No Place Like Nepal. Thamel Eco Resort. Kathmandu, Nepal
There really is no other place on earth like Nepal (at least as far as I know!). From the moment you arrive, and once you have negotiated the airport, you…
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Ten Years of Nepal - Aotearoa New Zealand to Nepal and Back Again
It is crazy to think that ten years ago I went to Nepal for the first time. Initially I went with the Active Hearts Foun...
4 Aug 2025
The Day Sagarmatha Shook (Part Three) - Lukla / Kathmandu
After years of wanting to visit Nepal I finally got there due to an earthquake. It took a disaster to drag me away from...
25 Apr 2025
The Day Sagarmatha Shook (Part Two) - Kathmandu / Solukumbu
The drive to Thamel Eco Resort in Kathmandu was a sobering one. What hadn’t toppled over in the quake was being propped...
24 Apr 2025
The Day Sagarmatha Shook (Part One) - Barpak village of the Gorkha district (location of epicentre)
Ten years ago, on this day in 2015, Nepal was rocked by a 7.8 earthquake. Once the shaking had settled, along with the d...
24 Apr 2025
The Gift of Giving - Nuwakot District, Bagmati, Nepal
There is a certain feeling you get when giving to those who don’t have much. It instantly makes all of the training and...
3 Dec 2024
Kindness is the Key to Success - Nuwakot, Bagmati District. Nepal.
‘Kindness - the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate’. The Nepali people I have met have been everything...
29 Nov 2024
My Nepali Family (Part Two) - 2024 Ganesh Himal Charity Trek
My writing began as a way to fill in the time of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Then as time rolled on and my hip kept me out o...
14 Nov 2024
My Nepali Family (Part One) - 2024 Ganesh Himal Charity Trek
In 2015 my friend Dan put out a call for help. Nepal had just been hit by a huge earthquake, and many parts of the count...
14 Nov 2024
Changing Lives – Mine Most of All. Ganesh Himal Charity Trek (Part Six). Dhaling Besi.
Final morning this morning and I think we all have very mixed emotions. While it will be lovely to sleep in a proper bed...
6 Nov 2023
Changing Lives – Mine Most of All. Ganesh Himal Charity Trek (Part Five)
Today was the longest day of the walk so we were worried how Mark would go. We were given a packed lunch after breakfast...
4 Nov 2023
Changing Lives – Mine Most of All. Ganesh Himal Charity Trek (Part Four). Megang Danda (Nuwakot)
Don’t think any of us had a great sleep last night, Mark least of all. Part of me felt like just packing up and going ho...
3 Nov 2023
2023 Changing Lives – Mine Most of All. Ganesh Himal Charity Trek (Part Three). Salme School (Nuwakot).
Pretty much everyone in the camp was kept awake by a barking dog. I have never heard one dog bark so loudly and for so l...
1 Nov 2023
Changing Lives – Mine Most of All. 2023 Ganesh Himal Charity Trek (Part Two). Khule School, Nuwakot (Nepal)
Walked up and down hill for a while before reaching Khule school. This is where our library is, so it was amazing to see...
30 Oct 2023
(GUEST POST) Changing Lives – Mine Most of All. The 2023 Ganesh Himal Charity Trek (Part One)
“On a Mish” #421(GUEST POST) Changing Lives – Mine Most of All. The 2023 Ganesh Himal Charity Trek (Part One). Aotearoa...
27 Oct 2023
This Time Last Year (Part Three) - Ganesh Himal Charity Trek 2023
Giving someone something is one of the best feelings you can have. Giving someone who has very little something is even...
26 Oct 2023
This Time Last Year (Part Two). Ganesh Himal Charity Trek 2023.
The drive of helping others can get you through some epic ordeals. With a crazy idea in mind and a charity to support, s...
25 Oct 2023
This Time Last Year (Part One) - Ganesh Himal Charity Trek 2023
This time last year (2023) I was struggling my way through the foothills of the Himalaya on another quest with the Activ...
24 Oct 2023
It’s About Time - Aotearoa to Nepal 2023
to 14.11.2023. In 2015 I travelled to Nepal for the first time to help out my bro with the charity he had just started....
8 Oct 2023
The Next Active Hearts Foundation Adventure
In 2010-2011 Christchurch and the surrounding Canterbury area was continuously rocked by earthquakes. The deviation was...
30 Sep 2023
Ernie and the Ocean - A Trip to Charteris Bay
“On a Mish’ #363 Ernie and the Ocean. Te Wharau / Charteris Bay. Horomaka / Banks Peninsula. 20.1.2023. Most don’t remem...
9 Jan 2023
The Other Fella - The Man With the Plan
“A Mish a Day” #228 (Part 2) The Man with a Plan - The Other Fella. Nepal. 2015 to 2019 and beyond. Traveling to Nepal e...
2 Dec 2020
Why Active Hearts? - The Man with the Plan
“A Mish a Day” #228 (Part 1) The Man with a Plan. Nepal. 2015 to 2019 and beyond. I have always had three places that I...
1 Dec 2020
One Long Day in Winnipeg - Nz to Canada and Back in Six Days!
The norm for me when on adventures is being in the wilderness with as few people around me as possible. The meditative s...
19 Dec 2019
The Little Village in the Sky - Bhanjyang Village
Mr Dan Bus Keys had taken his band of happy international travellers to another epic spot. With all the hiking finished...
13 Nov 2018
Last Hike Before Heading Home - Back to Nature
After 9 days hiking through the Ruby Valley Region in the Himalayan Foothills on another ‘Active Hearts Foundation Chari...
11 Nov 2018
Charangge Phedi to Dhading Besi - The Final Leg of the Journey
The bond formed with a group you travel with can be very strong, especially when you are doing the adventure with the pu...
10 Nov 2018
Megang Danda to Charangge Phedi - An Unforgettable Day Hiking in Nepal
An early-ish start had the bro Luke and myself following the road in the dark to hopefully watch the sun come up on the...
10 Nov 2018
Salme to Megang Danda - Views and Vollyball
After a couple of days hiking the team had developed a comfortable rhythm and was moving in unison. Step, step, admire t...
6 Nov 2018
Kahule to Salme - From a Finished Library to a Future Library
The earthquake in 2015 hit the area we were visiting very hard. The shaking not only knocked houses down but also sent h...
5 Nov 2018
Gogane to Kahule - The Wedding
So far, our adventure had taken us around the remote parts of the country where the Active Hearts Foundation is actively...
3 Nov 2018
Welcome to Gogane - Our Home Away From Home
Gogane is not only one of the most peaceful places I have ever been to, but also the birth village of one of the Active...
3 Nov 2018
Kathmandu to Gogane - We Are Getting There No Matter What!
In 2018 the Active Hearts Foundation logo was put into the sky, and just like Batman, the call was answered and the troo...
2 Nov 2018
Stuck in Paradise - A Mission Within a Mission
Golden beaches, warm weather and hospitality with a smile to cheer even the saddest soul. The people are what make Fiji,...
2 May 2017
Red Rock in the Clouds - Mura Mura/Mt Zero(364m)
Australia isn’t renowned for having large mountains like Aotearoa, but the uplifted land it has is home to some of the b...
8 May 2016
The Most Dangerous Airport in the World - Adventures in Nepal (Part Ten)
Many people around the world would have heard of Sir Edmund Hillary and his victory over the steep slopes of Sagarmatha...
4 Nov 2015
All Done & Dusted - Adventures in Nepal (Part Nine)
A lot of people think hiking for many days in a row is difficult. I find sitting still a more challenging task. The inau...
3 Nov 2015
Our Time in Gurdel - Adventures in Nepal (Part Eight)
When I tell people about my adventures in Nepal, usually the first question asked has something to do with Mt Everest. O...
3 Nov 2015
The Foreigners Have Arrived - Adventures in Nepal (Part Seven)
Edmund Hillary travelled to Nepal to climb a mountain but he quickly realised that the people were a much better reason...
2 Nov 2015
The Trekkers are Coming - Adventures in Nepal (Part Six)
Before leaving Aotearoa I believed that New Zealand had the biggest and most impressive mountains on the planet. This un...
2 Nov 2015
Into the Mountains Mist - Adventures in Nepal (Part Five)
After Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary successfully climbed Sagarmartha / Mt Everest, the world saw a mountain conq...
31 Oct 2015
The Foothills of the Himalayas - Adventures in Nepal (Part Four)
Before I left Aotearoa I was under the belief that New Zealand had the best, biggest, most beautiful mountains on the pl...
30 Oct 2015
<strong><em>In the Footsteps of Sir Ed - Adventures in Nepal (Part Three)</em></strong>
When I was a kid I was taken to the Christchurch museum and was found in one of the tractors that Sir Edmund Hillary had...
28 Oct 2015
Fiordland to Thamel - Adventures in Nepal (Part Two)
A passport is rather important when travelling overseas and without one you cannot go anywhere. In 2015 I faced a challe...
27 Oct 2015
Passports Please - Adventures in Nepal (Part One)
I have three places on my must see before I die list: Alaska, Antarctica and Nepal. All three have fascinated me since I...
26 Oct 2015
Thirsty and Amazed - The Tongariro Crossing
In 2015 I was invited to travel to Taupo and walk the Tongariro Crossing. The crossing is a 19.4 km walk amongst fabulou...
9 Apr 2015
Mount Washington / Appalachian Trail (GUEST POST)
Welcome to a guest post by Jeremy Wilson. We join Jeremy and Julie on their adventure in New Hampshire in the United Sta...
27 May 2014
The Benefits of a Local Guide (Part Two) - Yatsugatake Mountains
I have been extremely lucky on my overseas adventures to have knowledgeable guides leading the way. In Nepal I have had...
8 Jun 2013
The Benefits of a Local Guide (Part One) - Yatsugatake Mountains
There are two groups of islands, one in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the south, that are not only similar in...
8 Jun 2013
A Kiwi Takes Flight (Part Two) - Mt Hotakadake(3190m)
To travel somewhere to go on an adventure is always an incredible experience, and if the weather is on your side then yo...
5 Jun 2013
A Kiwi Takes Flight(Part 1) - Mt Hotakadake(3190m)
This mission started with a 9346km journey from New Zealand to Tokyo,Japan. After arriving in the biggest city I had eve...
4 Jun 2013