tramping info for NZers

so i'm thinking of starting a facebook group, as best i can i'd like to keep the members to nzers only, it will be about tramping , i wonder how much people are reluctant to post infomration about tracks and huts etc because they dont want the whole world potentially knowing about that information and flocking to what is a special part of the world to them... and by limiting the membership people may be more willing to help other nzers if the rest of the world isnt looking on... comments?

can you make a group on facebook totally private? I thought any time someone shared something it became part of wherever it was shared regardless of where it came from a closed group or not. If you restrict a group to invite only how do you find everyone who might want to join?

anyone who is not a member of a closed group should not be able to see any posts on the group... theres secret as well so you cant find the group or see anything on it. unless someone sends you an invitation or the link to it

Darknet ?. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darknet_(overlay_network) http://media.giphy.com/media/ujm0LbCgyMgWk/giphy.gif

Who's a New Zealander?

I'm totally up for this, on one proviso. That I'm included! :D I know I'm not a Kiwi, but I am a smart Aussie; I've chosen to live here. Next year I get permanent residency, and a few years after that citizenship, so I'll be a Quiwi (Queenslander-Kiwi). ;) I do agree though Wayne. I think having something like this forum is good for general stuff, but having a more select group of people who live in, love and respect this land, who will keep hidden gems to themselves, would be great. Couple of questions: 1. How can you tell someone's a Kiwi? 2. What about those (few) Kiwi's who might trash or publicly proclaim one such hidden gem?

Does that rule both me (because I'm a Kiwi in Aus) and Kreig (because he's an Aussie in NZ) out? :-) I appreciate the sentiment. But I'd argue that the net is an inherently global creature - in a way that say your local tramping club is not.

if you're a regular on this site you can get default entry if i create the group. im mainly aiming to rule out the backpacking crowd who are visting nz on a one off, mainly people from the northern hemisphere, i'm not going to be totally strict but nz is awash with people from the north over running more and more tracks. I'd like to think they dont creep into all our best tracks in annoying no's. when i used to tramp in the tararuas, i never came across anyone there who lived further away than taranaki, but now it has its share of people from all over the world. i'm not anti foreigners 'm anti quieter gems of traks being over run. i can actually remember the tongariro crossing when it was relatively quiet... most of the year now its a stampede, i've seen quieter main streets in nz cities... i'm not adverse sharing knowledge about places, but i'm wary of sharing it with the the whole world

Well said Wayne. I'm with you mate! I'd didn't move here to run into a gaggle of Germans at every bend in the track. ;)

I know on the aussie Bushwalk.com forum there is a rule that requests people don't reveal any information about culturally sensitive sites, and theres a fair bit of anger exchanged when people have revealed into about such sites.. some people have learned the hard way not to reveal such information because it becomes too public similarly a lot fo overseas people come over here wanting to see the most dramatic scenery but dont have a clue to cope travelling in some of those areas because they arent used to handling themselves in NZ terrain and end up lost , injured or dead as as result. cascade saddle is a classic, half a dozen foreigners dead in ten years and a lot more injured because its beein well publicised around the world in the media as a very scenic track to walk. i was at dart hut and a chap wanted to walk over the pass going in the most dangerous direction,, it was forecast to rain, i warned him not to proceed if it did rain because its treacherous when it does. and he wasnt interested in my opinion at all he was going to go regardless. theres no way i'd do the pass in the rain, experience and the information about the track tell me its russian roulette when its wet.