Every trip report
Filter by region, type of trip or dog missions — or search the whole South Island backcountry.
All trip reports
See Ya Later Sleeping Mat (Part Two) - Mount Burns Tops
Nothing makes you feel more alive than exposure to the elements. Stripped back to human and clothing, and the rest is up...
So Long Sleeping Mat (Part One) - Mount Burns Tops
Unless you are using a helicopter there is no easy way to get onto the mountain tops in Fiordland National Park. The thr...
Two Boys in a Boat (Part Two) - North Lake Te Anau
I heard the expression “New Zealand-ish” the other day. A term that some use around the world when describing untouched...
North Lake Te Anau - Two Boys in a Boat (Part One)
Sometimes it is a bit of a mission just finding someone else to go on a mish with! A flip side to working in tourism is...
The Perfect Getaway (Part Two) - Oreti Plateau Camp
When you break down certain aspects of camping it doesn’t sound like much fun. Wet feet, long walks, and sleeping on roc...
The Perfect Getaway (Part One) - Oreti Plateau Camp
Sometimes you just need a little getaway to reset life and ready you for the next bout of challenges. The simple life an...
Wild Turkey's and the Ashton Burn - Peak 1330m (Part Three)
For a lot of people it is the close companionship found when on a mish that keeps them repeating the process. A couple o...
Wild Turkey's and the Ashton Burn - Peak 1330m (Part Two)
To go a night without even a flutter of tent fabric is an absolute dream and fuel for the fire of adventure that burns b...
Wild Turkey's and The Ashton Burn - Peak 1330m (Part One)
With another exciting and busy season in Patea / Doubtful Sound on the Fiordland Navigator looming, it was time for me a...
An Island Covered in Birds - Secretary Island
While basking in the stunning surroundings of Patea / Doubtful Sound I sometimes forget that I am in the office. The exp...
Remote Remoteness - The Kingdom of Camelot
The power of Fiordland is immense. From its incredible rain soaked weather, to its unmatched, untouched, unbelievable be...
Winter's Grip (Part Two) - Whiskey Trail Camp
Winters grip can scare away people like a shady character in a dark alley. However, just like with the shady character (...
Winter's Grip (Part One) - Whiskey Trail Camp
You would think that walking a track again and again would dull the wilderness senses and the location would lose its ch...
Kaitorete Spit Camp - The Case of the Disappearing Dog
The 25km barren but beautiful stretch of land that runs from Birdlings Flat to the outlet of Te Waihora / Lake Ellesmere...
Taylor Knoll Camp - A Small Hill With a Big View
Hiking really is using your valuable time well. The multi beneficial pastime not only is great for you body, but it also...
Searching For Snow (Part Two) - Manuka Hut / Mt Somers Range
Snow is a very strange substance that falls from the sky. Unlike rain, snow is something that has created its very own s...
Searching For Snow (Part One) - Manuka Hut
When you break down snow sports they don’t sound like much fun. Thanks to New Zealand's low altitudes the snow (normally...
Sweet White Powder - Balmacaan Saddle Camp (Part Two)
I often get strange looks from my friends and family when I tell them I am going camping during the chilly months of win...
Sweet White Powder - Balmacaan Saddle Camp (Part One)
Finding snow away from a ski field to play in is getting more and more difficult these days. A lot of effort needs to be...
Right Place, Right Camp - Helena Falls Camp
I was very lucky to have the opportunity to not only work in Fiordland during the chilly winter months of 2018, but also...
Hut Bound - Aparima Forks Hut (Part Two)
To sit and listen to heavy rain pounding the roof of a mountain hut is a feeling difficult to describe. Excitement , ner...
Hut Bound (Part One) - Aparima Forks Hut
Mountain weather is an extreme and never forgotten experience when held up in a tiny backcountry hut. A couple of times...
The Sad Glacier (Part Two) - Falls Creek
Sadly, New Zealand has had some of the largest glacial recession on earth. What were once giant moving masses of ice are...
The Sad Glacier (Part One) - Falls Creek
We, the lucky few who live in the Te Anau Basin, live in one of the best places to access the wilderness on the planet....