Adventure Magazine #242

adventure
where actions speak louder than words
where actions speak louder than words
ISSUE 242
Feb/Mar 2024
NZ $11.90 incl. GST
TRAVEL ISSUE
NEW ZEALAND / SOUTH PACIFIC / NORWAY /
TURKEY / TAJIKISTAN / CANADA

Travel Broadly, Pack Wisely
COBBLE-CRUISING WHEELED LUGGAGE. ADVENTURE-READY PACKS. TRAVEL-READY DUFFELS.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Pretty or pest?
We walked across so many streams to reach the spot where this
shot was taken, it was the lupins that drew us in, not the birds or the
mountains nor the braided river, but the lupins.
We stayed for ages, taking numerous photos to try to capture the
beauty of the lupins in this incredible environment, only to return to
civilisation and find out they are considered a weed!
Even when we put an image on our Instagram page
@adventuermagazine someone commented on the need for the
‘eradiation of lupins’.
‘Someone needs to spray those weeds! Every time I see a photo
of them, I cringe. As bad as influencers doing boho decorating with
pampas flowers.’
According to DoC a determined bid has been launched to rid the
Arthur's Pass area of wild lupins, which fill the Waimakariri River
Valley with a colourful display every year but are also choking the
nesting habitat of several bird species.
The Department of Conservation has previously mounted attempts to
spray the Russell lupins, obviously unsuccessfully.
It raises the question of ‘when does a weed become part of the
landscape?'
A lot of people stop at the end of the Waimakariri bridge to take photos
of the vista before them of the Waimakariri valley of the valley, the
mountains and the lupins, they have become somewhat iconic.
We appreciate that the lupins may impact biodiversity, but when does
an invasive species become part of the natural landscape?
Aren’t we all immigrants to New Zealand at some stage?
Steve Dickinson
Editor
Environmental groups say the invasive lupins are smothering the
braided riverbeds in the area and taking over the nesting habitat of
the wrybill, banded dotterel and black-fronted tern, making it difficult
for them to find suitable sites that also provide cover from predators.
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BEHIND THE COVER
Choosing a cover of any issue of Adventure is never
easy; there is often so much to choose from, and
finding that one image that shows what’s inside is
always difficult.
However, there are certain rules for choosing a
cover; it must have a ‘wow’ factor that is obvious
from the ‘get-go’, it has to sing off the shelf and
call to the reader, “Come and pick me up, open my
pages, see more’’.
A cover is also like a badge; if you buy magazines
with golfing on the cover, the chances are you are
a golfer and the same with cars and sailing and
fishing, in fact any niche sport. But adventure is a
very wide subject matter, and we, with every issue,
struggle to balance images of biking, kayaking,
hiking, surfing, climbing, etc. Then, each year, we
get to the February issue. The dreaded travel issue
and every year it is difficult to find an image that
jumps out at you, an image that makes the magazine
not just a travel brochure but a publication that links
those that like ‘to do stuff’ to travel.
We are
the Mountain
People.
EDITOR & ADVERTISING MANAGER
Steve Dickinson
Mob: 027 577 5014
steve@pacificmedia.co.nz
ART DIRECTOR
Lynne Dickinson
design@pacificmedia.co.nz
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“Northern Rocks is an indoor
bouldering facility, we foster
community, growth and
positive experiences for
people of all backgrounds,
ages and abilities.”
This year, while sifting through endless images for
certain destinations, we came across this image
on the Cook Islands tourism website; (there is a
gallery of images that you are allowed to choose
from if you are media). There was an array of other
images of the two same Rarotonga ladies, shopping,
swimming, biking, and interacting with tourists. What
caught our attention was how happy they were in
every shot and how engaged. They are not your
stereo typical tourism models, they are not teenage
girls lying on a beach with a cocktail. They are real
people who have a really good time.
That enthusiasm was all we needed to put them on
the cover, their smiles, the fun, their enthusiasm,
and the obvious love of where they were in the Cook
Islands.
So this issues cover is a little different – but it has
the same core message: travel, have fun, interact
with locals, go discover and go and ‘do stuff.’ Bike,
paddle, swim, fish, climb, surf, kayak, paddleboard...
But most of all, have fun doing it!
Where some see rock, we see lines.
Where some see peaks, we see
possibility. Where some see rain
lashed ridgelines or impenetrable
fog, we see an opportunity to
challenge our skills.
World Class Indoor Climbing
FREE week after first paid visit!
Fantastic community, beginners
welcome, boulder classes for all ages
and abilities, inquire now.
* Discounts for youths and own gear
Student Mondays, entry $15
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@northernrocks.climbing
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Wairau Valley, Auckland | 09 278 2363
Available now from Rab specialist stores throughout NZ.
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Greymouth: Colls Sports, Hokitika: Wild Outdoorsman, Wanaka: MT Outdoors, Queenstown: Small Planet.
Online: huntingandfishing.co.nz, dwights.co.nz, outdooraction.co.nz, mtoutdoors.co.nz, smallplanetsports.com,
equipoutdoors.co.nz, gearshop.co.nz, outfittersstore.nz
Distributed by Outfitters 0800021732 www.outfitters.net.nz

SurfAid
A hand up to people in the heartlands of surfing
When SurfAid founder, Dr. Dave Jenkins, ventured to the surf-rich
Mentawai Islands back in 1999, he was struck by the amount of preventable
suffering occurring among the communities that lived there. He vowed to
return to the islands with medical supplies and more hands to help.
we ARE climbing
“It was my first trip to the Mentawais in October 1999. I remember going
onshore after a great session and seeing these kids on the beach. I followed
a track into a village and saw these little graves and some of them were pretty
fresh. That’s when I realised that this wasn’t paradise for the locals even
though it looked like paradise from the boat. I witnessed women and children
dying from malaria, malnutrition and inadequate living standards, things that I
knew were treatable and, better still, preventable. I was pretty deeply affected.
It was quite a contrast between our luxury charter boat with perfect waves,
unlimited Bintang beers and three-course lunches, while these kids were
dying literally 100 metres away. I had a clash of conscience over the next few
days whether I could sail away from this place without doing anything about it.
I came to the realisation that I wanted to do something and just jumped into it,
left my job, sold my house, and flew home to New Zealand to start SurfAid.”
Fast forward to today, SurfAid is a global non-profit dedicated to improving
the health, well-being and resilience of remote communities connected to us
through surfing. SurfAid’s geographical focus is on the heartlands of surfing
where few visitors but surfers go, across Indonesia and Solomon Islands.
SurfAid gives families the best chance of getting ahead by providing access
to healthcare, clean water and sanitation, and improved nutrition and food
security. Underpinning SurfAid’s mission is the belief that positive, sustainable
and long-lasting change can only be achieved through the active involvement
of the locals. This drives their philosophy of a ‘hand up, not a handout’,
enabling local people to develop and apply their own development ideas.
When you support SurfAid, you are helping to ensure that women and
girls' health and well-being are significantly improved by accessing critical
healthcare; children can live and thrive past their first 1,000 days of life; and
families have sustainable access to clean water and safe sanitation close to
their homes.
Surf with purpose: Subscribe to SurfAid and claim your free Indo surfing guide
EXCLUSIVE OFFER
John Palmer at Sunnyside, Wanaka
Photo: Tom Hoyle
Subscribe to the SurfAid Sessions monthly e-newsletter,
and receive a complimentary copy of SurfAid’s exclusive
e-book: "A Guide to Remote Surfing in Indonesia."
What’s included? Over 30 pages covering when and
where to go, how to get there, what to pack, how to stay
safe, and of course, how to never forget the locals in the
remote places we love to surf.
Subscribe now at www.surfaid.org/newsletter
For over thirty years Bivouac Outdoor has been proudly 100% New Zealand owned and committed to providing
you with the best outdoor clothing and equipment available in the world. It is the same gear we literally stake our
lives on, because we are committed to adventure and we ARE climbing.
Supporting Aotearoa's Backcountry Heritage
STORES NATIONWIDE
www.bivouac.co.nz
4//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242

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Svalbard Archipelago
NORWAY
Svalbard Glacier
Conquering Philips Ladder
Images by David Sodomka / Red Bull Content Pool
In an historic feat, Catalan adventurer and elite
kayaker Aniol Serrasolses (who has appeared on the
cover of Adventure several times) has conquered the
world's highest glacier waterfall drop in the Svalbard
archipelago, Norway.
6//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 Aniol Serrasolses paddles the river on the Austfonna ice ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//7
cap, Svalbard on August 6, 2023

"The team faced numerous
obstacles throughout their journey,
including climbing treacherous ice
walls, navigating across streams
and crevasses, and handling the
unpredictable whitewater rivers
sculpted in the Arctic ice.”
Aniol Serrasolses, who has appeared in these pages many times
with his crazy kayak lifestyle, has embarked on a challenging
expedition to the Svalbard archipelago, to one of the most remote
places on earth, beginning with a 36-hour sea voyage from
Longyearbyen to the Bråsvellbreen glacier.
The team, including kayakers David Sodomka, Aleix Salvat, and
Mikel Sarasola, all undertook an 11-kilometer trek across the
Arctic's icy expanse to access the river leading to the glacial
waterfall.
The team faced numerous obstacles throughout their journey,
including climbing treacherous ice walls, navigating across
streams and crevasses, and handling the unpredictable
whitewater rivers sculpted in the Arctic ice.
On a previous trip to the ice, this time in
Greenland, Aniol Serrasolses performs a kickflip
8//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 on unknown river on ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//9
Ice cap.

Facing the towering 20m glacial waterfall, Aniol Serrasolses initiated
a descent that has secured him another first in kayaking history.
Reflecting on the unprecedented descent, Serrasolses expressed
his astonishment, saying, "It's hard to find the words to explain this
feeling. It's like kayaking on another planet. Without a doubt, it's the
most unique kayak I've ever done in my life.”
Confronting such an unpredictable Arctic environment, and the
decent called ‘Philips Ladder’, Serrasolses noted, "We were in a
constantly changing environment, a unpredictable place. We knew
how risky it was, but when you look around you, it all made sense.”
This extraordinary feat will be showcased in 'Ice Waterfalls,' an
upcoming documentary on Red Bull TV. The film promises to capture
Serrasolses' historic journey, offering a glimpse into the trials and
triumphs of this unparalleled kayaking adventure.
Watch Aniol Serrasolses Tackle the Formidable Svalbard Glacier with
a Historic 20-Meter Waterfall Drop
"It's hard to find the words to explain this feeling. It's like
kayaking on another planet. Without a doubt, it's the most
unique kayak I've ever done in my life.”
Aniol Serrasolses runs 20m tall waterfall from the Austfonna
ice cap to the Arctic Ocean, Svalbard on August 8, 2023
10//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//11

Anatolia Mountains,
TURKEY
x
In the footsteps of St Paul:
The draw of simplicity in the Anatolia mountains
Words and photos by Derek Cheng
Itt was getting late, and the freeze from our wet socks and
shoes would soon spread to the rest of our bodies. The red
and white paint that showed the way along St Paul's trail -
through south-western Turkey - were hidden under a thick
layer of snow that blanketed the valley we were hiking through.
The beauty of our surroundings comforted the fact that we
were lost.
The sun was still bathing our faces in a life-affirming warmth
as we stumbled upon a number of goat-herders' cottages.
We opened one. Simple, dilapidated, empty. A few pieces
of plywood nailed together, as air-tight as a cheese grater.
A home in the summer for a goat-herder or picker of wild
oregano, but abandoned in the winter when the snow-line
encroached.
It was exactly what we needed on this wintry evening: a
floor with a roof, and a fireplace of stone. We scurried the
surroundings in search of dry-ish wood and, with only an hour
of daylight left, bunkered down for a night in the Anatolian
mountains.
The St Paul Trail is the second of seven long-distance Culture
Routes in Turkey, established by British women Kate Clow,
who moved to Turkey in the late 1980s. It’s a 500km-long path
through rural valleys and along mountain ridges, switching
from ancient Roman roads to cobble-stones to animal tracks.
"It was exactly what
we needed on this
wintry evening: a
floor with a roof, and a
fireplace of stone...
and with only an
hour of daylight
left, bunkered
down for a night
in the Anatolian
mountains."
Sunset light kisses the snowy tops of the Anatolia mountains in Turkey
It supposedly follows the missionary journey that St Paul took
in the first century AD, when he walked from Antalya to Yalvac
to spread the word of Christianity, sparking a movement that is
today one of the most dominant influence in modern history.
Katelyn Merrett lies all snug in her sleeping bag next to a stone fireplace in an abandoned wooden
cottage on the St Paul's trail
12//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//13

We were immediately drawn to a sheltered
patio at the front of a house with an unlocked
gate, where we sought refuge after calling
out to anyone in the house and hearing no
replies.
We stripped off our wet gear and started
putting up our tent when the village's only
winter resident, Esma, caught sight of us and
demanded money.
The cottages are busy in the summer with goat herders and collectors of mountain oregano, but thankfully for us empty over winter
These days the trail combines nature,
history, and adventure through
2000-year-old ruins and Turkish heartland
where locals survive on goats, sheep,
and the trade of wild mountain herbs.
My hiking partner Katelyn and I had no
intention of walking the whole trail and,
in the middle of winter, did not expect an
easy time. We decided to take a week
to explore the most scenic, mountainous
and isolated section: from a Roman
ruins site in Selge to the main city on the
shores of Lake Egirdir - about 140kms of
trail through the Koprulu Canyon, along
the Sarp Daglari mountain range, and via
the ancient Byzantium city of Adada.
It wasn't her place, but that didn’t matter.
It was the first time we had encountered a
touch of hostility - not unreasonably, as we
were on someone’s private property - but her
disposition took a turn for the gentler after we
paid her about $10 in local currency.
Soon we were seated in her heated lounge,
drying our mittens on her woodstove, and
warming ourselves from the inside with her
tomato soup, yufka, and more sugary tea.
Our Turkish vocabulary was expanding
rapidly. The words for ‘how many goats?’,
‘New Zealand’ (which would never elicit
even the faintest glimmer of recognition),
and various food items quickly became our
conversational comfort zones.
The rain subsided by morning as we began
the arduous task of climbing the hillside
above the village of Caltepe in switchbacks.
"Soon we were seated in her heated lounge, drying our
mittens on her woodstove, and warming ourselves from the
inside with her tomato soup, yufka, and more sugary tea."
St Paul's trail takes you through rural Turkey where goat and sheep farming are
the main ways to make a living
Esma, a local in a small town, became
far more hospitable after we paid her for
the privilege of using a random patio to
escape the rain.
It was unsurprising when the trees
thinned, revealing a terrain blanketed
in ankle-deep snow. It wrapped the
landscape in a kiss of white, but
made finding trail-markers virtually
impossible. They’re meant to be at
least every 100m, but with no sign of
any, we often simply chose the path
of least resistance. When that led to
an open area, the next move was
total guesswork, often ending up in
time-consuming trial-and-error.
Luckily we found and followed a trail
as it fell steeply through forest, and
into the sleepy town of Kozdere.
It was the biggest settlement we
had seen for days, so we roamed
the town looking for supplies, but
only found a family who gave us an
enormous bag of yufka, and then
refused to take anything in exchange
except our thanks.
Without typical Turkish friendliness and
generosity - which we would become
very familiar with - we may never have
made it to Selge on our first day. We
were in the small town of Perge, and
trying to tell a taxi driver we didn't want
his services while he stubbornly claimed
an absence of public transport to where
we were going. A random passerby took
an interest in us - two foreigners laden
with heavy packs - and was soon on his
cellphone, calling the only van driver who
had Selge on his regular circuit.
This stranger, Yousef, then boarded the
van with us and invited us to his home in
Selge, where we dined with his family. It
was a typical house in the area - simple,
with a wood stove in the lounge where
the whole family slept side by side.
The ancient Roman Theatre in the small Turkish town of Selge dates back to the third
century AD
Nearby were the remains of a Roman
amphitheatre, the detritus of fallen
pillars giving the area a sense of chaos.
What was once a thriving, resource-rich
Greek and then Roman colony from
around 300 BC to 500 AD had become
a quaint village. The men farm goats,
while the women knitted handicrafts.
The transformation begged the question:
Which pace of life would you prefer?
It was in Selge that we became familiar
with yufka, the local flatbread, eaten
with village staples tahini, yoghurt and
cheese from the family goats. We ate
as they ate: on the floor, sitting with a
blanket over our ankles to collect the
crumbs, and reaching for communal
plates in the centre. This was always
followed by Turkish tea served in glasses
that seemed better suited to cognac.
Our stay was so warm and amicable
that it founded a new rule: to accept any
local invitation that came our way.
Our first morning on the trail was quickly
interrupted when the skies opened,
filling the valleys and stream-beds with
an ethereal mist, and encasing our feet
in cold sogginess. For three hours we
persevered, our spirits lifting when we
came upon a small, seemingly deserted
village.
Red and white markers on the ground mark the way, but where do you go when they’re buried under the snow?
14//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//15

Ancient coins suggest that Adada dates back to at
least the second century BC, and lasted until the
ninth century AD. Various 2000-year-old temples
populate the site along with a main acropolis,
a forum that could seat 1000 people, and, on a
nearby hilltop, crumbling towers protruding from a
patchy canopy.
And no people. Such a treasured site in New
Zealand would surely be fenced off, with no
interaction permitted. The absence of anyone give
me the freedom to wander, to leap from giant stone
to giant stone.
In the south-east corner, a Roman road consisting
of a series of large, superbly cut stone blocks led
into the hills. As the late afternoon sun sapped my
energy, I trudged downhill to a small village where I
jumped on a local bus towards Lake Egirdir.
Left: An elderly couple who intercepted us as we walked along the street to
offer us some tea in their home
This is not a journey to speed through, I thought
as the bus took me towards my rendezvous with
Katelyn, but to be savoured with long days and as
many local interactions as possible.
The remoteness of the week had left me feeling
content, though I wondered how happy the people
I had met would be five years from now. Maybe it’s
blissful ignorance. You can’t yearn for what you’ve
never had.
A family invite for dinner in rural Turkey should never be turned down, which in this case included a huge pile of delicious
flatbread - called yufka.
The following morning, an
octogenarian with a slightly
wobbly gait invited us for tea
after seeing us walking the
street. We followed him up some
rickety wooden stairs to a sunny
verandah, where his wife laid out
a familiar spread of bread, tea
and olives on a blanket.
They talked continually and
laughed heartily, despite our blank
faces of non-comprehension.
With the aid of our dictionary -
Turkish is conveniently phonetic
- we deciphered a few words and
discovered something universal
among couples who had
endured decades together: mild
callousness. ‘Crazy, old baggage,’
he kept saying as he pointed to
his wife.
Our bellies full, we left the village
and attacked the south ridge of
Sarp Daglari to about 1700m
above sea level. Progress was
slow as we scarred the virgin
snow with our footprints, while
distant snowy ridges put on their
rose cloaks for sunset.
Eventually we arrived in Beydili,
population 12-ish, to familiar
Turkish hospitality. A woman
tending to her goats soon offered
us tea and a spot to sleep on her
floor. The neighbours joined our
special meal of rice with carrots
and leeks, tomato soup, cabbage
salad and candied quince - and
always with yufka.
It was a gleeful evening with lots
of smiling and nodding. In an
attempt at humour, I looked up
the word for 'smelly' and repeated
it several times while pointing to
our snow-soaked socks that were
drying on the woodstove. But my
words were taken literally, and
one lady ended up washing them,
despite my protestations. And
when I continued to make the
same joke while pointing to our
naked feet, her brother earnestly
doused them in some kind of
perfume.
It seemed a picture of idyllic life,
growing organic produce and
tending to goats in a tight-knot
and generous community. They
seemed content, free from all the
pressures of the rat race, from
the anxiety of a hectic, city life of
a million things happening in the
blink of an eye.
But this place was also so
isolated and far from opportunity,
and if I lived here, how would I
even know about all the wonderful
places I've been privileged
enough to experience around the
world, courtesy of an income and
education that would have been
amiss here?
The remains of the ancient Roman city of Adada, which dates
back to second century BC
The household’s children, like so many among the
families we came across, had left the rural life in search
of higher education or work. Would they thrive and
never look back, or shun what they find and return to the
simplicity of rural life?
As we left in the morning, full of thanks and goat cheese,
Katelyn's achilles injury from a few years ago started to
niggle her. The pace slowed to a crawl as we descended
to terraced farmland, where we hitch-hiked to Kesme.
From there, she decided to take public transport to Lake
Egirdir, where we’d meet up again in a few days.
Hiking on my own, the Muslim call to prayer sang out as
I climbed into the surrounding mountains towards the
Roman ruins of Adada. I soon dropped into an open plain
to find a small theatre, and a series of temples in various
states of decay. One corner pillar, with stone blocks
protruding from all sides, resembled an abandoned game
of giant jenga on the brink of a collapse.
As the bus neared the town on the shores of Lake
Egirdir, a bustling city compared to the mountain
villages I had been through, I immediately felt a
longing to return to simplicity: the historical ruins,
the grand vistas, and the gentle kindnesses that
had gifted me so much over the past week.
Above & top right: A teenage girl herds the family flock of goats in rural Turkey.
"This is not a journey to speed through... but to
be savoured with long days and as many local
interactions as possible. "
Katelyn Merrett stands atop some Roman ruins and surveys the rural scenery and mountainous backdrop along St Paul’s trail.
16//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//17

NIUE
x
Niue
The magical paradise
Words by Phil Clark, Mad About Travel
Think of a remote island in the South Pacific, an island with no rivers
to add sediment to the water, no fringing reef to mix up the crystal clear
ocean waters, incredible abundant marine life including large pelagic fish,
stunning sea life and WHALES from late June through to October. Add to
this an incredibly friendly population of just 1600 locals, first world services
and accommodation and fantastic food and you’re getting pretty close to
what Niue has to offer!
Niue has to be one of the most interesting, friendly and beautiful
destinations I have ever visited. If you like rock pool swimming in stunning
caves, snorkeling through a mix of crystal-clear salt water with a layer
of cool fresh water on top, adventurous hikes and diving, Niue is the
destination for you!
Formed by volcanic upheavals this coral limestone island emerges straight
out of the ocean, it is just a 3 and half hour flight from Auckland, with two
flights a week. Known locally as “plane day”, a festival atmosphere occurs
twice a week when a market occurs at the airport, and everyone turns out
to see who is arriving and who is leaving.
Once you arrive the best way to get to know what is happening is to take
a Niue, orientation tour the morning after plane day. Keith and Sue have
been running these tours forever and they know the island intimately!
They know who is on the island, the history, the best restaurants and sea
walks to recommend to you.
18//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242
Image by Hunter Malcon, Niue Blue

Image by Jonathan Irish
"Niue has to be one of the most interesting, friendly and
beautiful destinations I have ever visited.”
Once you have your bearings you can
explore the unique Niuean experiences;
1. Diving – Most dive sites are incredibly
close (5 minutes boat ride from the wharf).
There are an abundance of caves, swim
through’s, coral, fish life and around 80
metres of visibility.
It’s the perfect place to extend your
skills and experience tropical diving on
an oceanic drop off. For non-divers, the
snorkeling is also off the chart!
2. Uga (coconut crab) Tour – Tony runs
the famous Uga (coconut crab) tour, and
he has a huge knowledge of the island and
of the amazing Uga crab. If you’re thinking
the Uga is just a crab just wait until you
meet one!
3. Keep track of the tides, this is
important. Many of the amazing sea
tracks are accessible on certain tides.
Some of the best tracks I found were
Avaiki cave (low tide) where kings used to
bath, Limu swimming spot with incredible
snorkeling in a mix of fresh and salt water
(any tide) and Matapa Chasm a long
protected chasm opening out to the sea
(any tide). If you’re after more adventurous
walks you could explore the Talava arches
or the Aanapala Chasm which has 155
steps down to a freshwater chasm / cave.
This one is truly epic!
4. Game fishing. If you’ve never caught
a Mahi Mahi or any other large tropical
deep sea fish Niue offers some of the best
game fishing in the world. The professional
fishing skippers on the island are a highly
experienced select group who have
excellent boats and equipment and know
their craft intimately. The 5am start is a
great way to see the sunrise, and it’s all
over by 11am so this gives you plenty of
time to spend the afternoon relaxing by
the pool.
5. Whale experiences – One of the
few places where you can swim with
whales. Between late June and October
Humpback whales nurse their young in
Niue’s warm clear waters. During this
period whales can be seen as close as
20 metres from shore. There are two
operators on island who run tours and
numbers are strictly limited.
6. Local food, arts and crafts. Niue has
amazing food! Seafood, ceviche (raw
fish), pizza, local craft beer, steak, there is
even an awesome Japanese restaurant in
Alofi. Another thing not to be missed is the
Niuean Honey. Coconut bread smeared
with butter and local honey is just the best
breakfast ever!
Locals insider tips for Niue
Hire a car. This gives you the freedom
to explore at will and discover the local
restaurants, swimming holes, sea tracks
and villages around the island.
Pick the style of accommodation
which will suit you. Niue has one major
hotel (The Scenic Matavai resort) with a
range of room types, but there are a huge
range of accommodation options from
village halls or large houses to home stay
bed and breakfasts. Let our experienced
consultants at Mad about Travel know
what you’re after and we will find you the
best possible accommodation for you.
Talk to the locals. They know the best
restaurants, walks, caves, swimming
beaches, and they love to share their
island with you.
Have a lie in on Sunday and/or attend
a church service. It’s a peaceful day
on Niue. Once it’s lunch time, then you
head to Avatele for a snorkel in the bay,
followed by a burger at the Washaway
café where the bar is an honesty bar.
Take home the Gin (it’s cheaper duty
free on the island than in NZ), the vanilla
and the honey. Niuean honey is the
ONLY honey you can bring into New
Zealand because it’s so pure!
If you’re travelling in whale season
late June – October, its best to prebook
as much as you can to avoid
disappointment.
Mad about Travel packages flights accommodation, rental car, whale watching and diving, so you don’t have to worry
about anything. Discover one of the last unspoilt paradise islands in the world, but don’t tell everyone about it!
20//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//21
WE LIVE
WHAT WE
SELL!
0800 623 872
info@madabouttravel.co.nz
madabouttravel.co.nz

South Island
NEW ZEALAND x
Don't leave home till
you've seen the country
Road trippin through the South Island of NZ
Words and photos by Steve Dickinson
In 1984, there was a New Zealand tourism
advertising campaign with the tagline;
‘Don’t leave home till you have seen the country.’
It was a tongue-in-cheek encouragement for Kiwis to
ensure they had seen their own country before they
ventured overseas.
At Adventure, we travel a lot, and get to see some
fantastic places around the world. But while recently
travelling in New Zealand, it dawned on us how
incredible New Zealand is and how much we take
for granted.
The travel tale starts like this: After recently
purchasing a car in Wanaka on a ‘wifely whim,’ we
decided to spend a couple of weeks driving it home.
The trip had such an impact that we thought it was
important to share our experiences in this publication
full of world travel, a simple travel feature from home.
It’s hard to beat Queenstown on a blisteringly
hot summer day, and that’s where our adventure
began. We had a few nights before heading north,
so we checked into Hulbert House in the heart of
Queenstown. It's one of NZ’s most elegant boutique
lodges, with incredible views over Lake Wakatipu
and set in the most spacious tranquil setting, it
was a great spot to sip gin in the sunset, check the
weather, plan and decide really where we wanted to
go before our road trip began.
With no planned route so we followed the sun and
headed across Haast Pass. The scenery from the
car (which is a convertible) was stunning the whole
way, seemingly something new to see at every turn.
This region is laced with numerous easy hikes;
some, like Thunder Creek Falls, are only 5-minute
walk from the main road. Haast Pass is littered
with these easy-access walks, and they are clearly
signed, but there are also loads more challenging
hikes in the region as well for those with more
time. Time became a catchword to this trip, and we
quickly realised that we had not given anywhere
near enough time allocation to each region.
We knew this was going to have to be more of
a sightseeing trip and would have to stick to the
“shorter trails,” so we chose to check out the Blue
Pools, a relaxed 3km return walk. However, when
we arrived at the start of the Blue Pools track, we
were greeted with a sign that said the bridge that
gives access to the pools was permanently closed
for safety reasons. Keen to stretch our legs, we
walked down the Makarora River. Gathered there
was a small crowd of tourists, skimming stones and
looking across the fast-flowing river longingly to the
other pools on the other side. We reasoned that you
could wade across to the pools - carefully.
The river level was relatively low, but it was
deceptively fast-flowing, so if you cross this way,
grab a good stick or take walking poles for the
crossing. The water in this region is cold all year
round, but it was worth it to reach the stunning Blue
Pools, and for a while, we had them all to ourselves
until the ‘lemming syndrome’ kicked in, and the
landlocked tourist followed in droves. To be clear;
we are not suggesting you cross the river; it's fastflowing,
subject to rapid rise and as cold as the
mother-in-law's breath.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//23

Queenstown done right...
Unique, luxury
accommodation
Hulbert House combines history
and tradition with unparalleled
luxury, in the heart of Queenstown.
Book directly and you can save up
to 25% for multi-night stays.
68 Ballarat Street, Queenstown
Top to bottom: Our mode or transport for the week and the original reason we
decided to go / Think everyone in NZ gets this image / Marijuana may not yet
be legal in NZ but you can still get stoned.
Back in the car, we continued across Haast Pass to Fox Glacier, and
in true to “West Coast form”, the mist began to gather and it didn’t take
long for the rain to arrive and our hot summer days became wintery.
The list of ‘adventure-based ‘to-dos’ here is extensive: glacial walks for
both beginners and advanced, kayaking, biking and so on.
Glacier Country, as this area is known, has two famous Glaciers, Fox
and Franz Josef. We decided to check out Franz Josef. After an early
start, we headed up the well-marked trail to the lookout; it was less of a
hike and more of a tourist stroll. It had been years since we last visited,
and if you ever doubted global warming, you must visit the glaciers.
The images at the viewing platform show the glacial retreat, which is
confronting. It is almost impossible to see the foot of the glacier now.
Do not get me wrong, the walk is still worth it for the stunning scenery.
However, it is not what I had expected.
We ensured that we had time to stop and enjoy the surroundings while
going from place to place, but we wished we had more time. So often,
we would say, ‘If this were in America, we would be going ‘Oh Wow,’
but it’s easy to take NZ’s beauty for granted, so we made a real effort
not to.
The West Coast of the South Island is rugged and remote, you don’t
see many people, just lots of trees, mountains, streams and valleys.
When we did pass through a town, we’d stop and explore, stumbling
across some unique pubs, cafes and curiosities.
The aptly named Blue Pools. Not long after we took this photo a couple of boys waded over and jumped from the bridge into
the freezing water below. Needless to say they got out pretty quick!
Amongst the hiking tracks and biking trails, we came across one
specific pub that had yet to fall into the politically correct 20th
century. Behind that bar was a topless 2023 girly calendar, normally
found in a 1960 mechanics workshop, and a range of other
memorabilia that would not appear in any WOKE Auckland bar or
restaurant. It was a Kiwi classic. I am not sure if it was tongue in
cheek, or they hoped to offend, or they did not care, but the food
and the beer were excellent.
After driving up the west coast we decided to zigzag north, so were
heading for Arthurs Pass. Chatting to one of the locals, we were
advised that Arthurs Pass was closed from 10 am – 6 pm each day
for road works, so we’d either need to get through early or not till
the end of the day. Being cautious, we decided to get as close as
we could to the road closure before stopping for the night, and that
seemed to be a little town called Otira.
Originally a stop on the Cobb and Co stagecoach from Canterbury
to the West Coast in the 1800’s, Otira then became a base for the
workers during the construction of the railway tunnel in the early
1900’s with over 600 people residing there. Now, according to the
2006 Census, 87 people call Otira home, a booming increase of 30
from 2001!
As the misty evening gloom set in, the Stagecoach Hotel loomed
out of the mist, like a setting from a Stephen King novel. Now, to
say that the hotel was unique would certainly not cut it. Gollum
was on the roof, and every room was stuffed with collectables
from taxidermy sharks to Victorian music boxes. While looking
after three small kids, the lovely lady serving mentioned that the
owner was a bit of a ‘hoarder’ – ‘no Sh*t Sherlock!’ Every room,
every shelf, every window frame, every inch of floor space was
cluttered with ‘stuff.’ To complete the picture, outside the window
was Captain Cook's pig in the garden completely oblivious to being
stood on by a miniature goat. Our four-poster double bed creaked
more than a rocking chair, a hand-painted toilet with flowers and a
full-sized stuffed penguin made for a very ‘interesting’ experience in
the backend of nowhere.
We were up early the next day and made our way across Arthurs
Pass before the workers closed the road. Arthurs Pass is a ‘trip’ at
every turn; it’s like something out of a Sound of Music movie, and
cliqued as it sounds it was simply stunning. The lupins (which are
evidently weeds) are crazy, with whole valleys full of purple colour.
The Pass is a pass of two parts; the western side (where we
were coming from) was dense with rainforest over deeply gorged
rivers. By contrast, the eastern side opened to wide, shingle-filled
riverbeds and vast swathes of beech forest.
Arthurs Pass National Park is one part of our drive where we
wished we had more time. Hiking, fishing, kayaking, and, in winter,
skiing options are abundant in this unique part of our country.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//25

Clockwise from top left: Franz Josef Glacier / Held up in Ross / The name says it all / The iconic jetty at Nelson Lakes, St Arnaud
/ Maruia Falls / Only on the West Coast / The Stagecoach Hotel, Otira
We have already decided to return with a camper van and
explore the area.
The Pass seemed to come and go too quickly and our next stop
was Fable Terrace Downs, just outside Christchurch, which
hosts a beautiful high-country scenic golf course. Fable Terrace
Downs is a wild and woolly place but stunning. Set amongst
rolling hills, it is also close to the ski fields of this region, so it
makes for a great luxury stay during the winter season, too.
One day seemed to merge into another, and we ended up in the
famous wine region of the Waipara Valley, with dozens of tasting
and eating options; wine, cheese, olives. It may not have been a
great ‘adventure’, but it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.
Our next stop was Hanmer Springs. I had never been, read a
lot about it, seen images, etc, but I had no idea it was such an
adventure holiday mecca. The hot pools are legendary, and
with their 3-million-dollar slide complex, it is humming. But
Hanmer is alive with places to eat, excellent accommodation
and a mountain of things to do.
Hanmer might have started as a thermal pool health region,
and the pool has been there since 1883. However, it has
capitalised on its location and offers a vast range of activities:
white water rafting, mountain biking, quad biking, kayaking,
hiking and fishing; if you can name it, someone in Hanmer is
offering it. It's a great family location with something literally for
everyone.
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The zigzag tour then passed through Lewis Pass, another
spectacular scenic region of New Zealand with numerous
hiking trails ranging from minutes long to multi-day hikes, and
we ended up in the quaint town of Reefton. Established in the
1860s gold goldrush, Reefton is the West Coast's only interior
town and the first place in NZ to have electric lights. It’s nestled
between the Paparoa and Victoria ranges, with the Inangahua
River running through it. Apart from the history, which there is
a lot of, Reefton offers a great gin distillery (do not start there).
Surrounding Reefton is Victoria Conservation Park, an outdoor
dream area with a network of walking tracks, some dating from
the late 1800s. The 180,000-hectare conservation park is the
largest in New Zealand so there’s plenty to explore.
Throughout this region there’s a variety of tramping tracks with
short and easy trails, plus longer and more challenging day
walks or even moonlight tramp tracks.
An early start saw us on the way to Saint Arnaud, the
“basecamp” for the Nelson Lakes National Park. Again there
are multi-day hikes from Saint Arnaud, including the wellknown
Travers-Sabine circuit. The lakes are super popular
over summer with water activities, but the region offers allyear-round
adventures.
There is some fantastic canyoning, horse trekking, and a range
of huts you can walk to. The DOC information centre has vast
information and is super helpful. Still, it’s an area you want to
research fully to see what can be done in the time frame, as
there is a lot to cover.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Clockwise from top middle: Hidden gems you find along the road / Not enough time to ride the Old Ghost Road /
Seeking Lupins in Arthurs Pass
After a night catching up with friends in Blenheim, the ferry crossing loomed as the
South Island part of our trip ended. We lucked onto a beautiful morning; the sun
was shining, and the sea was calm as we left Marlborough Sounds towards the
North Island of NZ. Wellington was a bit of a shock after the serenity of the South
Island and with limited time we made a quick trip back to Auckland.
In two weeks, we squeezed in more than you could have imagined, saw amazing
things, and met amazing, welcoming people. We had re-filled our Kiwi bucket list of
places to go back to and stay longer; the list is a lot longer now than when we left.
As the promotion said in 1984, ‘Don’t leave home till you've seen the country.’
It still rings true today.
Let us take you on
a great adventure...
www.alpinerecreation.com
"The 1984 promotion,
"Don't leave home till
you've seen the country,"
still rings true today.”

Across country
TAJIKISTAN
x
Tajikistan
Running across the country
Words and photos by Danny Bent
Tajikistan is a beautiful emerald of a country that was
once part of the USSR, squished between Afghanistan,
China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan; a country awash with
turquoise rivers, green pastures and towering mountains.
As you can imagine the varied influences make Tajikistan
a mouthwatering smash up of cultures and people. The
Tajik language for example is Persian but written with the
Russian, Cyrillic, alphabet. However, Tajik is only one of
over 9 languages spoken in the region with Russian being
the preferred language for business and government.
Fourteen of us arrived here with the aim of running across
the country; up the Bartang Valley, from Afghanistan to the
Chinese and Kyrgyzstan borders. Just under 300km. A
route into the unknown.
14 years ago, I was on my bike in Kyrgyzstan having cycled
here from London on my sturdy ‘Long Haul Trucker’ bicycle
named Shirley. Shirley and I were hanging out in Saritash,
a town that is the crossroads of the Silk Route. My intention
was to take the left turn and head into China, finishing
in Southern India where I was due to start teaching at a
school. But the right turn pulled me in, it led to the Pamir
Mountain Range that soared above me, the Pamir Highway
lay in front of me, and the promise of a country I hadn’t
known about a week previous grabbed my heart.
28//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242
Liz in the Bartang Valley running towards the Pamir Mountain Range
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//29

Clockwise from top left: Lunch on the side of the road / The host of one of the home stays / Tomas crosses yes another river /
Jane, Steve and Nick relax and watch the mountains
"I was going to try and run from the Afghan border to the
Kyrgyzstan / Chinese border in 7 days.”
Clockwise from top left: Caroline running strong / A house on the side of the road /
Danny and film maker zoe enjoys some time with the drivers, Assan and Iraj, and doctor, Mamadyour
"Slowly as we all relaxed things seemed to change. We realised that we
didn’t know best and that these drivers knew these roads back to front.”
The right turn was the one my heart
wanted to make but I turned left none the
less and stood on a pedal. The rest is
history. I made it to a school in Southern
India a few months later.
But Tajikistan was still nestled in my
heart. Life happens and like my closet,
things get piled on top of other each
other and soon those at the bottom
are forgotten, the same was true for
Tajikistan. Then I saw a film at a festival
which rekindled this passion and I
decided I had to go back. I’d got seriously
into running in the last 10 years and my
bike had taken a back seat. So I decided
to try and run it. I was going to try and run
from the Afghan border to the Kyrgyzstan
/ Chinese border in 7 days.
I’ve got used to popping ideas like this on
my social media with a statement: “Who
wants to join me?” It always surprises
me how many friends are willing to take
a step beyond the normal rational and
join me on quirky, sometimes dangerous,
sometime ridiculous ventures into the
unknown. I’d done it before running
across Iceland. This time 14 people said
they wanted to give it a bash and our
team was formed.
The cross-cultural influences mean
visiting the country comes with some
warnings. The proximity to Afghanistan
means that everyone I told asked if it
was safe to be so close to Afghanistan
and the Taliban. Adding to this there was
occasional news on the BBC stating that
Tajikistan was at war with Kyrgyzstan and
that that border was unsafe.
My previous travels told me that political
propaganda and paranoia were more
numerous than bad people in the world.
But I was nervous; shootings and kidnaps
were high in my mind.
Our trip from Dushambe (the capital of
Tajikistan) to our starting point, Rushan,
meant we were never more than 100
metres from the Afghan border, across
the Panj River. We saw Taliban on the
other side exactly as you see them in
the press, in a flat back truck with AK47s
on their shoulders. They didn’t seem
anywhere near as interested in us as we
were in them but our drivers stopped one
of our pals taking a picture just in case.
Our drivers were Komron, Iraj, Mischa,
Assan, the doctor Mamadyour, and our
cook Akram. When we first met we stood
in the hotel lobby unsure how to proceed.
They stood by their cars equally awkward.
There was a clear division between us as
we set off. They couldn’t speak English
and we couldn’t speak Russian or Pamir
or Tajik (the three languages they spoke).
As we set off it became clear that they were
free people who didn’t seem to understand
nor care what we wanted to do. They just
did what they wanted. It caused some
friction, some being an understatement.
Typically British, we complained behind
their backs, and it was clear they weren’t
too happy with us either. The whole concept
of running the route seemed bonkers to
them and the frustration of not getting from
point A to B in the quickest time (ie in their
cars) was unfathomable, they kept telling
the back runners to get in the car. But
obviously us runners we were determined
to make it every step of the way on foot.
Still, communication between the two
teams was negligible and tensions were
growing as our runners hadn’t quite been
supported as we’d hoped. Then we pulled
out our 3ft speaker we always take on
our adventures. I had my phone plugged
in with some motivating high tempo
music to inspire the runners but Mischa
had different ideas. He disconnected
my phone, plugged in his own and
let loose with some traditional Pamir
music. Suddenly the mood changed.
The 4 drivers and doctor started dancing
together, it was beautiful. As each of the
runners came through the checkpoint,
they stopped to dance with them, some
gracefully and some less so. Smiles were
shared, laughter erupted, and suddenly
the whole trips mood changed. We finally
connected, with dance and music.
Slowly as we all relaxed things seemed
to change. We realised that we didn’t
know best and that these drivers knew
these roads back to front. As the drivers
started to enjoy the slow pace of life that
our runners required, they’d stop the
cars whenever they saw a house and we
would all enjoy the company and food
of the local people, who would welcome
the runners to spend the night, enjoy
food with them and share a selfie. We
were made to feel welcome at every
turn, it was part of the culture of the
people it seemed. Wherever we went we
would receive kindness and gifts without
question.
Although the landscapes of towering
glaciers, mountains and lush green
valley’s made for Instagram-perfect
pictures, it was the people that they
talked about in an evening when we
shared bread and soup at homestays.
Mischa took charge of the sound system
from then onwards and at any opportunity
he’d have the speaker blaring and would
dance with anyone; farmer, shepherds,
anyone really. But the best parties were
when we got to small villages; the runners
would collapse exhausted and the drivers
took the speaker outside and the whole
village would descend for a party and
dancing. It was beautiful to watch and
occasionally we were dragged outside to
take part.
Hassan had a cheeky smile, (and also
suspected appendicitis enroute which
ended in a rural hospital - this story is for
another day. All you need to know is he
survived). He was a calming influence and
spokesperson for the drivers. He would
stand and give us motivation in Pamir. Then
there was Komron, the leader, calm and
calculated. Not a giant at just over 5 ft tall
but commanded the respect of one. Iraj
became my favourite driver. I was collecting
all sorts of souvenirs from the road. Horns
from dead sheep, old kettles, little stones.
Iraj would clear out his car each morning
and evening throwing these items as far
away as possible from his car. I would then
collect them and put them back for them
only to be thrown away 12 hours later.
Iraj was determined to learn some English
so we could communicate, - probably
to tell me not to bring the ‘souvenirs’
back into the van. We used the dirt and
dust that accumulated on the side of the
van to draw pictures of things and then
share the word in English and Pamir
respectively. Once we had the basics he
trusted us with ruder words, as long as
Komron wasn’t around to tell him off. Our
pronunciation made them laugh which
was all the encouragement I needed.
But one statement I perfected. Tajikistan
Bapesh. Meaning Tajikistan ‘Let’s Go’. It
became the chorus of the trip - and any
time anyone said it the drivers and the
doc, faces lit up.
The runners covered around 26 miles
(a full marathon) every day and if that
wasn’t enough a sickness swept through
the camp leaving us with exploding butts
and projectile vomit and debilitating fever.
The doctor, Mamadyor, came into his
own here. He would come out with his old
school medical bag and treat our sickness
as he had our blisters and sores, with
complete calm and care. It felt like your
mother was looking out for you.
Those without the sickness were dealing
with leaking tents, altitude sickness and
30//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//31

"We tend to
look up pictures
and highlights
of a country
before we go.
But time and
time again
it’s the people
that stay with
us when we
leave.”
Clockwise from above: Tom, Eddie and Jenny spread out on the road / Tom, Caroline and Andy hold the finish line banner at Karakul
Lake / Mark and Liz celebrate together / The drivers always had a smile for us runners / Caroline finishes her run across Tajikistan
the disgust of watching a goat being
slaughtered in front of us for our dinner
(surely we need to understand where
our dinner is coming from). A few got
lost in the mountains and returned
well after dark along with their sore
muscles, feet, backs, heads. But every
time there was an interaction with
the local people, those people weeks
before we’d been warned against, or a
laugh shared with the drivers who we
couldn’t communicate with before, it
made all the rest worthwhile.
We tend to look up pictures and
highlights of a country before we go
but time and time again it’s the people
that stay with us when we leave.
Especially in places like Tajikistan
where you hear warnings yet receive
treatment that is quite the opposite.
And with this trip, it’s the drivers
we remember most fondly; their
laughter, their kind body language in
the absence of words, their cooking,
their crazy driving but most of all
we remember their dancing and the
way they invited us to be part of their
culture for a few weeks.
We were close to the border and our
finish line. The drivers had done their
job, they’d managed to get us to the
end. I said to them “Thank you. It’s OK
now, you don’t have to come, we’re
finished, relax, have some tea”. Iraj,
with the basic English he had said,
“We come far together, we see the
end.” As they all stood in unison I had
to choke down a tear. We were no
longer drivers and runners. We were
no longer English or Pamir. We were
friends. We’re already planning to
come back next year to reignite this
friendship!
The runners all made it in one by
one, including one runner who’d just
had the all-clear after breast cancer
and another who didn’t know it yet
but would be diagnosed with breast
cancer on her return. Some people
had lost parents, we were all dealing
with our own stories. Each one
passed the finish line ribbon held by
the drivers who embraced them. We
embraced them back.
That night in our small homestay
you could hear the chink of vodka
glasses as we celebrated our
shared achievement and the cries of
“Tajikistan Bapesh!”
Instagram: @danny_bent
facebook.com/dannybent
www.dannybent.com
"The runners all
made it in one by one,
including one runner
who’d just had the all
clear after breast cancer,
another who didn’t
know it yet but would
be diagnosed with
breast cancer on her
return. People who had
lost parents. All dealing
with their own story. "
32//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//33

Rarotonga
COOK ISLANDS
x
Destination Rarotonga
Beauty, excitement and exploration
Photos courtesy of Cook Island Tourism
Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook
Islands, is a tropical paradise that
beckons adventure enthusiasts with its
stunning landscapes, vibrant culture,
and a myriad of thrilling activities.
From exploring lush jungles to diving
into the crystal-clear waters of the
Pacific, Rarotonga offers a perfect
blend of nature and adventure. In this
destination feature, we will outline
key adventure activities that make
Rarotonga a dream destination
for those seeking excitement and
exploration.
Snorkeling and Diving: Rarotonga
boasts some of the most pristine coral
reefs in the world. Grab your snorkel
or scuba gear and explore the vibrant
underwater world teeming with colorful
marine life. The marine reserves
around the island offer an opportunity to
swim with tropical fish, rays, and even
turtles. Dive enthusiasts can explore
underwater caves and discover the rich
biodiversity that thrives in the warm
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Hiking the interior
Round Island 4x4 tour
Snorkle with turtles
Love the fun locals
"Rarotonga offers a perfect
blend of nature and adventure”
Find your own tropical waterfall
waters of the Pacific.
Cross-Island Trek: Begin your adventure on Rarotonga with a
challenging yet rewarding trek across the island. The Cross-Island Trek
takes you through lush rainforests, up rugged mountain terrain, and down
to hidden waterfalls. This hike provides breathtaking panoramic views of
the island and a chance to witness the diverse flora and fauna that call
Rarotonga home.
Lagoon Cruise and Fishing: Embark on a lagoon cruise to discover the
hidden gems of Rarotonga's coastline. Many operators offer half-day or
full-day excursions, providing opportunities for snorkeling, swimming, and
even fishing. Join a fishing expedition to try your luck at catching the likes
of mahi-mahi or yellowfin tuna while enjoying the scenic beauty of the
surrounding ocean.
Kayaking and Paddleboarding: For a more leisurely adventure, take to
the serene lagoons on a kayak or paddleboard. The calm waters around
Rarotonga are perfect for these activities, allowing you to explore the
coastline at your own pace. Paddle through the Muri Lagoon, surrounded
by lush vegetation and small islets, and witness the vibrant marine life
beneath you.
Beachfront and garden Bungalows Onsite restaurant and bar
Rarotonga’s stunning southern coast Set on one of the best beaches on the island
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W W W . P A L M G R O V E . N E T

Friendly turtles, friendly locals and amazing sunsets
Quad Biking and Off-Roading: For those craving an adrenaline
rush, quad biking and off-roading adventures are readily
available on the island. Navigate through rugged terrains, tropical
plantations, and dirt trails while experiencing the thrill of offroad
exploration. Guided tours ensure you discover the hidden
corners of Rarotonga safely, with the added bonus of panoramic
viewpoints along the way.
Cultural Bike Tour: Combine adventure with cultural exploration
by joining a guided bike tour around the island. Pedal through
traditional villages, visit historical sites, and interact with
the friendly locals. Learn about the island's rich Polynesian
heritage and witness traditional dance performances, making
this adventure not only physically stimulating but also culturally
enriching.
Night Paddle with Bioluminescent Kayaking: Experience the
magic of Rarotonga's waters in a unique way by embarking on
a night paddle with bioluminescent kayaking. As darkness falls,
the water comes alive with bioluminescent organisms, creating a
mesmerizing glow around your kayak. This enchanting experience
provides a magical twist to your adventure and showcases the
natural wonders of the Cook Islands.
In conclusion, Rarotonga is a haven for adventure enthusiasts
seeking an immersive experience in a tropical paradise. Whether
you choose to explore the island by foot, dive into its vibrant
underwater world, or embark on a cultural bike tour, Rarotonga
promises a perfect blend of adrenaline-pumping activities
and natural beauty. Make your next vacation unforgettable by
embracing the spirit of adventure on this idyllic
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Inspirational read
Taking on the Kepler Challenge
60km at 60 years
Words by Nick Laurie
January 2023, and I am having a look
at my goals for the year. Looming over
the year is the fact that I will turn 60 in
December and I decide that I need to
do something really memorable- for my
50th I hand selected a group of mates
and we went to Fiji for the weekend in an
effort to recreate the Hangover movie.
Since then, a heart attack and a different
approach to alcohol meant that this
would be a different style of celebration.
I had one friend who was going to run
around Lake Pupuke with a few of his
mates until he had done 60 Kilometres.
I thought that something like that
would be how I would see in 60. I am
a Chiropractor and spend my days
encouraging people to get greater and
what could be more inspirational than
travelling down to the South Island and
attempt to tackle a 60k race over one
of New Zealand’s great walks. I had
recently run the track in a day and was
eager to see what it would be like racing
the course rather than stopping for lunch
and to take photos of the odd Weka.
I set up my calendar for events that I
would enter that would get me set up
and ready to race the Kepler Challenge.
This would be the best way for me
to chunk this big goal down so that
instead of being daunted by a massive
task I could just tick off race after race
that would have me ready. Each race
became a commitment, and I could just
focus on the short step ahead rather
than a 60k nightmare. I also needed
to learn how to transition myself from
predominately a road runner to a trail
guy. I stared watching You Tube videos
of ultra-running and tried to get as many
tips as I could.
The first step was to buy the gear. I
needed to get some hard wearing,
grippy, but comfortable trail shoes. If
you dare ask in a trail runners chat
group what shoes you should wear be
prepared for lots of advice. The shoe that
received the most recommendations was
the HOKA speed goat, closely followed
by a Solomon. I have always worn the
ASICs brand and chose their trail shoe
the Trabucco. The 3 key things that I
needed was a firm, grippy sole, fast
draining and a wide fit. The ASICs did
the trick.
I needed a pair of shorts that had heaps
of pockets to carry gels, drinking cup and
toilet paper. Nike have a great trail short
that suited me here. I also needed a vest
to carry water bottles, or a bladder and
the compulsory emergency gear. I had
a Camel Bak with plenty of pockets that
had a 2-litre bladder if I needed to go
long in my training..
I started to build up my road miles and
set up a consistent plan for my week.
Tuesday was a steady one hour run
bush or road, Thursday was either
hill repeats or 1k repeats, Saturday or
Sunday was a long slow run, trail or
road, and Monday was a 5k recovery
jog. I varied the quantities with the
Thursday and the weekend sessions
depending on what I needed to be ready
for or what I needed to recover from. I
did this consistently for the 11 months
leading up to the race.
The first race was the Coastal Challenge
which is a race on Auckland’s North
Shore beaches where you rock hop,
swim, beach run and a little 1k road
run to finish 33k of fun! My learnings
from this race were 1) Start slow and
finish slower, 2) Good trail shoes drain,
3) Don’t wear cotton socks and have a
nutrition plan.
I really did enjoy this race but it was my
first little introduction to a place called
the pain-cave that ultra-runners learn to
" I needed to learn how
to transition myself from
predominately a road
runner to a trail guy.
I stared watching You
Tube videos of ultrarunning
and tried to get
as many tips as I could."
deal with. I got to a point where I had a
real mental battle to just keep going and
not walk. I perfected the slow shuffle and
worked out ways to distract myself from
thoughts of giving up.
If I thought that I had mastered dealing
with the pain cave, then the next race
on my list took it to a whole new level.
I had been talked into entering a 21k
race called the Wild Kiwi which is part
of a multi-sport event held up near the
Whangarei heads. My learnings here
were that races can be lost on the
downhill, read the elevation - those
numbers predict pain and electrolytes
are needed once you push past the 2
hour mark.
This race involved 3 massive stair/hill
climbs and sharp descents. I should
have known something was up when the
guy that I was running with at the start,
who is an accomplished runner, said
that he expected to be out for 3 hours! I
thought that he must be wrong or that he
was going to have a nap or something.
At one stage I can remember getting
quite delirious and getting a piece of
tea-tree to use as a walking stick. I also
took a wrong turn and realised this when
confronted with a sheer cliff face, that I
know the masochistic race organisers
wouldn’t have wanted us hurtling to our
deaths.
Nick Laurie, all smiles at the start of the Kepler Challenge
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Smiles are replaced with grim determination
I had just spent a gruelling climb trying to
get well ahead of a guy that I wanted to
beat. My slight detour ate into these gains
as did my slow descent down the steps
trying to preserve my thighs. I powered
down some electrolyte drink at the last aid
station which started a crampathon as my
body cried out for more. Driving back to
Auckland with cramps was not enjoyable.
There was, however, a weird sense of
accomplishment and I was ready for the
next events on my schedule.
My plan over the winter months was to
enter the X-terra trail series and every 4
or 5 weeks, run their Super Long race.
The hard part of this plan was getting my
entries in on time because coming out of
the restricted racing over the last 2 years
the series kept selling out. I did manage
some of their events and when I did miss
an event I was sure to hit the local trails for
3-4 hour runs. I used this time to get my
fuelling right and find out what my stomach
would tolerate. I made a discovery here
that I could not handle any electrolyte
drinks that had sugar in them. I have the
sugary drink and crave more of a sugar
hit and get an inflamed knee and hip. This
was a valuable lesson that I did take to
race day. The You Tube videos had said
that the lessons that you learn during
training will really help and every run is a
learning experience.
The next phase of the plan was to start
going long, 4 hours plus on my weekend
runs, with 2 big events before the main
one. I prepped myself for the North Shore
Marathon and set a goal of finishing in
under 4 hours. The weekend before I ran
half of the course in 1h 53 so I was pretty
confident that I could get in under 4 hours.
This was supposed to be relatively easy
and I completed the first half as I had
trained with plenty of time to spare. I did
start to tie up a little as most of my running
was now off road and the pavement was a
bit tough on the legs.
"It was a frustrating
time running home
with people that I knew
tooting and waving as
they drove past - they
didn’t know that my
pained looking wave was
a cry for help!"
I would have nicely achieved the 4 hour
goal if it hadn’t been for an unscheduled
toilet stop (yes a shitcident). I didn’t
stomach a gel too well and it created a
chain reaction leading to my 4h 2 min
finishing time. To top things off I dropped
my car keys into the engine well and
couldn’t retrieve them so had to run
another 6 kilometres home. An accidental
Ultra. It was a frustrating time running
home with people that I knew tooting and
waving as they drove past - they didn’t
know that my pained looking wave was a
cry for help! The positives were that I had
learned to be careful with my fuel and that
I could run close to 50k.
Okay, so I had done all of my base work
and it was time to test it out at the Taupo
Ultra 50k. I got some advice from James
Kuegler, running coach extraordinaire, to
take it easy at the start and hold back at
least until the 30k mark.
I stood at the start line feeling frikken
awesome. I had never trained so hard for
an event and just wanted to unleash my
hard work on the course. I was too excited
and started with a fairly pacey group
following them along the single-track trails
that mostly descended into Kinloch. I got to
22k and still felt pretty good, but the pacey
downhill had taken its toll and I couldn’t
get my heartrate down. I got into Kinloch
for the aid station at halfway, gave Sarah
a sweaty kiss, and set out on the climbing
part of the course. It was hard to keep a
rhythm going due to the cycle trail table top
things and the going got a lot steeper.
At 30k I became pretty dejected as I felt
my 5 hour goal slipping away from my
grasp. The big lesson here was that I
shouldn’t have attached a time to feeling
good because this really got to me
mentally and I slowed to a walk when I still
feel that there was something in the tank.
I had also got the electrolyte side of things
wrong and had just added some salts to
my water. This didn’t work as I didn’t have
enough and my body started to break
down. At the 2nd to last aid station, I tried
eating chips peanut butter sandwiches
and even drank some flat coke. My legs
instantly cramped right up.
The 35k mark passed and the wheels
really fell off. I was feeling really
lightheaded and tried to figure out what
they would do if I had a heart attack. I even
had thoughts of throwing myself at a tree
or off a cliff. A 10-year-old boy who was
running the 24k with his Dad (impressive)
passed me about 5 times as I battled
with cramp. I sat on the side of the trail in
despair until a fellow runner came past and
offered me some pickle juice. This turned
out to be a panacea for the cramp and I
could resume a rhythm and put a stop to
the stream of runners passing me.
I flew past the 10-year-old and finished
in 6h 9 minutes. Only an hour 9 over my
goal. I finished 5th in my age group and
would have won the next age up if I was 8
weeks older. It was time to get in a couple
more long runs and then take all these
learnings to the start line of the Kepler
Challenge.
The next 2 big training sessions were
pretty epic efforts. My friend and fellow
Kepler competitor and I decide to ferry
over to Rangitoto Island and run around
until the last ferry came 6 hours later. This
proved a great way to test out my fuelling
strategy of an electrolyte capsule and a gel
every hour with 2 cliff bars for solid food.
We had a beautiful day, perhaps a little
sunny to circumnavigate Motutapu and
Rangitoto Islands.
The other test was to run keeping my heart
rate nice and low. I found that I could keep
going for hours if I stayed under 145 beats
per minute. This meant walking up steep
hills, which is very foreign to a road runner,
but it really did the trick. I planned to do
this in the first 20k of the Kepler so it was
good to try it out. We ran for 4 hours 45
and finished with a swim back at the wharf
much to the pleasure of a group of tourists
who wondered who these 2 madmen were.
"The other test was to run
keeping my heart rate nice
and low. I found that I could
keep going for hours if I
stayed under 145 beats per
minute. This meant walking
up steep hills, which is very
foreign to a road runner, but
it really did the trick."
The next weekend I set out on a challenge
that I had attempted to complete but never
finished over the last 2 summers. I had
the lofty goal of running 40 kilometres into
the city and then ubering home. The last 2
times the heat had got me and I had only
made it to halfway. This was a chance to
again practice the fuelling strategy and
also the pacing by heartrate.
My previous base work proved to be
adequate but I did have some knee issues
at about 35k that I put down to not being
used to concrete footpaths. I conquered
the beast and ran straight to McDonalds
for a cheeseburger and a large Fanta.
Kepler Challenge Runners treated to surprise outdoor supermarket aisle mid-race thanks to FreshChoice.
That was the nicest Fanta in my life! I was
feeling chuffed with myself and rested well
after that one. I went to a mate’s birthday
party that evening but could only last until
8:30pm.
I had made the decision from 6 weeks out
to not touch any alcohol, chocolate (that I
eat too much) and coffee until after the big
run. This gave me a bit more resolve, as
every time I abstained it reminded me of
the work and prep that I had done to get to
this point.
I was excited and started to get a bit
carried away with myself. I remember that
in the following weekend after my 40k city
run that I intended to run through a few of
the suburban trails on Auckland’s North
Shore and complete a 5 hour effort. My
body had other ideas.
We live in a hilly coastal suburb and at the
first hill I suddenly became lightheaded
and nearly fainted. I either needed rest or
needed to stop completely and abandon
the goal.
Given my past heart issues I thought that
this was it and I had over done it and
would need to retire. I throttled the training
right back paying attention to the Heart
Rate Variability stats on my Garmin. The
numbers told the story and as soon as I
got back into my normal range I was able
to run with some effort again. I decided
to do 2 more weekends with 2 hour runs,
which at this stage was easy and then just
do smaller runs to settle the nerves until
the big day. This got me to the start line
niggle free and fresh. I was set.
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Left: My long-term patient,Leslie was a great pacer knowing just to keep me distracted from my pain cave and keeping me going.
Middle: I have a video of me rounding the last corner and I remember at the time thinking that I was steaming along. The video tells a different story.
Right: A well earned hug from wife Sarah
Race day came with a 6am start. To get a
medal you must finish before the course
sweeper in under 12 hours. I got up at
4:30 and had a relatively normal breakfast
of cereal and a Frittata. I avoided Coffee
as it usually created some bowel action for
me that I didn’t want for the next 10 hours
or so. Sarah and Katie drove us to the
control gates at Te Anau for the nervous
start. I had intended to have a poo at the
last minute and then that should do me for
the day. Much to my horror there weren’t
a lot of porta loos and I had to nervously
queue thinking that I may have to start
late. The guy in front of me was prepared
and had extra paper which he shared
with me, otherwise it would have been a
horrific experience. I got to the line in time
and seeded myself in the 8-hour group.
The start seeding was important because
you were very quickly into single track
which meant that you were either in the
way or held up by other runners. I had my
plan; my pace and my fuelling all dialled
in. I didn’t make the Taupo error and head
off too fast, pacing myself perfectly on
the first flat 5k. The next 5k was straight
up and with my pacing strategy based on
heart rate I had to do a lot of fast walking.
At the 11k point we came up out of the
tree line and headed towards Luxmore
Hut and the 2nd aid station. The views
were out of this world, so much so that
there were many people stopping to take
photos. I remember the comment of a guy
who hadn’t been past the hut before that
“oh well that’s all the climbing done”. He
was so wrong.
The Luxmore aid station was where you
had to do a compulsory safety gear check
in before the alpine section. We had a
beautiful day but it did turn nasty for some
of the tailenders with some showers
coming through and a couple of people
suffering hypothermia. It was surreal
running along a ridge above the clouds.
The highlight of this aid station was the
shots of Tequila that were being offered. I
didn’t partake but a huge roar of ‘that’s the
spirit’ was heard whenever anyone did.
From Luxmore Hut we ran up along a
schist covered track to forest burn shelter
at 18k and some more sustenance. I had
decided to run with 1 litre of water in my
camel pak and take a cup of water and
perhaps a cliff bar at each aid station. I
took an electrolyte capsule and a gel every
hour. The volunteers at each of the aid
stations were bloody phenomenal dressing
up as nuns, nurses, road workers, cheer
leaders and elves (from memory).
After Forest Burn we were still mostly
climbing until the 22k mark and Hanging
Valley shelter. Then the steep descent
began and my undoing.
" I summoned my rugby
skills and dropped my
shoulder absorbing some of
the impact and narrowly
avoiding a small branch
going into my face. It hit
me just behind the ear. I lay
there for a minute, thinking
oh well at least I’ll get a
chopper ride."
At the 24k mark we headed down about
74 switchback corners. The going was
rooty or rocky and steep. My plan was to
unleash the beast on this bit as normally
I could downhill well. On about the 4th
corner my toe hit a root and I went straight
over face first into a sawn tree stump. It all
happened in such slow motion and I could
see that this wasn’t going to end well. I
summoned my rugby skills and dropped
my shoulder absorbing some of the impact
and narrowly avoiding a small branch
going into my face. It hit me just behind
the ear. I lay there for a minute, thinking
oh well at least I’ll get a chopper ride.
I stood up and took stock and once I got
over being winded I realised that I only had
a bit of a bruised head and a bit of blood
trickling down behind my rear. No chopper
for me. My confidence down, the remaining
4k of downhill was shot and I’m sure that at
this stage most of the field would have run
past me, checking that I was OK and telling
me how awesome I looked(liars). The best
sound that I have ever heard was a big bell
that one of the volunteers at Iris Burn was
ringing letting you know that the hellish
descent was over.
This was where the race now began. It
was a bush covered track that led out of
the valley to the Rocky Point shelter at
about 37k. This is where I mentally lost
it. Physically I was bruised in the head
but otherwise OK. Mentally I was beat. I
started to search for my why. Why am I
doing this? Who cares how fast that I go?
The sweeper is not going to catch me
even if I walk. So, I walked even on some
of the flats. I started to really chunk it
down to corners and trees ahead. I rallied
a little towards Iris Burn at 42k and had to
dig deep.
I had arranged for one of my long-term
patients, Lesley Turner Hall, who is a bit of
an icon in the trail running circuit, to meet
me at Rainbow Reach and pace/push/
distract me for the last 10 kilometres. This
is one reason why I had to keep going.
I had her and Sarah waiting for me, and
I didn’t want to let them down. From the
45k mark I gave myself a bit of a slap and
started to get the shuffle going.
I was pretty emotional reaching Rainbow
Reach and gave Sarah a kiss and a
hug and set off with Leslie for the last
10k. I managed to somewhat pull things
together by about the 55k mark and got
some faster shuffles together. I have a
video of me rounding the last corner and
I remember at the time thinking that I was
steaming along. The video tells a different
story. How could anyone move that slow
and call it running? Leslie was a great
pacer knowing just to keep me distracted
from my pain cave and keeping me going.
This was a great help.
The finish almost seemed an anticlimax.
9h16min and from that minute my brain
switched to what is next and how I can go
better. I was reminded by Sarah that not
many 60-year-olds can run 6k let alone
60k and to have some gratitude and live in
the moment. The after-race beer, dip in the
Lake and the nice hot bath were epic.
What an event!
BOBO.CO.NZ/SALEWA
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Tuvalu
SOUTH PACIFIC
x
Coral-Clinging
& Climate-Changing
In the Deep Blue Womb of Polynesia
Words and images by Michael H. Kew
Long voluptuous late-day shadows. Sputtery
motorbikes, cackly kids, idle unamused adults. There is
no hurry. Nothing pressing, nowhere to go. Unless they
work in a fusi (shop) or get handicrafty, most Tuvaluans
do little because there is little to do.
And yet Funafuti Atoll's main coral road is abustle.
We seek refreshment. In a tight black “Beautiful Since
1992” T-shirt, her hair yanked into a bulbous brown bun,
Katalaina is the young doe-eyed clerk at Tefota Mini-Mart.
Outside, crude art on the red-and-blue shipping container
hawks Tefota Liquor Express and its “amazing beer
garden.” A green taro leaf-shaped arrow points the way.
But the amazing place isn’t open.
Illegally (so she claims), Katalaina sells me a sixer of
Victoria Bitter. Daniel, Nico, and I each crack a can. Then
another. Seeing this, Katalaina demands we file into the
shaded area behind her fusi.
“Might we get arrested?” I ask.
She laughs. “Probably. The police here don’t have much
to do except arrest guys who are fighting or are drunk on
the street.”
“These are our first beers today. We’re not drunk.”
“Not yet,” Nico says beneath his sly Canuck smirk.
“Did you guys come to see our islands sinking?” she asks.
“Tuvalu is sinking?” I ask.
“Isn’t that why you came?”
“No,” Daniel interjects softly. He’s reading the label on his
beer can. “We’ve come to surf.”
“Surf?” Her brown eyes pop like beautiful flowers yawning
into the hot orange shimmer of late Sun.
“You mean standing on the waves?” She laughs again,
mockingly. “I have seen some guy with surfing gears and
heard about surfing in Tuvalu but have not actually seen
anybody surfing.”
Tuvalu is one of Earth’s least-visited countries,
pre-Covid receiving perhaps 2,000 tourists per
year. It is Earth’s fourth-smallest country—nine
atolls totalling less than 10 square miles of
land for 11,000 people, all of them fanned
across 500,000 square miles of brilliant blue.
Katalaina says foreigners come either because
“they want to see this place before it sinks into
the sea” or because they are mere “country
collectors”—people who aim to visit all 197
of Earth’s terrestrial nations. Other visitors
are aid workers, business consultants, and
government hacks. People rarely choose to
visit Tuvalu for a holiday, she claims. Why
would they? Resource-poor atolls have scant
world value per what ex-Prime Minister Toaripi
Lauti once declared, that “all Tuvalu has to
offer is Sun and a piece of the Pacific.”
Katalaina’s “amazing beer garden” is a pair of
scuffed green tables on gravel under a rusty
metal roof, all of it surrounded by a chain-link
fence topped with concertina wire. There’s a
warped plywood bar below a big flat-screen
showing an episode of Glee.
Katalaina looks weary. Since standing behind
the bar, her once-bright demeanor has
dimmed. She glares at us. We are drinking
more beer. Blathering. Intoxicating. Not
surfing. Way over there, on the opposite rib of
her galactic lagoon, the waves are bad. The
swell is too small. Rivers of wind. Always too
windy. The tide is too low. Always too low.
“We missed it by a few thousand years,”
Daniel says after another deep beer burp.
An intelligent observer of life and waves, his
face is flexed, his mind mossy. His brown
forearms rest on the table. Glee has lost
him. He’s staring at his green can. He’s
thinking about the weird left-hander he surfed
yesterday.
“You won’t,” I say, “unless you get into a boat with us and
go to the other side of your huge lagoon. May we please
buy another six-pack?”
Funafuti Atoll, 0.9 square mile of land amongst 60 million square miles of Pacific Ocean

Jones and Manos, early for happy hour.
For every surfer in the world who isn’t here, Daniel, can
you please describe this wave?
that carbon discharge from the world’s superpowers was
“a slow and insidious form of terrorism against us.”
"Okay." Clears his throat. "Three barrels and three turns on
a quick, punchy, warmwater left only to be discombobulated
in the end by wind chop and coral heads. When the reef
wasn’t quite as high, we could’ve surfed that spot on all
tides. It could’ve been one of the funnest lefts ever when
Funafuti was still a sinking volcano.”
Sinking. That word again. Twelve thousand feet from the
ocean floor, Funafuti is the coralline rim of an oblique
conical submarine volcano. In the 1990s Tuvaluan leaders
assured the world that, due to climate change, within a
few decades Tuvalu would vanish—an actual Atlantis. In
2001 I bought a heartbreakingly gorgeous Lonely Planet
photo book titled Time & Tide that dealt exclusively with
climate change and its future ills for the atolls.
In 2002 Tuvaluan leaders threatened to sue the First
World for its high emissions of carbon dioxide, methane,
chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrous oxide that in the past 60
or so years combined to heat Earth’s atmosphere (the
“greenhouse effect”) which then caused poles to melt and
oceans to rise, which presumably will swamp low landforms
like atolls. (Since the second Industrial Revolution,
anthropogenic activity has increased Earth’s atmospheric
carbon dioxide concentration by more than a third.)
Among media coverage worldwide, Outside’s Mark
Levine, in a long 2002 piece titled “Tuvalu Toodle-oo,”
pointedly blamed his own readers:
“The serene South Pacific archipelago of Tuvalu wants
the world to know it will soon be the first nation to sink
beneath the rising waters of global warming—an early
warning of biblical inundations to come. And guess
what? It’s your fault.”
Today there are scientists who feel Tuvalu’s leaders are
opportunists exploiting a possibly fact-skewed reality and
insisting that their people flee Tuvalu for, ironically, the
West's pollutive ways. Prime Minister Saufatu Sapo’aga
reaffirmed Levine’s premise, telling the United Nations
Certainly no climate change-denier, Kennedy Warne is
the co-founder of New Zealand Geographic, where he
published “Tuvalu Rising.” Based on comprehensive
scientific input, this March 2018 piece shocked me and
debunked Sapo’aga and Levine and the “dozens, if not
hundreds, of similar stories, broadcasts, films, and books
(that) have appeared since then, almost all with doomladen
titles and headlines”:
Perhaps the most damaging effect of the drowningislands
rhetoric is that it has conditioned atoll islanders
to think of themselves as climate victims doomed to
lose their islands to rising seas, and, in the worst-case
scenario, to become stateless refugees. Recognition
that their land will not disappear gives island dwellers
hope and incentive to draw on their traditional traits
of resilience, adaptability, and skill in continuing to
inhabit the islands they call home. It should also
motivate governments and aid agencies to focus less
on engineering interventions and more on a strategic
approach to multi-atoll development.
Warne’s words were buttressed by information in
February 2018’s edition of Nature Communications,
a peer-reviewed bimonthly scientific journal. At the
University of Auckland, with colleagues in Fiji and
Australia, coastal geomorphologists Susan Owen,
Paul Kench, and Murray Ford optimistically asserted
that Tuvalu was perhaps not so ill-fated. “The common
narrative is that these atolls are ‘sinking,’” Ford told me
by email. “They are not sinking. As sea levels rise, the
atolls may drown if they sit there passively as if they
were in a bathtub. But they’re not. There is more land in
Tuvalu now than there was in the mid-20th century.”
Citing data gleaned since 1971, when such surveys
began, Warne noted the South Pacific’s rise annually
averaged 3.90±0.4 millimeters, twice the global mean,
likely due to Antarctic adjacency. However, despite
an amassed sea-level rise of about 15 centimeters
(six inches), specific analyses of Tuvalu revealed the
Funafuti faces
Jones at a virgin reef pass far from the maddening crowd.
place wasn’t sinking nor shrinking. Perhaps counterintuitively to us,
Tuvalu was growing—by 183 acres, to be exact. “The islands are able to
increase in size because they are composed of the broken-up remains
of coral and other organisms that secrete calcium carbonate (e.g. shells,
foraminifera),” Kench told me, also by email. “As long as the reef is
producing sediment, waves can transport it to an island. In the case of
Tuvalu, major storm events rip up coral, etc., and dump it on the atolls.”
With data from aerial photos compiled in that four-decade timeframe, the
UofA trio measured the shorelines across 19,403 transects of Tuvalu’s
mostly-undeveloped islands and islets. (“Undeveloped” meant lack of
concrete. Natural oceanic landforms were naturally dynamic, over time
shifting with natural winds, currents, and swells. And, yes, rises in sea
level.) All of Tuvalu’s landforms showed slight change. Most had grown;
one had more than doubled in size.
48//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//49

“The hard limestone structure built by corals over
thousands to millions of years doesn’t really change
over these short timeframes,” Ford said. “On top of that
foundation is the living reef which always wants to grow to
sea level—lowest tide level, actually—so it may keep up
with sea-level rise providing that the reef remains healthy,
which remains a significant unknown. Atop it all are the
atolls. These have been built by the breakdown of the reef
and the reef organisms in the last 3,000 years.”
Shrinkage was most pronounced on the sand cays along
Tuvalu’s leeward coast which on Funafuti is where we
found surf. One cay had recently vanished. Expansion
was greatest in the medium-to-large-sized islets along
the atolls’ windward edge where storm surges, high tides,
and constant wave action had heaved sediment onto reef
platforms. This, the scientists believed, has and will offset
erosion perhaps indefinitely. “In the coming decades we
expect there to be a small increase in water depths across
the reef,” Kench said. “This will increase shoreline wave
height, which can deliver material to island surfaces. We
expect islands to change in size and position on reef
surfaces and to also maintain their size due to sediment
delivery. Problems may arise if reefs start to become less
productive and new sediment is not generated.”
“There may be a difference in the water depth over the
reef in the next 20 years,” Ford said. “Depending on the
particular scenario we’re looking at, a 20-centimeterhigher
sea level (is possible by) 2040. A healthy reef may
respond by growing vertically, potentially offsetting some
of this sea-level rise. If the reef dies, there’s unlikely to
be any vertical reef growth to offset sea-level rise. In fact,
some of the reef structure may be broken down.”
Might this improve the waves? Should surfers care?
Are you going to Tuvalu?
In September 2019, just after Funafuti’s election, Karima
Bennouneis, the non-surfing UN Special Rapporteur in
the field of cultural rights, visited Tuvalu “to learn how
Tuvalu’s new government would combat discrimination.
I will also assess policies designed to mitigate the grave
threat climate change poses to the culture and cultural
heritage of Tuvalu, and how culture is and can be used to
respond to the existential challenges resulting from climate
change.”
Overall climate change is most certainly real, yes, as real
as Tuvalu’s rickety reefs. Only a fool would deny either.
It’s all in our faces. Back here on Funafuti’s windward
side, Nico’s is Sun-red. He’s just downed another beer.
Nibbling her fingernails, Katalaina watches us. Perhaps
she is pondering climate change and is hoping we too will
disappear.
Another six-pack?
Yesterday Nico duckdove onto a large coral head,
fracturing the pointed nose of his skinny thruster. He was
pushed back then dry-docked, where he stood bravely
before a loud wall of white. An irksome session with few
moments of zen. Rogue side-wedges from the north were
a hazard and hassle.
My right palm is cold and wet from another can of Victoria
Bitter. My mouth tastes metallic. VB reminds me of Pabst
Blue Ribbon. I begin to think VB is not great. Nico likes it. I
ask him to recap his Tuvalu surf experience.
“Bit of a mindfuck. But with deeper reefs and better swell
exposure, this place might be heaven.”
Heaven?
We leave tomorrow.
@michael.kew | www.michaelkew.com
North Atlantic meets South Pacific. Manos eyes a foreign waterfall.
50//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 Plucked from Rainbownesia, available ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//51
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• Track transfers
• Coffee and cake on arrival at
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• 2 nights in comfortable chalet
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• All meals (Day 1 dinner & dessert,
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• Use of On the Track Lodge kayaks
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boots are recommended and some of the streams are not bridged.
• Start from Havelock and take a shuttle to historic Kaiuma Bay, (4-5 hours).
• Dine then stay at On the Track Lodge in a comfortable chalet
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• The next day complete the rest of the tramp (carrying your freshly
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Vangirl Life
Interview with Lydia Lumina
Instagram connects a lot of people of like mind. Over
the last year, we have been keeping an eye on Lydia at
@lydialumina. She broke the mould to create her own
van fit-out and started her van life travels – we caught
up with her and asked a few questions.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m Lydia, 27 years old, born and raised in the east of
Germany. I studied interior design, and currently, I’m
working as a social media manager. Since March 2023,
I have lived full-time in my van "Herbie", which I bought
in July 2020. In the beginning, I used him just for short
trips during summer, and later, I converted him into a
fully equipped campervan, and now he has become my
home.
What motivated you to consider building her own
campervan?
I always loved to travel. After a few years of
backpacking, hitchhiking, hostels, and couch surfing I
realized I miss having privacy and a space for myself
during traveling. So, the idea of a campervan was born.
A room with a view
Do you have a passion for DIY projects and handson
construction?
Yes, I love to do things myself with my hands.
Especially when I think it’s too difficult to do it. I like the
challenge. It’s also one reason why I chose to study
interior design, it’s a really hands-on kind of study with
a lot of building involved. And even as a child, I built
caves out of branches in the forest.
Is cost savings a significant factor in your decision
to build your own campervan?
It was a significant factor because when I bought the
van I was still a student and didn’t have much money at
that time.
Did you want a customised living space that suits
your unique preferences?
Yes. For me, it was important to have space in my van
so that I didn’t feel narrow. I can stand upright and there
is even space on the floor for a little dance.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//53

EXPLORE
THE MIGHTY
WAIKATO
Would you make another van?
Right now I’m really happy with my van Herbie.
But I can imagine myself in the future building
another van. Also because I really enjoy the
building process.
If so what changes would you make?
If I would get another van I think I would buy a
van with four wheel drive so I would have even
more freedom to go more hidden places.
" For me, it was important to have space in my van so
that I didn’t feel narrow. I can stand upright and there
is even space on the floor for a little dance."
Did you want to have more control over
the materials and components used in
the conversion?
Totally! I love wood and from the
beginning I knew I want to use it for the
main part of my campervan. It radiates
so much warmth and brings cosiness. I’m
not fond of these classic motorhomes with
plastic cladding at all.
Was the campervan construction
process a steep learning curve – did
you get help?
I learned a lot during the building process.
I did everything myself except some
welding work that had to be done on the
car body, which my father helped me
with. For everything else, I got help from
the internet. I watched a lot of YouTube
videos and read a lot about how to build a
campervan. The electricity was the part I
was most nervous about because I didn’t
really have much knowledge about it. But
even after a lot of research, it wasn’t a
problem to do it myself. And I’m really glad
I did it myself because now if something
breaks during traveling, I can repair it
myself.
Where you drawn to the idea of a
minimalist and simplified lifestyle on
the road?
I try to live as sustainable as possible and
minimalism is part of it. And it actually
feels like freedom to me to own little.
That’s one thing I really appreciate about
vanlife. I don't have the opportunity to buy
unnecessary things because I don't have
space for them. So I always think twice
before buying something and it also saves
a lot of money.
Where you inspired by stories or
experiences of others who have
successfully built their campervans?
Yes I was totally influenced. Since years
I follow a lot of vanlife accounts on
Instagram and YouTube.
What was the hardest task?
I would say the hardest part was to
start the build and to overcome my own
insecurity and fear of failure. But once I
started there was no turning back.
Also one of the first steps was to cut holes
in the vehicle for the windows. That was
for sure one of the scariest parts.
Any advice for anyone thinking about build
their own van?
If you want to build your own van. I would
recommend renting a campervan for a few
weeks and travelling with it. That will give you
an idea of what is really important to you. For
example, if you need a shower in the van or an
extra room for the toilet.
How can people follow your adventures?
I share some impressions of my daily life on my
Instagram account @lydialumina.
" I can choose where I want to live and change it whenever I want. I can stay directly
at the beach and fall asleep with the sound of the ocean waves or live somewhere in the
mountains with the nicest views."
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Is there a particular design aesthetic or
style you envision for your campervan?
When I started I definitely had a mood
board in my head how I wanted the van
to look like. I like natural design. That's
why I mainly worked with unpainted wood.
There are a few dark green accents and I
covered the door frames of my cupboards
with jute fabric. And all the little details like
sink, door handles and the faucets are
all black, it was important to me (and my
inner interior designer) that they all match.
So it ended up being a clean looking
matching design with the coziness of a
wooden hut.
Where have you been in the last 12
months?
I’ve been to Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Czech Republic, Italy,
France, and Belgium. But the most time I
spend in Spain and the Canary Islands.
What has our own mobile home meant
in terms of getting places that maybe
others can’t?
It gives a lot of freedom. I can choose
where I want to live and change it
whenever I want. I can stay directly at the
beach and fall asleep with the sound of
the ocean waves or live somewhere in the
mountains with the nicest views.
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Glenorchy
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Tramping in Glenorchy
Where adventure trumps tourist thrills
Words and photos by Eric Skilling
“Tramping! Why?”
“If you have to ask, you’ll never know” – the perfect response from George
Mallory, the famous mountaineer. Personally, apart from the obvious physical
challenges and unique scenery, tramping offers the unexpected, and there is no
better way to strengthen friendships than shared adventures in the wilderness.
There is a time and a place for tourist-type thrills, but nothing beats spending
time away from the distractions of cars, cafes, and credit cards to appreciate
adventure.
New Zealand is blessed with many stunning and diverse national parks to
explore and enjoy – from the intimidating active volcanoes of Tongariro to the
rugged peaks and glaciers of Mt Aspiring. From the dense podocarp forests of
Whirinaki, to the tranquillity of the moss-laden Beech forests of the Old Ghost
Road. All these are just a fraction of places available to explore.
Nowhere illustrates the richness of a tramping adventure as opposed to a
tourist thrill than in the South Otago region of the South Island. Arguably
Queenstown, the self-proclaimed “adventure capital” is really an “activities
capital” compared to what is on offer an hour or so west around Glenorchy.
56//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 View of Mt Earnslaw from Glenorchy walkway
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//57

equip
yourself!
Kate and Tanya returning from the Dart Glacier
Queenstown – thrills in a stunning
setting: Unquestionably, Queenstown
deserves its reputation for jaw-dropping
scenery. Just flying into Queenstown
Airport is a buzz. Descending out of a
cloudless blue sky into a vast glacial
valley, the plane cruises close to the
hills – near enough to spot the ski lifts
on Coronet Peak. After landing, your first
sight on exiting the sliding doors from the
baggage claim area is the rugged peaks of
the aptly named Remarkable range (even
though they were named “Remarkable”
for other reasons). Then travel to your
hotel alongside the sparkling blue waters
of Lake Whakatipu, with Cecil Peak
dominating the skyline ahead. You will be
impressed.
Activities in and around Queenstown are
measured in seconds, mostly minutes and
occasionally, hours. It involves queuing
- lots of queuing. You get to climb into
clothing previously donned by another
planeload the previous week. Then endure
a health-and-safety briefing that is often
significantly longer than the “adventure”
itself. And be prepared to part with enough
cash to make Black Friday splurges look
like you took a visit to an op shop.
Environmentally, consumption of fossil
fuels is counted in litres per minute, and
there is no need to bother with the decimal
place.
Do not get me wrong, reflecting on
days spent jetboating, bungee jumping,
paragliding, and riding the gondola brings
back warm memories. Enjoying the
company of friends and loved ones on
a graded e-bike track wider than a golf
cart, stopping off at 5-star cafés to enjoy
excellent coffee and sticky buns is a terrific
way to chill out over a few days. Relaxing
at a vineyard with a glass of fine wine
glinting in the sun is the perfect way to wile
away a warm summer afternoon. Finish
off the day dining on free range chicken
breast, with miso beurre blanc, zucchini
and pickled ginger, washed down with a
fine glass of local pinot.
Undeniably relaxing, memorable, and
sometimes thrilling. But these activities
can never qualify as an adventure.
Glenorchy – gateway to adventur:
Travel west for about an hour or so
and enter another world. Once around
Mt Creighton the full expanse of the
Whakatipu valley opens before you. The
rugged, rocky peaks of the Humbolt and
Thomson Ranges stand like a barrier
on the other side of the lake. A narrow
gap marks the entrance to Greenstone
Track, daring you to enter a world of
isolated valleys, steep climbs, and sudden,
dramatic changes in the weather.
Your stomach begins to tingle, and chest
tighten – you ask yourself “am I prepared
for this?”
Closer to Glenorchy the jagged summits of
the Forbes Mountains begin to dominate
the horizon ahead. These towering peaks
make the ranges on either side of the lake
look less impressive. Soaring above them
all, the glacier covered Mount Earnslaw
lowers the Remarkables to the undercard.
Glenorchy itself seems to materialise
alongside the highway, looking fragile
and slightly out of place amongst the
imposing landscape. Unlike its neighbour
back up the road, the town seems to be
deliberately understated out of respect
for the grandeur of the setting. Boasting a
few cafés, a hotel with a popular garden
bar and restaurant, and other small
businesses, the locals have managed to
retain the “frontier town” feel. Nature is
acknowledged as the boss in this region.
It is critical to carry tasty, high calorie food, that is also easy to prepare
Firstly, after arriving, head for the Glenorchy Walkway. This little gem is the perfect
way to let loose the blanket of commercialism that was wrapped around you in
Queenstown. Within a few minutes of leaving the entranceway is a small lake
offering a magnificent view of 2830 metre high Mount Earnslaw, site of the famous
Earnslaw Burn. Spectacular day walks abound nearby - Glacier Burn, Lake Rere,
or the Judah Track to the historic Jean Hut - accessible to most fitness levels. But
there are other more intrepid options beckoning.
A short distance away lie the entrances to Dart and Rees River valleys and the
inimitable Routeburn track, possibly some of the most stunning scenery imagined.
Beautifully clear water cascades out of glaciers, makes its way down waterfalls
and rapids, to flow more sedately through the more gently sloping valley floors.
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58//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242

"Adventure
demands the right
gear, experience,
and humility.
Choices made in
the weeks leading
up to venturing
into these areas
will determine
whether the journey
is one of pleasant
memories, or pain
and discomfort".
Celebrating close to Dart Hut, Mount Edward in the background
Imposing mountains stand over grassy
valleys, steep and high enough to rob you
of any sunrise or sunset shots. Follow
the tracks through forests of podocarps,
beech, then emerge onto alpine
shrublands, negotiate scree covered faces
to summits with views into tomorrow.
Be amazed at the grandeur of glaciers,
untidily littered with the debris from iceshattered
rock.
Imagine standing in a huge U-shaped
valley deep in the Southern Alps on a
hot, sun-filled day, dripping with sweat
despite the higher altitude and a gentle
breeze. Imagine dropping your pack,
crouching, and dipping a water bottle
into the clear, icy-cold waters of a noisy
mountain stream. Then imagine leaning
back and feeling the shock as the recently
melted glacial waters hit your throat
and slide down inside your chest. This
was ours to appreciate on the approach
to Rees Saddle - one of the sweetest,
most refreshing drinks anywhere. The
sheer simplicity makes it infinitely more
memorable than anything produced in a
vat – well okay, almost anything produced
in a vat.
Close encounters with curious kea and
other native birds makes distractions like
aching muscles go away. Witnessing
these original inhabitants thriving deep in
these mountains leaves you with a warm
feeling of hope for the future. Let us face
it, a sparrow landing on the edge of the
Shotover River as you step into a jetboat
does not compare.
Pitch a tent near a cascading stream,
share an evening meal and a coffee with
friends, then slide into a sleeping bag
and doze off to the sound of the flowing
water and occasional call of a morepork.
Priceless.
Most importantly, in my experience, the
company of others enhances the fun
and satisfaction of tramping. Reaching
personal goals in these wild places is
rewarding, even more so when those
around you are achieving theirs at the
same time.
Arriving versus preparing: Activities
require you to turn up – with nothing but
a wallet and, a hat perhaps. Adventure
demands more. This land is unforgiving
on the unprepared. A health-and-safety
briefing before you set off from the car
park is about as useful as an ash tray on
a mountain bike. You will be found out if
you arrive unfit. There is no uncoupling
of a bungee, stepping off the bridge and
walking back to the café. A safe, enjoyable
trip is a function of the work done in the
days, weeks, and months before.
Adventure demands the right gear,
experience, and humility. Choices made
in the weeks leading up to venturing into
these areas will determine whether the
journey is one of pleasant memories, or
pain and discomfort. Snow can fall in the
middle of summer. Decisions about where
and, more importantly, when to cross
rivers need to be made.
The wilderness is a great equaliser. Your
job, which sort of vehicle you drive, and
where you live does not matter. You could
even be an Australian. Every adventurer
has, to varying degrees, found themselves
dependent on the resourcefulness of
others, and sometimes others will call on
you for help.
Photographs of someone hanging upside
down on a bungee does not have the
impact of a tramper taking in a sunrise
across a line of ragged, mountain peaks
standing silently over valleys hidden under
a carpet of morning cloud. A Facebook
post of an over-priced burger hardly
compares to the sight of a tiny orange tent
pitched on an expansive tussock-covered
ridge, alongside a tarn reflecting the
sunset.
And it has to be good for you. It is what us
homo-sapiens evolved to do.
I choose to use Jetboil, Backcountry, and
Macpac products.
60//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//61

Fishing
The Sound of Summer
That never-ending crescendo of crickets on acid…
We call them Cicadas.
Words by Steve Dickinson
Fishing in the Taupo region is harder in summer, the
fish are more resident, the water is clearer but there
is an upsurge in browns and bigger rainbows, plus a
plethora of small rainbows, and when the cicada sing
you know it’s going to be fun.
Those harmless little bugs that have sticky feet that freak everyone out
when they land on you, the noisy wee bugs you used to hold by the wings
and chase girls at school with, well those are like a McDonald’s Big Mac with
extra cheese to the hungry summer trout.
The cicada is a generic term for an insect that has over 3,000 varieties
around the world. In New Zealand, we boast 42 unique species and
subspecies (and I thought there was just one!).
Real or not?
These bugs have prominent eyes set wide apart, short stubby antennae, and
membranous front wings. They have an exceptionally loud song, produced
by the rapid buckling and unbuckling of drum-like tymbals (which is the
corrugated exoskeletal structure in case you didn’t know). They typically live
in trees, feeding on watery sap, and lay their eggs in a split in the bark.
Though these cicadas' life cycles can vary from 1–9, or more years as
underground nymphs, they emerge above ground as adults and last only a
few months.
Recently on a trip to the Tauranga-Taupo (the mighty T.T.), I decided to
keep one trout for dinner, which I had caught on a nymph. On opening him
up I noticed in the gut cavity some hard lumps. On closer examination, he
was full of digested and half digest cicadas, so I started to ask around what
patterns and set-up worked best in the region. The more I looked into it the
more diverse the setups seem to be.
To be honest, I have carried a few cicada patterns and
even when the sound of cicada has been deafening,
the few times I have tried, I had no success. Then
one day, as the sun beat down, I could see a big old
trout slowly swimming side to side in the shallows
under an overhanging willow. Occasionally there
was a loud plop as something was engulfed from the
water surface. Not really with any idea, I pulled off my
nymph set up and fired the cicada pattern across the
water, I had not even taken my indicator off. Straining
to see in the glare of the water, the trout rose to the
surface and engulfed the black cicada pattern. I
didn’t even need to strike, he was well hooked and
came quickly to the shore. That was my first cicada
experience, since then, like that big old trout, I have
been hooked!
You will find many cicada patterns/flies in tackle
shops. It is always advisable to carry one or two.
As Norman Marsh wrote in his book, 'Trout Stream
Insects in New Zealand', “May the backcountry angler
tread in peril of fishless days who does not include
in his repertoire of trout flies one that at least looks
something like a cicada.”
Cicada patterns come in numerous different shapes,
colours, sizes and materials, from full deer hair to
completely plastic. They can be found around all
types of water, from small spring streams and grassed
edged streams, to large, bush-lined rivers. Basically
anywhere there is a place to secure and drop their
exoskeleton and call to their lady love they will be
there.
Smaller, shallower rivers are best fished by line of
sight, see the trout, and fish downwind if possible.
Even if they seem not to be feeding, the offer of a
juicy cicada can often wake up a dozing trout. In
larger deeper rivers you need to gauge the water and
look to where the trout would or should be feeding,
blind fishing can be successful but you need to be
able to read the water.
Cicada snack!
62//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//63

Image courtesy Matt Butler Kea Outdoors - keaoutdoors.com
"There is an overwhelming feeling of excitement when the seemingly quiet drifting
cicada gets smashed from below, like a marlin hitting the lures."
Casting cicada patterns to the edge of the main current,
especially alongside the edge of pools where the water has
stilled or reticulated, trout here will tend to be deeper in the less
turbulent water and will hit the surface before the cicada drifts
off again in the faster current.
There is an overwhelming feeling of excitement when the
seemingly quiet drifting cicada gets smashed from below, like a
marlin hitting the lures (but on a smaller scale).
Cicada fishing has a lot of variables apart from just the pattern
and colour of the dry fly. Asking around the general consensus
seems to be, the longer the leader the less impact on the
drift it's going to have. Normally with a larger dry fly, I keep
my leader about a length and a half off my rod. But if you are
setting up a dropper rig with the cicada as the indicator, I’ll take
at least a metre off that leader and then have either one or two
nymphs below that, the length of tippet depending on the water
depth and flow.
I have found casting downwind where possible helps the drift.
It’s not a big issue should the cicada plop on landing as they
will naturally. However, if you want to avoid that, a simple
solution is to raise the rod top upwards as the fly is about to
land, and it will settle a lot softer.
When choosing a cicada pattern, ask around at your local store
to what has been working and be prepared to change things
up during the day. One thing to bear in mind is sight, cicada
patterns can be hard to see but many have a white or yellow
post on the back which stands out and helps the visuals.
The real deal
Each year, not on a set date but when the weather and the
date are just right, the mating call of the cicada rings out
and to trout fisherman everywhere that is music.
Cicada fishing is unique, at a time when trout are a little
harder to hit, in that crystal clear water there is simply
nothing like the sight and flash of colour as your cicada
disappears with a splash from sight. Once you have had
one success you will be just like that big old hungry trout,
you will be hooked.
64//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242

x
Sun Peaks
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Sun Peaks
BC, Canada
Canada's second largest
ski area
Canada’s Second Largest Ski Area
Sun Peaks is a resort community in the heart of British
Columbia, easily accessible on a short connecting
flight from Vancouver and boasts the second-largest
ski area in Canada. It’s consistently recognized as
one of the top resorts in North America with its 4,270
acres of skiable terrain spread across three peaks that
are all accessible from the village. Runs range from a
variety of steep and deep double black diamonds to
long and cruisy greens. Sun Peaks receives 6 metres
of snow annually, and the mountains become covered
with light, dry powder that is famous to the interior of
BC. Choose from one of 13 lifts and 139 trails that
reaches a total elevation of 2,080m to set your skis or
board on while enjoying some of the 2,000 hours of
sunshine received annually.
New West Bowl Express Chairlift
Sun Peaks is pleased to announce that a brand-new,
high speed detachable quad chairlift will open in the
alpine for the 2024-25 winter season. As the name
suggests, the West Bowl Express will be located
in the West Bowl area of Mt. Tod. The new quad
chairlift will provide enhanced access to this popular
area of the resort known for quality snow and scenic
vistas. This announcement follows other substantial
improvements to the mountain product in recent
years, highlighted by the brand-new Orient chairlift,
the Crystal chairlift replacement, and last year's
hugely successful expansion of lift-accessed mountain
biking via the Sundance Express in summer. With a
planned opening date of November 2024, the West
Bowl Express will be the third new chairlift to open in
Sun Peaks in a six-year period.
How to get here - Sun Peaks is located in BC's
interior 45-minutes northeast of Kamloops, BC. There
are many ways to get to the ski resort, whether you're
travelling by car or flying in. By air, Sun Peaks is
a 45-minute drive from the Kamloops Airport, with
direct flights from major cities such as Vancouver and
Calgary. Shuttles to Sun Peaks are available from the
Kamloops Airport.
66//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//67

"Sun Peaks is consistently recognized
as one of the top resorts in North
America with its 4,270 acres of skiable
terrain spread across three peaks that
are all accessible from the village."
Ski-Through Village
The European-style ski-in/ski-out village is filled with 45 locallyowned
and operated shops, restaurants, cafes, lodging and
more. Shop for ski gear or browse boutique shops for apparel,
locally-crafted jewellery, souvenirs and mementos, local artwork
and even something for the kids. Wander or ski through the
pedestrian-only walkway and take it all in.
Short Lift Lines
We’ve all been there before: waiting ages in a lift line while
dreaming of being on the slopes. Sun Peaks is known for
having short lift lines, so you can spend more of your day
shredding, and less of your day standing in line.
Places to Stay
Whether you’re visiting on a solo adventure, with the whole
family, or a gaggle of friends, Sun Peaks has accommodations
that are right for you. Choose from an array of over 1100 units
including hotels, lodges, condos, townhomes, chalets, and
suites. From luxurious, full-service hotels, to affordable, cozy
townhouses, easily find the right place to rest your head.
Where to eat
From sushi to schnitzel, bison burgers to grilled salmon, and
homemade fudge to fresh baked goods—your taste buds will
be pleasantly surprised at every turn. Whether you’re looking
for something vegan friendly at Vertical Cafe, to seal off your
day or a perfectly grilled, 100% Canadian steak at Sun Peaks
Steakhouse, you’ll find a place to unwind and enjoy a delicious
meal made with fresh, local ingredients. If you want to plan an
at home dinner at your accommodation but don't want to cook,
pre-order a meal from Ohana’s Deli & Market that sources
locally made products.
Winter Activities
While Sun Peaks is recognized as a resort and for its
unparalleled downhill skiing and snowboarding, it’s also a
home to 1,500+ permanent residents. Aiming to make their
mountain home as accessible as they can for guests every
season, there is an array of activities to enjoy if you’re looking
to expand beyond the slopes. Glide along pristine, snow-covers
trails among lodgepole pine trees during a dog sled tour, bring
home a fresh rainbow trout after a day of guided ice fishing,
or explore the endless wild of a moonlit Sun Peaks during our
Moonlight Snowshoe & S’mores Tour.
68//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242

CHASE
YOUR
DREAMS.
Dogsledding - something that should be on everyone's bucket list.
Five Activities you can’t miss out on;
Tube Time, Sun Peaks infamous lift access tube park is a beloved activity among visitors and residents. With its
curvy lanes, Tube Time offers a unique tubing experience.
AND YOUR
FRIENDS.
Axe Throwing Visit Cleavage Axe Co to experience this thrilling activity. Perfect for individuals or groups and no
experience is necessary. You will be with an axe coach who will teach you the basics before getting you into some
friendly competition. Options available for all ages.
Alpine Fondue and Starlight Descent, This activity, which is worthy of being on everyone’s bucket list, gives you
a glimpse of the mountain at night. You’ll take an exclusive twilight ride up the Sunburst chairlift for a three-course,
Swiss-style fondue dinner and dessert, followed by a moonlight descent down the freshly groomed 5 Mile run with
a guide.
Ice Fishing, Take a break from the slopes and try your hand at catching a wild rainbow trout at one of the many
lakes surrounding Sun Peaks. Your guide will pick you up from your accommodation and take you out for a truly
unique Canadian experience.
Dog Sledding, A tour with Mountain Man Dog Sled Adventures is another bucket-list worthy experience. Explore
Sun Peaks from a different viewpoint on one of their exhilarating dog sled tours. You're guaranteed to dream of
this magical tour through Sun Peaks winter wonderland until your next visit.
Things to Keep in Mind - Even the best planner can miss something or forget to pack an item, but don't fret. The
village has many shops that carry anything you may have forgotten at home. Rent gear or try new skies at one of
the many rental shops. For those longer stays, save up to 15% when you book rentals for three days or more.
Plan your perfect winter getaway
at Canada’s 2nd largest ski area:
SunPeaksResort.com/Winter
Left to right: Ice fishing is a unique Canadian experience / The Alpine Fondue and Starlight Descent / Sun Peaks Village, groomed to perfection
Photographer: Reuben Krabbe Athletes: Mie Bartholdy & Elli Terwiel
Secwépemc Territory
70//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242

NEW!
THE MOST FLEXIBLE
GAS GRILL IN THE WORLD
www.SKOTTIGRILL.co.nz
LET'S
GO
Lowe Alpine Packing Cubes $34.95 - $54.95
Pack more efficiently by storing your
kit in cubes, keep your belongings
organized and easy to find. Available in
small, medium, and large.
WWW.OUTFITTERS.NET.NZ
Patagonia Black Hole® Pack 25L $259.99
A burly 25 litre workhorse pack with a fresh
update this season. Now made from a 100%
recycled body fabric plus a weather resistant
recycled TPU film laminate. You can expect the
same reliable durability now with a matte finish.
This pack is perfect for your daily commutes and
rugged enough to haul around the globe. Made in
a Fair Trade Certified factory.
WWW.PATAGONIA.CO.NZ
Experience the freedom of outdoor
cooking anywhere with SKOTTI Grill
Portable, Flat Packable, No Tools Required.
Lightweight (only 3.3kg) & Quick to Assemble.
Runs on Gas, Charcoal or Wood.
Made from Stainless Steel to last a lifetime.
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Winner drawn 2 April 2024.
TRAVELLING
rab Expedition Kitbag – 50, 70 and 90 litres
$179.95 - $249.95
Hardwearing, heavy duty, and
water-resistant, this bag is made
with 600D fabric and designed to
keep your gear safe and withstand
the rigors of an expedition.
WWW.OUTFITTERS.NET.NZ
Osprey Archeon 40L $499.99
From everyday carry to carry-on
travel, the Archeon 40 offers advanced
organization, easy access to gear and
protects most laptops up to 17".
WWW.SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ
Kiwi camping Medium Duffle Bag 60L $139.00
Rugged, durable and designed to withstand
the toughest adventures. The new Kiwi
Camping duffle bag comes with detachable
padded backstraps convert the duffle into
an expansive backpack.
WWW.KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
Lowe Alpine Escape Tour Bag 55 + 15
$499.95
The Escape Tour is a rear-access,
loaded with features 55-litre
backpack and detachable 15-litre
day pack, offering volume and
flexibility making adventure fun, safe
and simple. Unisex and women’s
options available.
WWW.OUTFITTERS.NET.NZ
www.SKOTTIGRILL.co.nz
72//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//73

t r a v e l e s s e n t i a l s
Osprey Sojourn Family
Sojourn Porter 46L RRP $399.99
A true traveler's workhorse that
maximizes storage space and
comfort for carry-on convenience.
Sojourn Porter 65L RRP $449.99
Ideal for longer excursions and
adventures of all kinds with
increased storage capacity and
convenient organization for on-thego
access.
Sojourn Wheeled Travel Pack
60L RRP $749.99
Perfect middle-ground for checkedbag
travelers who want to stay
nimble.
Sojourn Wheeled Travel Pack
80L RRP $799.99
For lengthier journeys, the Sojourn
80 redefines the boundaries of
wheeled travel.
Osprey Airporter
RRP From $99.99
Tuned for travel, the Airporter is a
backpack travel cover to keep your
backpacking or hiking pack protected
while in transit, be it by taxi, train or
plane.
Its lockable zipper provides added
security and an improved shoulder
strap makes lugging it to and fro a
breeze. Available in Small, Medium
and Large.
Osprey Transporter wheeled duffel
This wheeled duffel bag has the capacity and durability
required by even the most demanding, mile-accruing traveller.
Rugged HighRoad Chassis, dual-sided TPU coating, burly
hardware, oversized flap and design details that protect your
gear from external elements.
Sustainably made from bluesign® approved recycled
materials with a PFC-free DWR treatment that sheds
moisture.
Wheeled Duffel 60L RRP $599.99
This mid-sized bag is perfect for weeklong adventures or
gear-intensive weekends.
Wheeled Duffel 90L RRP $649.99
Your go-to companion for big trips that require lots of room for
lots of gear.
Wheeled Duffel 120L RRP $699.99
For the biggest trips, the heaviest gear and most exotic
locations.
osprey Ultralight Packing Cube
RRP From $24.99
Ultralight Packing Cubes
are perfect for organizing
and compartmentalizing
all your gear and clothing.
Make organizing and
packing your gear easy, so
you can spend more time
enjoying your experience.
Available in small,
medium, and large, or as
a set.
osprey Ultralight Padded Organiser
RRP $49.99
This padded organizer can be used for a
travel kit or as a simple carrying solution
for protecting small electronics or other
delicate items in transit.
• StraightJacket compression
• 3mm foam padding
• Organizational pockets
• Webbing handle
Osprey Farpoint | Fairview
Travel far and light with the Farpoint
Fairview Family, designed to keep up with
fast-moving globetrotters exploring new
and exciting places.
Despite minimal weights, these fullfeatured
packs adopt serious backpacking
features from our more technical packs.
Fine-tunable torso adjustments, loadlifting
LightWire frames, and breathable
harnesses/hipbelts are blended with
practical travel functionality.
Internal organization has been optimized
for travel purposes and rugged
compression straps keep your carry tight
and stable.
Farpoint is the men’s model while
Fairview is built specifically for women.
osprey Transporter Powerhouse
RRP $69.99
Keep your travel necessities secure
in one place with the Transporter®
Powerhouse. Elastic molles
keep charging cords and cables
organized.
There’s a large internal pocket for a
battery bank, a small pocket for ear
buds and a zippered external pocket
to hold a passport or wallet. The
TPU-coated polyester fabric keeps
the elements out.
Osprey Aoede Briefpack 22
RRP $279.99
Enjoy three style-forward packs in one: the
versatile Aoede Briefpack delivers top-tier
functionality and comfort as a backpack, an
over-the-shoulder carry and as hand carry.
For an upscale work wardrobe where
function and aesthetics align, this briefpack
makes commuting and business travel
seamless.
abus Combination Lock TSA
RRP $29.99
A good choice for securing your
luggage when you want to fly to
the United States. The lock with a
plastic body and cable bracket is
locked by an individually resettable
three-digit numerical code.
Indicator that shows red if the lock
has been opened using a TSA key.
To reset the red indicator open the
lock and turn shackle by 360°.
abus Combiflex Travelguard
RRP $59.99
The Combiflex TravelGuard is the
perfect safeguard for your helmet or
backpack on excursions. Features
an extra solid steel core and a
3-digit opening code that can be
set and changed individually. The
45-centimetre-long cable forms a
lashing loop, the length of which can
be freely adjusted.
Farpoint | Fairview 40L RRP $349.99
Sized to meet most domestic carry-on
requirements, making it the perfect onepack-does-all
for streamlined travel.
Farpoint | Fairview 55L RRP $399.99
Comes with a fully detachable daypack
that gives you ultimate flexibility.
Plus, it meets most domestic carryon
requirements with the main pack
overhead and daypack as your personal
item.
Farpoint | Fairview 70L RRP $429.99
Ample room for a full week of continuous
travel, whether you're hiking between
hostels or taking your trip to more remote
destinations. Also has a fully detachable
daypack.
Osprey Archeon Family
Blurring the lines between work and play, the
Archeon revolutionizes everyday carry.
Archeon Sling 7 RRP $149.99
A sleek, ambidextrous sling that can be used alone
or mounted to any Archeon pack with lash straps.
Archeon 24L RRP $349.99
The Archeon 24 fits up to 16" laptops and offers
superior tech organization for everyday use.
Archeon 40L RRP $499.99
From everyday carry to carry-on travel, the Archeon
40 offers advanced organization, easy access to
gear and protects most laptops up to 17".
osprey Daylite Hanging Toiletry Kit
RRP $49.99
The Daylite Hanging Toiletry Kit is a
convenient hanging organizer for toiletries
and travel essentials with zippered
compartments to help keep your travel
essentials separated and tidy. Pull out
its interior liner for convenient cleanup
between trips.
• Web hanging loop for all types of
situations
• Large packing space
• Easy-to-see mesh pockets
• Interior organization
• bluesign® approved 100% recycled
600D polyester
Sea to Summit Airlite Towel
RRP $24.99 Medium
Lightweight, super compact and
exceptionally fast drying, our minimalist
Airlite Towel won’t slow you down,
• Fast drying
• Tiny packed size
• 50% lighter than our Pocket Towel
• Easy storage in its 15D Nylon stuff
sack
• Elongated proportions for dual use
as a bandanna or for neck protection
Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow
RRP $59.99 Regular
The Aeros Ultralight Pillow epitomises our
design preferences for ‘light, compact and
comfortable’. The result is a 20D laminated
polyester pillow with shapely support that can
be packed away into a neat, small stuff sack.
• Curved internal baffles create contours
that cradle your head
• Scalloped bottom edge centres pillow over
your shoulders whether you’re sleeping on
your back, side or upright in a chair
• Inflate pillow in a couple of breaths with
the multi-function valve
• Easily secured to any Sea to Summit
sleeping mat through the Pillow Lock
System
• Durable RF-welded construction
• Laminated with abrasion resistant high
strength TPU
Sea to Summit Expander Liner
RRP $49.99 Standard, $54.99 Long
The Expander liner is made from a premium
stretch knit poly-cotton, making it super stretchy
and even warmer than a standard cotton weave
liner.
• Premium stretch knit fabric that can expand
twice its width.
• Luxuriously comfortable to sleep in.
• Extends the life of a sleeping bag by
keeping it clean
• Anti-Microbial protection keeps liner
fresh, hygienic and odour-free
• Double folded and reinforced seams
• Easy car, machine washable
• Standard rectangular shape
• Available in Standard and Long lengths
74//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242
Find a Stockist: southernapproach.co.nz
IG and FB @southernapproachnz

exped Trekkinglite 0 Down Sleeping Bag
$499.99
Excellent warmth-to-weight ratio and
a minimal packed size. Features a
supple, durable DWR-free shell, a
next-to-skin comfortable lining and
700-fill, high-quality European duck
down insulation. Differential cut,
multi-chambered footbox, and plush,
adjustable draft collar. 835g (medium)
WWW.BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
Kiwi Camping Weka 2 Hiker Tent $349.90
Kiwi Camping's most popular hiker tent
with double-sided entry, sturdy vestibules,
and a user-friendly design. With a fly that
handles rain and snow, the Weka 2 is
perfect for hiking adventures.
WWW.KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
Kiwi Camping Rover King Single 10CM
Self-Inflating Mat $249.90
The Rover mat has a 10cm
thick mat that inflates easily
with a 3-way valve. Ideal for
camping, the king single is
2000mm long and 760mm
wide with an R-value of 13.3.
WWW.KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
helinox chair one
$199.99
Chair One's comfort is legendary, and with
its ability to move from backpacking trips
to music festivals to days at the beach, its
versatility is unmatched. Smaller and lighter
than a bottle of wine, this durable seat is
just what you need for your next outdoor
adventure.
Easy to clean with soap and water, it’s
made for years of outdoor use and is
backed by our five-year warranty.
WWW.SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ
skotti grill
Skotti Grill is the most Flexible Gas Grill
in the world. Experience the freedom of
outdoor cooking, anywhere. Introducing
the SKOTTI Grill – Quick to assemble, No
tools required, Flat Packs for Portability.
Lightweight at just 3.3kg. Uses Gas (2.5
kW, 9000BTU), Wood or Charcoal fuel. 304
Stainless Steel to last a lifetime, 3.5mm Grill
grate (body 1mm). Level up your outdoor
adventures with the SKOTTI Grill!
More Information WWW.SKOTTIGRILL.CO.NZ
distributed by Allsports Distribution LTD.
Xtorm 20W - 10.000 mAh Power Bank - Fuel Series 4
*RRP: $79.95
Description: This Power Bank has all the
latest tech and new features that bring you
Next Gen charging speeds. It has 2 USB
outputs, and one extra powerful 20W USB-C
that's designed to charge your smartphone
faster than ever.
• Powerful Next Gen 20W fast charging
• Unique design and soft touch finish
• 10.000 mAh capacity
Xtorm Xtreme Cables
*RRP: $37.95 - $59.95
Description: These Ultra-Strong Xtorm cables are built to last. Every detail is
designed to withstand the wear and tear caused by heavy use. They are able to
withstand 1 100,000x bends, and are pull tested to support up to 100kg!
Xtorm 20W Fuel Series 10.000 mAh Solar Charger
*RRP: $109.95
Description: The Xtorm 20W Fuel Series
Solar Charger 10.000 mAh gives you
the freedom and energy to go anywhere
you want, making it perfect for all your
adventures.
• Can charge an iPhone 14, 12, and 13 up
to 59% in just half an hour
• The Solar Charger is equipped with a
10.000 mAh lithium-polymer battery,
powerful enough to charge your
smartphone at least 2x
• Featuring a 20W USB-C output that fast
charges your smartphone
• Splash-proof, drop-resistant, and has a
powerful integrated flashlight
• The Solar Charger itself can be
recharged in two ways, either via
USB-C, or by taking it outside and let the
built-in-solar panel do its work
Kiwi Camping Mamaku Trek 0°C
Sleeping Bag $119.00
The Mamaku Trek sleeping
bag is ideal for trekking or
camping adventures. The
semi-tapered design features
a drawstring-adjustable
contoured hood that packs
down into the handy
compression bag for easy
pack and carry.
WWW.KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
Xtrom Foldable Wireless 3-in-1 Travel Charger
*RRP: $179.00
Description: Xtorm designed a clean and
practical 3-in-1 Foldable Wireless Travel
Charger for devices that support magnetic
wireless charging. With the included USB-C
PD cable, you will be able to charge, for
example, your iPhone, Apple Watch and
AirPods simultaneously on one compact
charging pad. iPhones can be charged
wirelessly with 7.5W and Android phones
can charge wirelessly with a stunning 15W.
Kiwi Camping Tuatara Crest Rooftop Tent $1,999.90
The Tuatara Crest is the new version of our hugely popular Tuatara
SSC roof tent, one of the lightest options on the market, and New
Zealand’s original blackout roof tent.
WWW.KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
76//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242
Xtorm Xtreme Rugged 10.000 mAh Power Bank
*RRP: $129.00
Description: The Rugged 10.000 Power
Bank is the ultimate survival gadget to keep
you going during your outdoor adventures. It
allows you to quickly fast charge your mobile
devices, wherever you are.
• IP65 Water Resistant
• Recharge your phone up to 2 times
• Powerful integrated flashlight
*prices are subject to change
Find the full product range online at www.outdooraction.co.nz
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @outdooractionnz

Outdoor Research vantage bralette $89.99
Compression-fit bra top with light support for
those days when only a single upper layer
will do. It features a stylish strappy back and
soft, stretch-knit Vantage fabric for moisturewicking,
quick-drying performance.
WWW.BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
Outdoor Research echo tshirt $69.99
Made from an eco-friendly fabric featuring
AirVent moisture management to keep you
dry, ActiveFresh odour control and a soft hand
feel plus movement-mirroring stretch for comfort.
UPF 20 sun protection rating. Designed to tackle
adventures in hot conditions.
WWW.BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
rab Nexus Pull-on $139.95
The Nexus Pull-on is a
staple go-to, lightweight
technical mid-layer made
with Thermic stretch
fleece for mobility and
comfort with a YKK® chest
zip and pocket.
WWW.OUTFITTERS.NET.NZ
Outdoor Research echo boxer briefs $49.99
Made from a moisture-wicking, breathable,
quick-drying fabric featuring AirVent
moisture management. Flat seam construction
and a functional fly. These boxers keep you in
comfort all day.
WWW.BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
rab Namche Gore-Tex Paclite Jacket $499.95
Made with 100% recycled fabric, this jacket
is waterproof, comfortable, and packable,
making it the best partner for facing various
kind of adventures.
WWW.OUTFITTERS.NET.NZ
black diamond Stormline Stretch Shell $299.99
Alpine squalls or urban downpours, the
StormLine Stretch Rain Shell can handle
it all. Featuring our BD.dry waterproof/
breathable/windproof solution, which is
engineered to shield you from whatever
the weather holds, the StormLine is a fully
featured rain shell.
• DWR pit zips for ventilation
• Underarm gussets for added mobility
• Adjustable, climbing-helmetcompatible
hood
• YKK reverse coil PU coated center
front zipper
• Packs into right-hand pocket with
carabiner clip loop
• Adjustable cuffs and hem
• Men’s & Women’s styles available.
WWW.SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ
Patagonia Torrentshell 3L Rain Jacket
$279.99
A simple, versatile and durable
companion. Our trusted
Torrentshell 3L Rain Jacket
meets Patagonia’s H2No®
Performance Standard for
exceptional waterproof/breathable
performance. PFC-free, this
rain jacket does not contain
perfluorinated chemicals, provides
the highest levels of comfort
and performance, and long-term
waterproof durability. Made in a
Fair Trade Certified factory.
WWW.PATAGONIA.CO.NZ
black diamond Alpenglow Hoody $159.99
A technical fit paired with a highly protective fabric, the
Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody keeps you covered
when sunscreen just won't cut it.
• UPF 50+ sun protection
• BD.cool—mineral-based in-fibre cooling technology
• Underarm gussets for added range of motion
• Under-the-helmet hood
• Polygiene odour control treatment
• Men’s & Women’s styles available.
WWW.SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ
Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket $299.99
Pertex® Shield with Diamond Fuse Technology for
durable, lightweight, breathable waterproof protection.
Stows in its chest pocket. 176g (men’s large),159g
(women’s medium).
WWW.BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
bear cottage Possum Merino Wool Ombre Throw $195.00
A unique and luxurious blend of NZ possum
fur and pure NZ merino lambswool. A beautiful
luxurious Multi Tone Throw – so versatile, so
light and ever so warm.
35% Possum Fur, 55% Merino Lambswool,
10% Mulberry Silk.
Measurements approx: 1.24m x 1.71m
WWW.BEARCOTTAGE.CO.NZ
SALEWA ALP TRAINER 2 GTX $429.90
The Alp Trainer 2 GTX has a suede
leather and stretch fabric upper with a
protective rubber rand for protection
against rock, scree and debris. Featuring
a GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort lining
for optimal waterproofing and breathability.
The EVA midsole provides superior
cushioning and excellent comfort for a
technical shoe. Climbing Lacing right to
the toe allows for a more precise fit, while
the Vibram® Alpine Hiking outsole covers
a wide spectrum of mountain terrain.
Fit: STANDARD / Weight (M) 470 g
(pictured) (W) 370 g
WWW.BOBO.CO.NZ/SALEWA
SALEWA WILDFIRE CANVAS $299.90
The breathable recycled cotton and hemp
canvas upper is protected by a full 360°
TPU rand. Our 3F system with nylon-coated
Kevlar® cables provides additional support
and greater stability at the heel, while ensuring
a precise fit. The dual density eco Ortholite®
footbed promotes superior cushioning, and the
Pomoca outsole offers secure grip during light
hiking approach activities.
Fit: STANDARD / Weight: (M) 305 g (pictured)
(W) 256 g
WWW.BOBO.CO.NZ/SALEWA
SALEWA RAPACE GTX $649.90
The Rapace GTX is a lightweight mountaineering
boot with a hard-wearing nubuck upper with
waterproof breathable GORE-TEX® protection.
The 3F System provides ankle support, flexibility
and a perfect fit. Our Bilight TPU technology and
Nylon + 27% Fiberglass in the midsole ensures
an ergonomic hold and allows the use of semiautomatic
crampons. There’s a full rubber rand
for protection against rock and scree, and the
Vibram WTC outsole has an aggressive tread
pattern that gives good traction yet provides a
natural feel and secure grip on mixed terrain.
Fit: WIDE / Weight: (M) 740g (pictured) (W) 615g
WWW.BOBO.CO.NZ/SALEWA
SALEWA ALP TRAINER 2 MID GTX $479.90
The Alp Trainer 2 Mid GTX has a suede
leather and stretch fabric upper with a
protective rubber rand. Featuring a GORE-
TEX® Extended Comfort lining for optimal
waterproofing and breathability, and the
customizable Multi Fit Footbed (MFF)
with interchangeable layers allows you to
adapt it to the unique shape of your foot;
Climbing Lacing right to the toe allows for
a more precise fit, while the Vibram® Hike
Approach outsole covers a wide spectrum
of mountain terrain.
Fit: STANDARD / Weight (M) 552 g (W)
482 g (pictured)
WWW.BOBO.CO.NZ/SALEWA
SALEWA ORTLES ASCENT MID GORE-TEX® $869.90
The Ortles Ascent Mid Gore-Tex® mountain
boot is a solid solution for alpine mountaineers.
Its thick suede leather upper, SALEWA® 3F
system with steel cables and reinforced TPU
rand make it exceptionally robust and durable.
There’s a stiff carbon-loaded nylon fibreglass
insole, while the dual density expanded
polyurethane midsole allows enhanced stability
and comfort. The waterproof, breathable
GORE-TEX® Insulated Comfort membrane has
an integrated insulation layer. The Flex Collar
improves rear ankle flexion, and the semi-auto
crampon compatible Vibram® Alpine Guide
sole unit is engineered for traction, durability
and reliability on difficult terrain.
Fit: STANDARD / Weight (M) 850 g (pictured)
(W) 660 g
WWW.BOBO.CO.NZ/SALEWA
78//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//79

BACK COUNTRY CUISINE:
Back Country Cuisine Elite has been formulated to meet the
energy requirement of meat eating elite outdoors people,
who want to push themselves and need meals delivering
700 to 800+ Cal/kcals of energy. The bulk of the calories
are coming from fats and protein with the remainder coming
from carbohydrates. Take your adventure nutrition to the next
level with the Back Country Cuisine Elite range. For more
information or to find your nearest stockist visit:
www.backcountrycuisine.co.nz
KEA SURVIVAL KIT GEAR PACKS $40.00- $50.00
KEA Gear Packs are built for purpose and contain all the
essential gear required to pack or refill your outdoor survival kit.
WWW.KEAOUTDOORS.COM
Biryani Lamb $19.99
This Elite high calorie meal
is a filling classic Indian
dish with aromatic rice,
freeze-dried lamb, green
peppers and corn.
camelBak Eddy+ filtered by Lifestraw
09L Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel
$139.99
Eddy+ filtered by LifeStraw takes
the worry out of hydrating-on-thego.
Whether you are a couple days
into a backcountry trip or looking for
an everyday water bottle, you need
a trustworthy source for safe water
wherever you roam.
Two Stages of Filtration: Hollow Fiber
Filter removes bacteria, parasites and
microplastics. Ion Exchange Filter
reduces lead, taste and odor, chlorine
and other chemicals.
WWW.SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ
Curried Beef $19.99
This Elite high calorie
meal is a hearty meal of
freeze-dried quinoa and
beef mince, with curry
notes and just the right
amount of vegetables.
Chicken Korma $19.99
This Elite high calorie
Chicken Korma has an
authentic spicy rice and
freeze-dried chicken
with vegetables, almond
flakes and a yoghurt
sauce to mix.
Kiwicamping Flexi Light Strip White/Orange $69.99
A 1.3m long LED strip fitted with white/orange
LED lights to illuminate your tent and deter
bugs and insects. IP65-water-resistant and
includes carry bag.
WWW.KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
Oats and Apple $16.99
This Elite high calorie
breakfast has creamy
oats with freeze-dried
apple, raisins, almonds
and a dash of cinnamon.
Great for breakfast or
dessert.
JÄGERMEISTER COLD BREW COFFEE
Inspired by the innovative,
everchanging drinks scene,
we instinctively knew how a
drop of Jägermeister and a
backbeat of cold brew coffee
could transform any night. The
enviable result? A brand-new
mix. JÄGERMEISTER COLD
BREW COFFEE. A unique
fusion of JÄGERMEISTER’s 56
botanicals and intense cold brew
coffee.
WWW.LIQUORLAND.CO.NZ
Shackleton Blended Malt Scotch
Born from Adventure: Shackleton
Blended Malt Scotch is based on
the spirit supplied to the 1907 British
Antarctic Expedition, expertly crafted
using a selection of the finest Highland
Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. Available
at various Liquor Retailers .
WWW.GLENGARRYWINES.CO.NZ
WWW.BACKCOUNTRYCUISINE.CO.NZ
KEA kit $80.00 (GO) - $120.00 (XL)
KEA KIT GO & XL are Outdoor Survival
Systems to help pack essential safety gear.
GO for on the move and the XL for vehicle/
basecamp
WWW.KEAOUTDOORS.COM
80//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242

FEED YOUR ADDICTION
Like a ‘perfect storm’, we have seen a dramatic growth and
development in online stores over the past 5 years.
We are dedicating these pages to our client’s online stores; some
you will be able to buy from, some you will be able drool over. Buy,
compare, research and prepare, these online stores are a great way to
feed your adventure addiction.
Waterfront accommodation on Nydia Track, Marlborough, NZ
www.onthetracklodge.nz
Fully Supported Cycle Tours to: New Zealand, Japan, Cambodia,
Kenya & Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Colombia
www.escapeadventuresnz.com
The best outdoor equipment for all of your adventurous
antics. Outdoor Action has you sorted.
www.outdooraction.co.nz
Building versatile and reliable gear so you
can adventure with purpose.
www.keaoutdoors.com
Bivouac Outdoor stock the latest in quality outdoor
clothing, footwear and equipment from the best
brands across New Zealand & the globe.
www.bivouac.co.nz
Shop for the widest range of Merrell footwear, apparel
& accessories across hiking, trail running, sandals &
casual styles. Free shipping for a limited time.
www.merrell.co.nz
Temperature. Taste. Transport.
Hydroflask, more than just a water bottle.
www.hydroflask.co.nz
Top NZ made health supplements delivered straight
to your door, with same day dispatch.
www.supps.nz
This small, friendly family-run company is based in Lake
Tekapo, New Zealand, specializing in guided outdoor
adventures throughout New Zealand's Southern Alps.
www.alpinerecreation.com
The place to go for all the gear you need whether you're skiing,
snowboarding, hiking, biking or just exploring.
www.thealpinecentre.co.nz
Gear up in a wide selection of durable, multifunctional
outdoor clothing & gear. Free Returns. Free Shipping.
www.patagonia.co.nz
www.glerups.co.nz
glerups shoes, slippers
and boots are known for
their exceptional comfort
and unique design.
Over the years we have
perfected the wool mix
by blending Gotland
wool with quality wool
from New Zealand
farmers.
Fast nourishing freeze dried food for adventurers.
www.backcountrycuisine.co.nz
Stocking an extensive range
of global outdoor adventure
brands for your next big
adventure. See them for travel,
tramping, trekking, alpine and
lifestyle clothing and gear.
www.outfittersstore.nz
Specialists in the sale of Outdoor Camping Equipment, RV,
Tramping & Travel Gear. Camping Tents, Adventure Tents,
Packs, Sleeping Bags and more.
www.equipoutdoors.co.nz
Your adventure travel specialists, with over 20 years
experience! They live what they sell.
www.madabouttravel.co.nz
Supplying tents and
camping gear to Kiwis
for over 30 years, Kiwi
Camping are proud to
be recognised as one of
the most trusted outdoor
brands in New Zealand.
www.kiwicamping.co.nz
Marine and industrial supply story
www.lusty-blundell.co.nz
Bobo Products, a leading importer and distributor of snow
and outdoor products in New Zealand.
www.bobo.co.nz
NZ world class climbing centre.
Your climbing experience is at
the heart of what they do. They
provide trained and competent
professionals that are psyched
on climbing and passionate
about supporting others.
www.northenrocks.co.nz
Purveying the finest singleorigin
roasted Espresso
and Filter coffee in NZ since
2013 for you to enjoy at
home or work.
www.redrabbitcoffee.co.nz
10% discount on coffee use
ADV10%

NEW CALEDONIA
x
Escape to New Caledonia
For an adventure of a lifetime
Nestled in the heart of the South Pacific and a mere 3-hour flight
from Auckland, New Caledonia is a hidden gem beckoning travellers
with its unique blend of untouched landscapes and exhilarating
activities. Whether you’re after a diving holiday exploring the world’s
largest lagoon, a heart-pounding mountain biking journey or traversing
through lush rainforests and vast landscapes, New Caledonia will suit
every adventure traveller’s expectations.
Not only does this little French slice of paradise offer unparalleled
adventurous activities, but the destination is also home to a spate of
sporting events that attract local and international sports enthusiasts
every year. To maximise your holiday experience in New Caledonia,
consider aligning your travel plans with one of these events.
Hiking holiday
The mainland, also referred to as Grande Terre has an extensive
network of marked hiking trails, spreading across 500 km from the reddirt
tracks in the Blue River Provincial Park in the South, the diverse
rainforests in the Giant Fern Park near Farino, to the rolling green hills
of Bourail on the West Coast. You can opt for shorter day hikes or if
you’re looking for a challenge, the 2 Grandes Randonnées (longer
trails) might be more up your alley.
The breathtaking 126km long GR® NC1 trail will take you through the
national parks, waterfalls and historical sites on the southern part of the
mainland and takes approximately 7 days. The slightly shorter GR®
Nord is 73 km long and takes about 4 days to complete while exploring
the green wilderness of the East Coast’s mountain ranges, forests and
tribal lands. GR® NC1 offers a sporty, adventurous route, while GR®
Nord caters to families and guided hut experiences, including overnight
stays with tribes - a truly unforgettable adventure. It is recommended to
do the GR Nord with a guide to ensure travellers respect the customs
and culture of the Kanak people.
"Not only does this little
French slice of paradise
offer unparalleled
adventurous activities,
but the destination is
also home to a spate
of sporting events
that attract local and
international sports
enthusiasts every year."
For a real adventure, head to the sparsely populated Loyalty Islands
(Lifou, Maré and Ouvéa). Encounter secluded beaches, hidden caves,
amazing views, abundant bushland and local Kanak inhabitants that
will make you feel welcome the second you arrive. Check out the
2-day hike with the Hunëte Tribe on Lifou where you’ll camp out on the
waterfront of Hnajoisisi and fishing on Ngönij beach. While staying with
the Kurine Tribe on the island of Mare, you’ll have access to a 2.5-hour
walk that will take you along the coral plateau with the incredible views
that these islands are known for.
Hike - Poum-© Mégane
84//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//85

Poe Lagoon © Ethan LI
A holiday on wheels
Similarly to hiking, New Caledonia has an intricate
network of biking trails spreading across the southern
parts of the main island up to the northern parts of
the west coast. Some of the trails measure more
than 50km and feature climbs of several hundred
metres, with a mix of easier and more challenging
terrains to traverse. You can opt for the biking trails
in Bourail, which is also where the yearly biking
event Megarando takes place or if you’re staying
in Noumea, Les Boucles de Tina is just outside the
capital and is the perfect place for a day of mountain
biking without the need to venture far.
GET CLOSER TO
adventure
A vacation with the wind and the ocean
With the largest lagoon in the world and being
located in the South Pacific, it’s no surprise that
New Caledonia has unparalleled ocean activities on
offer. The waters surrounding the archipelago boast
stunning scenery, great conditions and an abundance
of water activities for every traveller. Those who want
to explore the depths of the ocean have a range
of options for diving, such as the shipwreck near
Amédée Island or the underwater caves near Poum.
During the cooler season between April - September,
the visibility is the most clear. If you’re not an avid
diver, snorkelling the islands provides an equally
impressive experience where you explore spots such
as the Isle of Pines and the underwater trail at Duck
Island.
Above the surface, there’s a wide range of activities
you can do from kite surfing and sailing along
Nouméa’s beaches, to surfing in Bourail and
kayaking along the Forgotten Coast (the east coast
of the mainland). The shallow, protected waters
and sandy-bottomed beaches are ideal for riding
the waves and during the warmer season, between
November to March, the trade winds tend to be
strong making for better conditions for experienced
kitesurfers.
86//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242
Drowned forest-© Asahi Shimbun Media Production
The sports calendar for kitesurfing and sailing events is slammed
each year, with some of the more popular events being the Groupama
Race where experienced sailors from New Caledonia, New Zealand,
Australia, Tahiti and worldwide race nonstop for 3 - 5 days around the
main island.
Events to coincide with your trip to New Caledonia in 2024:
Biking events
Shell Pacific Mégarando - 31 August - 1 September, 2024
Ocean events
Groupama Race - 9th June 2024
Defi Wind Super Stars - November 2024 (exact date to be confirmed)
Bluescope Race - November 2024 (exact date to be confirmed)
Hiking/running events
XTerra Trail Run - 11th May 2024
New Caledonia Mobil Marathon - 25 August 2024
Loyalty Islands Triathlon - November 2024 (exact date to be confirmed)
For more information, visit https://www.newcaledonia.travel/nz
newcaledonia.travel

FRENCH POLYNESIA
x
Adventures in Paradise
Discover adventure in The islands of Tahiti
There are over 118 islands in Tahiti and an
adventure to be found on every one.
Tahiti is not just about the pristine water,
although it is a major draw card, the interior is
spectacular in its own right.
The list of adventures to be found in this
tropical paradise, are endless, and you don’t
need to be an expert to have the full Tahitian
experience.
Here are a few of the highlights.
Surfing in Teahupo'o: Known globally for
its colossal waves, Teahupo'o is a haven for
surfers seeking an adrenaline-fueled ride. This
wave is not for the faint heart and only the
experienced. However, you can catch a water
taxi out to the break to see the surf – taxi is
available from the local marina.
88//WHERE The great ACTIONS interior; mountain SPEAK biking LOUDER with THAN Local Motion WORDS/#242 @localmotiontour

Teahupo'o - amazing surfing
Sunset paddle on a va'a - Moorea in the distance
"Tahiti's allure extends beyond its idyllic beaches and romantic sunsets."
Shark and Ray Snorkelling Safari: For a truly unique
aquatic adventure, embark on a shark and ray snorkelling
safari. Wade into the crystal-clear waters and come
face-to-face with blacktip reef sharks, lemon sharks, and
friendly rays. Local guides ensure a safe and unforgettable
encounter with these mesmerising marine creatures.
Hiking to Fautaua Waterfall: Tahiti's lush interior hides
a hidden gem – the Fautaua Waterfall. Lace up your
hiking boots and trek through dense rainforests, crossing
streams and navigating challenging terrain. The reward at
the end is the breathtaking sight and the refreshing mist of
the Fautaua Waterfall.
Mountain Bike Papenoo Valley: Discover the rugged
beauty of Tahiti's interior on a mountain bike safari through
Papenoo Valley. Traverse wild landscapes, riverbeds,
and volcanic terrain as you explore the island's feral side.
This off-road adventure provides a thrilling way to witness
Tahiti's diverse ecosystems.
Ziplining in Moorea: Hop on a ferry to the neighbouring
island of Moorea and experience the thrill of ziplining
through lush tropical landscapes. Soar above the treetops
and enjoy panoramic views of turquoise lagoons and
majestic mountains. Moorea's ziplining courses offer an
adrenaline-pumping adventure with a scenic backdrop.
Jet Skiing in Bora Bora's Lagoon: Bora Bora's iconic
lagoon is not just for romantic getaways. Rent a jet ski and
explore the lagoon's vibrant coral gardens and secluded
motus. Feel the rush as you speed across the crystal-clear
waters, surrounded by the stunning scenery of this worldfamous
destination.
Caving in Mara'a Grotto: Uncover the mysteries of
Tahiti's underground world by exploring Mara'a Grotto.
Equipped with a headlamp, descend into the caves and
navigate through stalactites and stalagmites. This unique
adventure provides a fascinating insight into the geological
wonders hidden beneath the surface.
Deep-Sea Fishing Excursion: For those seeking a
maritime thrill, join a deep-sea fishing expedition in Tahiti's
rich waters. Whether you're a seasoned angler or a
novice, the opportunity to catch marlin, tuna, or mahi-mahi
in the open ocean is an adventure not to be missed.
Tahiti's allure extends beyond its idyllic beaches and
romantic sunsets. For adventures, the island offers
many adventurous activities that showcase its diverse
landscapes and vibrant marine life. From mountain biking
to exploring hidden caves and soaring above the lagoons,
Tahiti is a playground for those seeking an unforgettable
escapade in the heart of the South Pacific. Let Tahiti be
the backdrop for your next adrenaline-filled journey.
Ziplining in Moorea
90//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#242 ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ//91

Make our island adventure
playground your next stop
And experience the world’s most welcoming adventure holiday
E-Bike Rentals
Skibiz @ The Alpine Centre, National Park Village
Boots
Packs
Rainwear
Hiking Poles
Sleeping Bags
All your hiking
essentials
available for hire!
Hiking for Tots to Teens
Family Style Accommodation
Mountains to Sea Biking
www.plateaulodge.co.nz / p.07 892 2993
National Park Village / Tongariro National Park
ebikes now available
For local Mountains to Sea trails |
Fishers Track | Marton Sash & Door and more…
bookings and availability ph: 07 892 2717
www.thealpinecentre.co.nz for online bookings
Located in the heart of the Ruapehu District
...the outdoors capital of the North Island!
Gorgeous unique bespoke historic Vacation Home:
Ideal for families and groups.
Centrally located to: Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Pureora Timber Trail
The mighty Whanganui River
The Forgotten Highway (& Bridge to Nowhere)
30Mins to Whakapapa & 60mins to Turoa
Plus central to numerous other treks and trails
(& Waitomo GlowWorm Caves en route from Auckland)
A l p i n e R e s o r t
only hotel operating within the tongariro national park
Terrace Restaurant & Bar Open daily
Tongariro Alpine Crossing Shuttles from the door
Backpacker to Superior Family Accommodation
Alpine Hiking Gear Hire on-site
© Grégoire Le Bacon
www.TheOldPostOfficeLodge.co.nz
Skotel Alpine Resort | SkotelAlpineResort
Ngauruhoe Place | Whakapapa Village, SH 48
www.skotel.co.nz | info@skotel.co.nz
+64 7 892 3719 | 0800 756 835

Luxury possum fur products,
custom-made with passion
and care in Whakatane, NZ
More ways
to have
Fun
this Summer
Our new slides, with
New Zealand’s first LED
lights, are officially open.
That means more ways
to experience the future
of fun this summer!
Book your getaway now
hanmersprings.co.nz
SUPPSNZ
Support
muscle growth
and strength,
with our high
purity Creatine.
SHOP NOW
Clothing | Hats | Socks | Cushions | Accessories & more
e: info@bearcottage.co.nz | p: 07 308 9994
www.bearcottage.co.nz
Just 90 minutes north of Christchurch
www.supps.nz | 0800 773 766
GEAR TO
PREPARE FOR
EVERY OUTDOOR
ADVENTURE
RUN10023
Arrive as a visitor and leave as a friend. No crime,
no traffic and no queues. Relax or explore. Swim,
fish and dive in the clearest waters in the pacific.
The world’s only Dark Sky Nation welcomes you
to the way life used to be; the way life should be.
Contact: info@wildsidetravel.nz | 027 436 9025
B U I L D Y O U R K I T :
W W W . K E A O U T D O O R S . C O M

“Escape ordinary”
Caring luxury | Local flavour | One of a kind
Mountain bike clean up area and a secure mountain bike storage area available
1191 Pukaki Street, Rotorua
p: +64 7 348 4079 | w: regentrotorua.co.nz
S.A Shuttles are a specialists when it comes to Auckland Airport shuttle
services. We pick-up passengers from the Airport and deliver to; hotels,
motels, CBD and the suburbs (door to door). This service is available to
meet every flight arriving into Auckland Airport.
• BOOKED shuttle services to meet flight
• On demand shuttle services for group bookings
• Direct shuttle for individual needs
• Corporate Transfers for Business Client
We also do tours around the North Island | www.southaucklandshuttles.com | bookings@sashuttles.com | 0800 300 033 (Toll free)
Home to a tiny island
community of 212 people
jurawhisky.com

FREEDOM IS ELECTRIC
THE ALL-NEW
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
4Xe PLUG-IN HYBRID
jeep.co.nz