Advertise on podcast: Aotearoa Adventures: The New Zealand Travel Podcast

Kelsea and Olivia met on the first day of year one and are still best mates, sharing their adventures as Girls Off Grid while fitting tramping, hunting and mountaineering around busy Auckland jobs. They share about walking the Around the Mountain Circuit on Taranaki in three days rather than the recommended four to five, while much of the track was closed and overgrown. They talk about finding an eight and a half hour sign under a strip of tape, a near fall in the first hour of a 12-hour day, and a wrong turn in the dark before reaching the hut at 10pm. They reflect on vibe checking each other when one of them hits a wall. Kelsea and Olivia share advice for women that want to get outdoors, from renting gear to being the older newbie. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Girls Off Grid on Instagram: https://instagram.com/girls_off_grid/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Hazel Phillips is an author and journalist who grew up scared of the outdoors, until a friend carrying all her own gear on the Milford Track made her think she could do it too. She shares about her new book Great Hearts, the stories of 30 women climbing around Aoraki Mount Cook from 1873 to the first all-women unguided ascent in 1953. Hazel talks about climbing in long skirts and motoring veils, a woman who bluffed her way into a guiding job at the Hermitage, and the small erasures that wrote women out of mountaineering history. She reflects on how many of these women were never going to take no for an answer. Hazel shares advice for women that want to progress past basic snowcraft, and why Ruapehu is the ideal place to start mountaineering. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Hazel on Instagram: https://instagram.com/hazelvonwonderpants/ Buy Great Hearts: https://masseypress.ac.nz/products/great-hearts Join Secret Women's Mountain Business on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretladies Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Tom Waters grew up on a farm near Tekapo and found the outdoors through hunting with his dad, before whitewater kayaking became a healthy obsession. He shares about a packrafting trip to the head of the Landsborough River, approaching from the West Coast via the Karangarua Valley and the Douglas Traverse. Tom talks about crossing a glacier lake at first light to beat an incoming front, ice falls coming off the Douglas Névé on Douglas Pass, and a 14-hour day through a boulder-choked gorge before putting in at Percy Creek. He reflects on why a river carries a different type of risk to walking. Tom shares advice for anyone that wants to start packrafting, from checking flows and sticking to grade one and two, to never paddling alone and knowing when to leash to your boat. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Tom on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alpine_dog_/ Find packrafting trips by grade: https://www.packraftingtrips.nz/ Join PRANZ: https://www.packrafting.org.nz/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Tsewang Nuru Sherpa is a freshwater researcher and freelance travel journalist, who grew up in the Everest region of Nepal. He shares how adventure came to him late, because trekking at home was a profession rather than something you did on a weekend. After moving to Christchurch, Tsewang spent weekends with the tramping club discovering trails in Arthur's Pass and around Canterbury. He went on to cycle the South Island section of Tour Aotearoa, and then started Te Araroa later that year. Tsewang has done his fair share of big expeditions, and reflects on why he still enjoys microadventures close to home, including the Christchurch 360 Trail. He also shares his advice for other people that want to get outdoors and how to find local adventures. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Tsewang on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tsewang.sherpa/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Brooke Thompson AKA @sparkygirlnz is a self-proclaimed 'South Island snob' passionate about the beauty of her Southland home. She shares about the summer she spent working for DOC on Stewart Island, after signing up to volunteer with the dotterel team and being brought across as a sparky instead. Brooke talks about fixing the solar systems in the huts, a hut ranger stint on the Rakiura Track, and doing track maintenance from Freshwater Hut to Mason Bay. Brooke previously guided two summer on the Milford Track, after a spiritual moment that lead her there. She reflects on starting her apprenticeship unable to name a single female electrician, to advocating for culture change within the trades industries and better working conditions for all. Brooke proves that you can carve your own path in life and shares advice for others that are finding their purpose. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Brooke on Instagram: https://instagram.com/sparkygirlnz/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Emily Thompson owns MD Outdoors, an all-women outdoor store in Nelson, and grew up on the West Coast of the South Island. She shares about a five-day solo tramp through the Richmond Ranges in late November, from Slaty Hut over Mt Rintoul, then through Mid Wairoa, Hunters Hut and Red Hills before hitchhiking out to St Arnaud. Emily talks about going lightweight, underestimating her food and trading Radix meals for noodles in the huts, and leading a struggling walker over the hardest section. Emily reflects on micro goals, eating every 45 minutes, and why she is stepping back from ultra running toward tramping. In life, she has pivoted multiple times, always building a life that she finds fulfilling and shares advice for others trying to create a life they are passionate about. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Emily on Instagram: https://instagram.com/em.russnz/ Follow MD Outdoors on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mdoutdoors/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Abigail & Isaac share all that the Top of the South Island has to offer and how they spent six weeks road tripping around a region that most people skip. From multi-day hikes on the Old Ghost Road and Abel Tasman, to long drives on gravel roads, to hidden caves and hidden coves, they share plenty of ideas for couples, families or solo roadtrips. In six weeks across Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough, they share how this road trip surprised them and delighted them, including a 2 night self-guided kayak trip in the Queen Charlotte Sound. They suggest bringing cash with you for real fruit ice cream and roadside stalls, and keeping an open mind to what you'll discover. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Niko grew up on the West Coast near Punakaiki and is one half of Kemi & Niko, who are artists that create miniature backcountry huts. She shares how seven huts placed in the Wellington bush in 2014 grew into a Hut of the Month practice, built from salvaged timber and tin cans. They research a real hut each month, choose an era, and recreate it at hand size. Niko talks about their tramp into Old Cedar Flat Hut out the back of Hokitika, and taking a miniature version with they. Leaving the kids behind, they set off at 3.30pm in the rain, taking the flood route and working through the stream crossings before arriving safely at dark. She shares practical tips for building a tiny home from salvaged materials and their upcoming move south at the end of the year. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Niko on Instagram: https://instagram.com/kemi_niko/ Niko's personal account: https://www.instagram.com/niko_n0thing/ Kemi & Niko: https://keminiko.com Read the Blog: https://www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

Shoshannah Shand is a solo mum who shares tramping and camping adventures with her two kids to her large online audience. She shares how she gets her family outdoors often and on a budget. She talks through her non-negotiables, decent rain gear and merino layers, hunting secondhand gear, and making her own dehydrated meals. Shoshannah shares about the importance of recent child-free trips and her tramp to Lake Christabel. She reflects on managing risk with kids, knowing when to turn back, and why the best place to start is with what you have. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Shoshannah on Instagram: instagram.com/shoshannah.nz/ Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@shoshannahNZ Follow Shoshannah on TikTok: tiktok.com/@shoshannahnz Follow Shoshannah on Facebook: facebook.com/p/Shoshannah-Adventures-NZ-61582559345562/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

Viktoria De Dominicis left the rat race in Chicago a decade ago and now calls Queenstown home. She shares how a spur-of-the-moment first trip to India in her twenties opened up years of travelling through Southeast Asia and South America, before she landed in New Zealand and knew within a year that it was home. She talks about six years in Wellington, chasing the town-belt trails to a lookout where she could see the South Island, then moving south to Queenstown with her second baby on the way. From road trips through the Mackenzie to a Doubtful Sound cruise with her kids, Viktoria reflects on building community far from family, and why New Zealand can still make you feel like the only person for miles. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Viktoria on Instagram: instagram.com/viktoriawanders/ Visit Viktoria's website: www.viktoriawanders.com/ Read Viktoria's Substack: viktoriawanders.substack.com/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

Laura Bell is a Kiwi living in Melbourne who came home this year to cycle the length of the country. With time off between jobs, she took on Tour Aotearoa, the 3,000 km bikepacking route from Cape Reinga to Bluff, riding it with her dad. She shares how they rode semi-supported over 31 days, changing direction on day one to dodge a fierce southerly, sleeping in the trailer-cabin he built from old refrigeration panels, and working through a hard fight on the Timber Trail. Having started the ride off the back of burnout and grief, Laura reflects on the simple rhythm of eating, sleeping and pedalling, and why a hard day was never a reason to quit. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Laura on Instagram: instagram.com/adventure.revolution/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

David Haunschmidt is an emergency medicine doctor who moved from Scotland to New Zealand. Working around shift work, he shares how days walking DOC tracks turned into trail running, then ultramarathons. In just two years David found himself on podiums, with course records, an XTERRA world title and fastest known times on Great Walks. David talks about his first mountain race on the Karioi Trail near Raglan, running the Kepler, Milford and Rakiura tracks across one six-day summer down south. David doesn't run to win, but he does it because it's fun and adds more life to his days. He reflects on getting into running later in life, listening to his body through injury and the 1% improvements that add up. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow David on Instagram: instagram.com/david_zebedee/ David's coaching and website: davidzebedee.com Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_

Penzy Dinsdale works in expedition medicine, from Antarctic ships to Everest Base Camp. She shares her 48-day traverse of Fiordland, the sequel to her 85-day Southern Alps journey, which together complete a full South Island traverse from Farewell Spit to Slope Point, a goal she has had since university. Penzy talks about packrafting the lakes and fiords with strangers-turned-friends she met online, crossing Centre Pass in 100kph winds, losing her inReach at Stevens Falls, and being invited aboard a yacht in Dusky Sound for a hot shower and crayfish. She reflects on building a career around adventure, setting a deadline to make a big trip happen, and still processing what finishing it means. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Penzy on Instagram: instagram.com/penzyd/ Penzy's photography: southerlystormphotography.com Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_

Shalane Hopkins is an author, speaker and coach based in Otago, originally from Canada. In 2010 she walked the length of the country on Te Araroa, more than 3000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff, before the trail had officially opened. She shares how she walked it with friend, a backpacker she had known only four days, carrying a map and compass instead of GPS, on a tight budget. Shalane talks about the culture shock of tramping, a week of rain through North Island farmland, a bout of giardia, and helping with the Christchurch earthquake recovery in 2011. Fifteen years on, she reflects on her memoir One Step at a Time, scaling a big goal back to the next step, and learning to stop making herself small. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Shalane on Instagram: instagram.com/shalanehopkins Get Shalane's memoir One Step at a Time: shalanehopkins.com Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_

Nick Thompson is a squash court engineer from the UK who builds all-glass courts for events like the New Zealand Open. Since 2022 he has returned almost every year, tagging on extra days to explore New Zealand and leading him to run Great Walks in a single day. He shares about that first year, running the Tongariro Northern Circuit on brownies alone and landing in hospital with an electrolyte crash, plus the Kepler and Queenstown Marathon. Nick talks about a 60km day on the Abel Tasman, and returning in 2025 for a slower, family-led trip. He breaks down his solo Hump Ridge Track push, where a missed signpost added 21km to his day, finishing in the dark. He reflects on hitting the ultra wall late in the day and the raw, vulnerable headspace it brought. Nick share about how New Zealand quiets his mind and is a place he loves revisiting. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/