Every trip report
Filter by region, type of trip or dog missions — or search the whole South Island backcountry.
All trip reports
Going to a Remote Place (Part Three) - Moraine Creek
There are some very misleading names in the wild, and research is key because they can catch the odd person out. For ins...
Going to a Remote Place (Part Two) - Tent Flat (Part Two)
There is definitely a strange sort of confidence needed when going out into a wild environment. In theory you will simpl...
Going to a Remote Place (Part One) - Moraine Creek
As a kid I always enjoyed getting away from everything in the real world and spending some time exploring wherever I cou...
Above and Beyond (Part Two) - Benmore Hut (and Beyond)
Lots of people like to hike to a hut and then kick back and soak in the experience they just had while out on a mish. Ot...
Above & Beyond (Part One) - Benmore Hut (& Beyond)
Getting to a place - particular one few others visit - can bring a great sense of achievement, and is a big reason why m...
Follow a Man Named John Smith (Part Four) - Curraghmore Station
During my time working at the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves, I would occasionally meet the trappers who were going to do pest...
Follow a Man Named John Smith (Part Three) - Curraghmore Station
My time as a possum trapper on the West Coast had ended with a result of ‘inconclusive’. Considering what a man named Jo...
Follow a Man Named John Smith (Part One) - Te Taho Station (Dry Creek)
While the rest of the world grew, Aotearoa sat alone near the end of the earth. It took brave and bold voyages by advent...
Follow a Man Named John Smith (Part Two) - Dry Creek (Little Man Creek)
After visiting certain locations many times over for well over a decade I can say it has been both reassuring and disapp...
Hut Etiquette (Part Two) - Packhorse Hut
During my time exploring the mountains of Aotearoa I have spent numerous nights in the many huts that are dotted through...
Poor Etiquette at the Packhorse (Part One) - Packhorse Hut
I think that many of us would love to have a back country hut to themselves. A private little getaway in the mountains f...
During a Fine Spell Of Weather (Part Two) - Woolshed Creek Hut Loop
During fine spells of weather, the adventurous types trek themselves into some rather remote spots. An aspect of hiking...
During a Fine Spell of Weather (Part One) - Woolshed Creek Loop
Once the fire of adventure is lit it needs regular fuel. Ever since landing a job at Ultimate Hikes guiding on the Route...
Ko Whenua O Ranginui
"The Beauty Above Paradise"
Wild Workplace (Part Four) - The Routeburn Track
Going from filing cabinets to flying in choppers was a welcome change, and it needed a spine fracture and bulging disk i...
Wild Workplace (Part Three) - The Routeburn Track
You are not supposed to enjoy work. Well that’s what I used to think before getting a good as a guide on the Routeburn /...
Wild Workplace (Part Two) - The Routeburn Track
Once you get over the fact that being wet isn’t going to hurt you (as long as you keep moving), and when you have a nice...
Wild Workplace (Part One) - The Routeburn Track
To say getting a job as a guide on the Routeburn Track was a game changer is a huge understatement. I went from dreading...
Mountains, Mud & an Old Honda. Lake Sumner / Hurunui River
Like a child with blue cheese, it took me some time to get to like the taste of going on missions into the mountains. As...
Where it all Began - Hurunui High Country Track
We are taking a step back in time. Way back in 2005 I was well into my career as a Christchurch Bogan, and adventures in...