http://www.garmin.com/us/products/onthetrail/custommaps

These kmz formatted files can also be used as light weight Google Earth overlays as an alternative to the official heavier LINZ GeoTIFF's.

To download these Garmin Custom Map files...

Visit NZ Topo Map and search for the location you're interested in:

Open the downloads tab and click the map sheet you want to download to see the download links: