Barbie Sharma is multi-passionate and loves spending her weekends exploring local gems. Based in Auckland, we talk about some of the natural attractions that are often overlooked in surrounding regions. One of Barbie's most memorable trips was a birthday getaway to Waikawau Tunnel Beach, where they had the beach to themselves and saw, "the best sunset I've seen on the North Island." Barbie shares practical tips for others that work a 9-5, advice for planning where to go next and spills the...

Jack Laurent has travelled over 600,000 km in his Land Cruiser Prado, saying he has explored every corner of New Zealand. Based in Taranaki, his favourite places to travel are the Far North and "anywhere" in the South Island. Jack shares about a mission up the Godley Valley and Havelock Valley in the central South Island. He shares about their unique experience, likely being the first people ever to kayak across the glacial lake. Despite meticulous planning, the weather took a turn for the...

Matt Butler says he was born with an innate desire to fish, although his family wasn't outdoorsy. He started fishing in local Waikato rivers at age twelve and it took Matt three years to catch his first fish. After moving to Wanaka to pursue his passion for fly-fishing, he decided to spend his 20s doing what he loved. Matt would spend a few months each year as a fly fishing guide, then travel around the world and fish for the rest of the year. In 2020, that season of life came to an abrupt...

Katy Binchy is in New Zealand on a working holiday visa and decided this is the year to try new things and enjoy being in nature. Together with a friend, they bought second hand bikes off TradeMe and went on their first bikepacking trip from Christchurch to Nelson. While in New Zealand, Katy is house-sitting in different cities so when they were moving from Christchurch to Queenstown, Katy thought to herself, "why don't I just cycle?" She set off on her first solo adventure, over ten days and...

Shanti Mathias is an Auckland-based journalist who is passionate about getting around without a car. Shanti also loves tramping and trail running, and uses public transport or a bicycle to get to her destination. She shares about a recent adventure from Auckland to Miranda, using a train, bike and ferry for the weekend trip. For Shanti, travel without a car leads to creativity and fun, poring over maps, forcing you to slow down and practice gratitude. While acknowledging the limitations and...

Mother of three, Deanna Gerlach says the idea to walk Te Araroa was conceived during covid lockdowns, from their suburban home in Sydney. The family sold everything in Australia, spent two weeks in hotel quarantine in New Zealand and then started walking the length of the country from Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) to Motupo-hue (Bluff). Day 1 on the trail was the family's first overnight tramp, but within three weeks they were trail-fit. Deanna reflects on the experience saying, "we loved...

Hami Tangiora lives on the West Coast and a recent annual family tradition is to catch a helicopter to remote back country huts to spend the night. While the familly do lots of hiking together with the young kids, Hami decided that they would treat themself to something special. The first trip was to Chancellor Hut above Fox Glacier for an overnight stay, where their only company was two dozen kea. The following year the family took Dominos pizza up to the remote Almer Hut above Franz Josef...

Helena Sodergren is a multi-passionate adventurer and a scientist. From horse-riding to skiing to surfing to mountain biking, it really seems like she does it all, alongside holding a PhD in physics. Helena grew up on a farm in remote Sweden, and say this is where her sense of adventure began. She shares about a recent mission with a group of seven, spending nine days on Tasman Glacier and sitting through a big storm, an incredible experience. Helena also talks about another adventure to Bell...

Katie Johnstone's love for the outdoors started young and grew with her annual father-daughter camping trips. After going on her first solo hike, she decided to jump in deeper and tackle Te Araroa. Katie soon learnt the importance of carrying a personal locator beacon (PLB) when one of her fellow trampers got injured and Katie had to pull her PLB for them. Later on the trail, Katie got into a sticky situation during a river crossing attempt and had to pull the PLB for her own safety. She...

Heather Marston had a mantra that she would never visit the same place twice...but that was before she had been to Aoraki Mount Cook. From ski trips as a child, to a study abroad program during uni and later moving to New Zealand, Heather says the curiosity for adventure was sparked early on in life. She shares about a particular trip to Mount Cook National Park in winter, where the weather looked miserable, but it turned into a magical experience in the snow. Heather shares all the different...

Jordan Pratt set himself a challenge that would test his physical and mental limits - 10 Great Walks in 10 days across the North and South Islands. The complex logistics meant that Jordan was supported by a team that were the 'glue' of the challenge. They provided a morale boost and banter at the end of every trail, as well as sorting transport, accommodation, food and telling Jordan when to eat, sleep and stretch. The hardest part were days 4-7 after the 78km Heaphy track with a window of...

Host Abigail Hannah set out to do the longest hike she'd ever done - solo! Abigail breaks down the how she decided to set out on the Old Ghost Road on her own and all she did to prepare for this. Knowing and preparing her gear was a significant part of the journey to independence and Abigail breaks down her gear list (below). While Abigail absolutely thrived in the first three days of her journey, soaking in and enjoying the beautiful views, the challenges came on day 4 and 5. Abigail's...

Olly Dow is 17 years old, based in Tauranga with a huge love for the outdoors. When he's not at school or on a weekend adventure, he's working at macpac or training with youth search and rescue (YSAR). He shares about the first time he went tramping without his parents - and how it was a pivotal moment that has enabled him to have many more trips with his mates. Olly shares about a recent 11 day tramp in the Kaweka ranges with a mate. One of the lessons learnt is that you can't be prepared...

Based in Wanaka, Nick Pascoe is surrounded by opportunities for adventure. Combining his passions, Nick had the idea to ski, packraft and tramp from Mt Aspiring to the Tasman Sea, down the Waiatoto River. After convincing two mates to come along, they got started on planning their route, based off trip reports, satellite imagery and topomaps. The 7 day mission took them skiing over glaciers, packrafting across glacial lakes and bush-bashing before navigating technical white water down the...

Meghan Maloney is an award-winning professional landscape photographer in New Zealand. Her work has let her travel all across New Zealand and she describes herself as an obsessive compulsive checker of weather apps, as weather is absolutely everything when it comes to landscape photography. We talk about the stories behind every photo, including driving silly distances to get sunrise shots on the East Coast and sunset shots on the West Coast from Moeraki Boulders to Lake Matheson to Roy's...

Without being able to run a 5 km race, Simon Patton set the goal of walking five NZ Great Walks in just five days. Born and bred in Southland, Simon lived overseas and worked around New Zealand before moving back to Invercargill. He realised that five of New Zealand's Great Walks were located nearby in Southland and set out to run them all in just five days. It was a logistical challenge, but Simon was backed by friends and family that supported his adventure. He built up his fitness in the...

Ryan Lucas remembers his first time in a kayak at 13 and soon he was hooked on the white water sport. With the Kaituna as his home river, Ryan spent all his free time kayaking and it was his main passion for 10 years. In 2017, Ryan had an accident after paddling a 20 metre fall and describes it as the worst case scenario. He was knocked unconscious and stopped breathing before being rescued by a friend. Ryan shares about the harrowing experience and the mental challenge it was to get back...

As part of their travels around the globe, Charlotte and James opted to spend a year in New Zealand on a working holiday visa, taking advantage of flexible working arrangements and travelling as much as possible in their van. Based out of Auckland, they share their favourite spots for weekend escapes and adventures, including Rangitoto, Waiheke and the beaches and maunga in Tāmaki Makaurau. For a further escape, they loved Waihi, Raglan and Matamata. As lovers of the Lord of the Rings and...

Amber Holyoake discovered her love for surfing in Portugal and found herself hooked to the sport from then onwards. Based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, she loves the east coast and west coast beaches that are so easily accessible. Amber breaks down the sport for beginners, sharing some of the surfing lingo, the best way to get started, while sharing her own journey and her passion. She has noticed a growing community of women surfers and loves to help new girls get into surfing. Despite...

Howie McFadyen grew up in Christchurch and got interested in the outdoors through his Outdoor Ed classes at school. He shares about his attempt to hike all six of the the Great Walks in the South Island and getting between them hitchhiking. Although Howie didn't manage to complete them all, he had an incredible time over 5 days, completing some of the walks in days and travelled over 800kms in strangers' cars. This journey kindled his love for hitchhiking and Howie is planning some new...

Your annual wrap up with Abigail Hannah, looking back at 2023 and forward at 2024. In this episode Abigail covers: Introduction (00:00) Looking back at Aotearoa Adventures in 2023 (01:21) Travel plans for the summer (05:36) Self-employed business journey (14:20) Looking ahead to 2024 (17:36) Sign up to my VIP email list here to be the first to get all the fresh news: www.abigailhannah.nz (trust me you wanna be on it)... Thank you SO MUCH for your support in 2023, especially if...

Renata Wiles shares about her first time experiencing vanlife in Northland as a family. Renata grew up in New Zealand but spent a couple years overseas before moving back home when her baby, Gaia was born. Following the Covid-19 lockdowns, they decided to give vanlife a go with their toddler, exploring Northland for the first time. Renata loved the 10-day road trip from the Tutukaka Coast, Bay of Islands, Far North and Kauri Coast. We talk about some of the must-dos on a Northland road trip,...

Lauren Korstrom is an outdoor lover from Canada, who now lives in Methven, Canterbury. With Mount Somers in her back yard, Lauren has become quite passionate about the area, and the huge variety of tracks that there are from family-friendly beginner tracks to more advanced hiking. Mount Somers is also home to the popular Woolshed Creek and Pinnacles Huts for an overnight tramp. Lauren has always been a runner, but wanted a change from road running. She recently competed in her first trail...

Ashley Elliott @littlekiwitravels shares about juggling a full-time job and making time for smaller local escapes on the weekends. She methodically plans each detail of the trip, to fit in as much as possible in a small amount of time. We talk about some of the best spots in the Waikato to visit, including the Coromandel and Waitomo - from flower fields to waterfalls to hot springs. Whether you're doing a lot of activities or you're having a more relaxed getaway, Ashley says it's important to...