N E W Z E A L A N D
ADVENTURE WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
ISSUE 216 OCT/NOV 2019 NZ $10.90 incl. GST
FACING YOUR FEARS
2019 GUIDE TO CAMPING&HIKING
For more than 30 years our sleeping bags have set the standard within climbing and mountaineering communities. Carefully balancing our heritage with innovation, we’ve learnt from the past whilst constantly thinking about the future. Driven by a pursuit of excellence, quality sits at the heart of our manufacturing. We pride ourselves on designing and hand-crafting world-class sleeping bags honed for the mountains.
AVAILABLE NOW FROM RAB SPECIALIST STORES THROUGHOUT NZ. Auckland: Outfitters, Living Simply, Waikato: Trek & Travel, Equip Outdoors,
BOP: Whakatane Great Outdoors, Outdoorsman HQ, Taupo: Outdoor Attitude, Wellington: Dwights Outdoors, Motueka: Coppins Outdoors, Kaikoura: Coastal Sports Christchurch: Complete Outdoors, Greymouth: Colls Sportsworld, Hokitika: Hokitika Cycles & Sportsworld, Franz Josef Glacier: The Glacier Shop, Fox Glacier: The Hobnail Shop, Wanaka: MT Outdoors, Queenstown: Small Planet, Invercargill: Southern Adventure Hunting and Fishing New Zealand stores nationwide. On-line: outdooraction.co.nz, gearshop.co.nz Distributed by: Outfitters 0800 021732
www.outfitters.net.nz
#216
the arena "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." Theodor Rosevelt, 1910
After hiking up from Chamonix town to the Grands Mulets hut, Aaron Durogati left early under a full moon up Mont Blanc. Once on the summit he flew down the West Face of Mont Blanc and continued his descent to the Italian town of Courmayeur (thus completing a full traverse of the mountain). Image by Jonathan Griffith / Red Bull Content Pool Visit Adventure Magazine online www.adventuremagazine.co.nz EDITOR & ADVERTISING MANAGER Steve Dickinson Mob: 027 577 5014 steve@pacificmedia.co.nz ART DIRECTOR Lynne Dickinson design@pacificmedia.co.nz SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES subs@pacificmedia.co.nz DISTRIBUTION Ovato, Ph (09) 979 3000
True adventure is not defined by the activity, nor its length, nor the level of danger. Adventure is defined by the participation, being in the arena, having the dust on your face and the sweat on your brow. The adventure is not defined by what others think an adventure should be, adventure is defined by your internal mechanism of risk; that which gives you joy, those moments of real pleasure, that instance of pushing the envelope of risk above the norm and stepping on and past that boundary; whatever that boundary might be. Boundaries by definition are different for everyone; the height of the jump, the length of the hike, the altitude of the climb, the rate of the descent. What is steep for me may not be steep for you, what is fast for you may seem slow to me. Risk, adventure, danger, can only be defined by the man in the arena, the one with dust on his face and the sweat on his brow, the one that knows the effort of attempt and the taste of both victory and loss. The one whose endeavour is the adventure, the journey, the effort, not the destination. The one who exerts himself to the edge of his means, not the means of another. The one who knows the joy of effort and can revel in the understanding of loss knowing that he did his best, that he pushed his limit, that he used all his resources yet even though he may have come up short time and again the endeavour is the adventure, the journey, the determination – being in the arena; not standing on the side lines watching.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS (HARDCOPY AND ONLINE) www.adventuremagazine.co.nz www.adventuretraveller.co.nz www.adventuerjobs.co.nz www.skiandsnow.co.nz www.primetimes.co.nz PUBLISHERS NZ Adventure Magazine is published six times a year by: Pacific Media Ltd, P.O.Box 562 Whangaparaoa, New Zealand Ph: 0275775014 Email: steve@pacificmedia.co.nz adventuremagazine.co.nz adventurejobs.co.nz | adventuretraveller.co.nz Contributions of articles and photos are welcome and must be accompanied by a stamped selfaddressed envelope. Photographic material should be on slide, although good quality prints may be considered. All care is taken but no responsibility accepted for submitted material. All work published may be used on our website. Material in this publication may not be reproduced without permission. While the publishers have taken all reasonable precautions and made all reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of material in this publication, it is a condition of purchase of this magazine that the publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in this publication, or from the use of information contained herein and the publishers make no warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to any of the material contained herein.
Steve Dickinson - Editor
JOBS www.adventuretraveller.co.nz
www.adventurejobs.co.nz
Adventure is proudly powered by Ssangyong Please feel free to send any submissions to steve@pacificmedia.co.nz
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
03
10
Image by Jack Austin
page
#216
contents page
10//wild camping
16
By Jack Austin
16//kiwis crossing the khumba By Derek Cheng Image by Derek Cheng
24//hunted by a seal
Andy Reid's encounter with a leopard seal
28//the 'joy' of camping
By Brian Megaw
30//the last frontier By Mike Dawson page
36//facing fears
30
With Annabel Anderson
46//tahiti at her finest By Steve Dickinson
58//kiwi's in borneo By Nicky Steele
Image by Mike Dawson
65//urban adventure
Inspiration, activities and information for the urban adventurer
99//travel
Cuba, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Taiwan
page
plus 42. 64. 82. 110.
86
in your opinion subs gear guides Active adventure
FOLLOW US ON
Image by Steve Dickinson
www.facebook.com/adventuremagnz
04//WHERE
adventuremagazine www.adventuremagazine.co.nz
. . . . . . . .
Nzadventuremag JOIN THE CONVERSATION #ADVENTUREMAGAZINE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Women’s Choprock in Blue Smoke Pictured
The Choprock
Built for hiking. Made for water.
Designed for hiking around and through water, the Choprock delivers reliable stability, all day comfort and amphibious traction. On land, through water. Dry and wet. Available in styles for Men, Women and Kid’s.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AVAILABLE IN RETAILERS NATIONWIDE
MERRELL STORES
TA KA P U N A
H OW I C K
W H A N GA M ATA
WWW.MERRELL.CO.NZ
R I C CA RTO N
Q U E E N STOW N
JOBS Adventure Jobs is a platform that does two things; it connects those looking for work in the adventure industry and it connects the industry to those looking for very specific work. The application can revolve around very explicit skill sets like a mandarin speaking glacial guide or a grade 5 rafting guide. Or as simple as a bus driver with a love of meeting new people. How do we connect people? It’s multi-platformed; applicants can join the website group of which there are over 3000, that’s 3000 people looking for work in the adventure industry in New Zealand. Once online they can post a resume if they wish, they then get a notification of any new jobs that get posted. Each week a newsletter is sent out to all the members regarding the new jobs that have been posted or they can re-check back on the website at any stage. The jobs are also posted on social media; Facebook – Instagram and Twitter - these posting, in turn, get shared forward to those not on our database. $45 will be your best investment for this summer. www.adventurejobs.co.nz
Innovation You Can Trust Gear built to maximise your adventure, comfort, space and everything in between.
See our website for your local stockist
www.marmotnz.co.nz
Find more than just the finish line Use promo code BIVOUAC for
15% off your team registration fee
WhakatÄ ne
21-22 March 2020
Register now at oxfamtrailwalker.org.nz Since 2009, Bivouac Outdoor has been the Official Gear Supplier to Oxfam Trailwalker. We are committed to supporting teams as they take part in this incredible challenge.
www.bivouac.co.nz I STORES NATIONWIDE
g n o r w e b t ' n a c e l p o e p 0 0 46,7 JOIN THE CONVERSATION
08//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
@ adventuremagazine ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
09
WILD CAMPING By Jack Austin
I recently have been asked a few times about my wild camping experiences and well simply - why do I do it? Which brings me to the notion - why we do escape to isolated areas and pitch our tents in sometimes unfavourable/ unplanned conditions? I guess it's one of those things, if you know why you do it... you know. The saying goes ‘No risk, no reward’. The experience of wild camping brings with it some risk, for you are looking to camp in exposed locations the majority of the time and the conditions can change very quickly. Speaking from experience, with some incredible moments and experiences wild camping, but also, some very unfavourable ones. One time I was camping at the foot of Mt Chaos in MT Aspiring National Park, New Zealand, looking out over amazing alpine lakes in amazing conditions, a memory I'll cherish for a long time and reflect on. Yet, I also remember camping on the tops of the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons, Wales, not nearly as high in altitude as my Mt Aspiring experience, but overnight, gale force winds made their way in, breaking my tent poles and ripping out pegs; it was a long night to say the least. Whether it be good or bad, you learn from it, so I’ve put together a few points to take into consideration for your next wild camping experience.
10//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
11
Picking a spot: Very important. Ever-changing conditions particularly in high-elevated areas, it can be tricky to read what the weather is doing and ultimately, is going to do. One minute, you could be falling asleep to clear skies and starry nights. The next, you’re woken up at 3am to howling winds and feeling like your tent is about to take its first flight. Taking time to make this decision is good time, for pitching just anywhere can be chancing your luck and you could be in for a rough night. Personally, I like to see what the wind is currently doing and pre-empt forecasts that I have seen before the trip, to see if it is going to change. If so, I’ll pitch behind anything big, whether that’s a rock wall, a cliff or a boulder, anything that will provide some cover and wind-break. Rain, if it was anything major, I probably wouldn’t have set out to begin with, but if there is some coming in, I would opt to see if there is any overhangs or trees of some description that may provide over-head cover. Ultimately, if you’re camping on the tops, this will most likely be hard to come by. Parting with the Digital World: I think we all get stuck in the routine of the digital world, the only known break from it I have is when I go out on multi-day trips. It's healthy and revitalising and it actually gives you a brief reminder of the things that actually matter. That being said, modernday tech allows helpful tools at your fingertips in the form of digital, multi-scale maps, offline location services and location tracking. This, along with your essential outdoor skills and necessities (maps, compass etc) and you’ll be fully equipped to take yourself on a multi-day journey. I do take my phone with me, it’s useful if I really need it, but if not, it remains turned off and tucked away. There’s a reason we come away to these places and that’s to experience nature at its finest and that’s without the distractions of the modern world. Everything with you: The one great factor about wild-camping is having everything with you on your back and being equipped for what you’re doing, not relying on conveniences. In essence, your bag contains your shelter, your food and your water, all the essentials necessary for survival, taking you back to basics which we rarely think about it in the day-to-day grind of the modern-world. Keeping your pack organised in a way that makes sense to you is important especially if your trip consists of anything multi-day. A great habit that I adopted from some hiking friends of mine is a day essentials pack… within your pack. Each morning, lay out what food you’re going to want each dayand pack it inside a small dry bag, then during the day when it comes to lunch-time, any breaks and eventually dinner, you know that by grabbing your day pack, you have everything in there set for the day, rather than spending time and energy on digging blind through your pack.
12//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
"In essence, your bag contains your shelter, your food and your water, all the essentials necessary for survival, taking you back to basics which we rarely think about it in the day-to-day grind of the modern-world."
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
13
"My solo trips do provide solitary and peace yet, having friends and companions with you, gives you an experience to share and reflect on later down the line."
Camping with friends: I have been fortunate enough to experience wild camping and multi-day hikes both by myself and also with friends. My solo trips do provide solitary and peace yet, having friends and companions with you, gives you an experience to share and reflect on later down the line. You will experience hardships and challenges along the way which you work out and solve together, both at your best and at your worst, you get through it. These fantastic memories and moments you get to share with them and it could be months, or even years down the line, when you can sit down and reflect on those moments with them, as let's face it, you only truly understand how good it was if you were actually there to experience it. Not only that, but you may find doing so can shed some kg’s off your pack, sounds good right? For better or worse: Putting yourself out there is pretty much the summary of it all, you are literally out there, for whatever comes, you will experience it. Weather patterns are ever-changing so in some remote alpine locations, you truly never know what it might do. However, even though it might all doom and gloom, it does have some immense rewards mentally, giving you the gift of being somewhere you wouldn't usually be and no doubt, in weather conditions you wouldn't normally be in. If I had the choice, I'd most likely stay in if the weather was gloomy outside, but with all the haze and fog, it's conditions like these where I have actually had some of my most amazing outdoor experiences to date. Mistakes: An essential. Every experienced wild camper/ hiker/ explorer has more than likely made a mistake or two in the outdoors, no matter how big or small. In my opinion, it can be a great experience to make a mistake. Forgetting your blister plasters, an extra meal, not breaking in your boots before a big trip or even forgetting to check the local and mountain forecasts for where you’re going, these are all fantastic mistakes to make, because… you learn from them. There’s never too much planning, the more variables you can take away, the less risky the experience becomes and soon enough, you’re confident, equipped and ready to head off. I’ve forgotten many essentials, extra socks, not filling up enough water at a reliable water source and even forgetting my thermals, but now I make lists and itineraries, ensuring those important essentials don’t get forgotten again. So, whether it’s a full list/ tick sheet of your gear and what you need, spending time scanning weather forecasts or maybe a photo on your phone of all your equipment laid out, ensure nothing is forgotten and a more relaxed experience on your adventure will follow.
14//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
STRONG & LIGHT
R A V E N
3
G T X
Want a tough, technical mountaineering boot which is still lightweight? Our solution is the Raven 3 GTX with its hard-wearing fabric upper and waterproof GORE-TEX® protection. The crampon-compatible Vibram® WrapThread Combi sole offers optimum grip, traction and surefootedness over rough terrain, while the TPU Bilight Midsole and customizable fit provide superior rock shock absorption and cushioning.
SALEWA.COM
KIWIS CROSSING THE KHUMBU Words and images by Derek Cheng
We had nowhere to go. As darkness began to descend and the high altitude freeze tightened its grip, our trekking group surveyed the Gokyo Glacier before us. We were somewhere between Renjo La and Cho La, two mountain passes in the Khumbu Valley, Nepal, somewhere west of Everest Base Camp. We had crossed 90 per cent of the glacier, but large bodies of freezing water and impassable walls of ice blocked the final leg to the other side. We trudged far and wide, searching for a way through, always returning to the same spot. We were getting desperate. A member of our quartet, perhaps delirious with fatigue, made the laughable suggestion that we throw huge boulders into one of the lakes to allow us to step-stone across. "Damn you, global warming!" cried Andy, a trail-runner from Colorado, lamenting the glacier-melt and the impenetrable, watery obstacles at every turn. With darkness approaching, we conceded defeat and trudged two hours back to the Namaste Lodge in the small mountain hamlet of Gokyo. Inside the lodge, we found an updated map. It showed a new path across the glacier – far higher than the one on our map. This is one of the risks of trekking unassisted in the Himalayas. Usually, there are enough guided parties around and, if in doubt, you can just follow one. But this day, we had ventured off on our own, oblivious to the dead-end ahead. And yet, nestled among glaciers and the most aesthetic peaks in the world, it wasn't a bad place to be stuck.
Kate Ewen approaches the imposing peak of Ama Dablam in the Khumbu Valley, Nepal
"By the end of the hike, she would have endured – and overcome – several symptoms of altitude sickness: diarrhoea, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, breathlessness, blurry vision, and a headache that feels like the Nepali army is using the inside of your head for stomping practice."
Lukla airport is the beginning of the adventure for most hikers in the Khumbu Valley, home to Mt Everest and its surroundings of incomparable beauty. It also has the infamous reputation of having one of the world's most challenging airstrips to navigate. It comprises a thin, short lick of pavement, literally cut into the side of a steep mountain gorge that faces another cliff face. Thankfully, my friend Kate and I landed safely in Lukla (2860m) and started the long uphill walk to Namche Bazaar, the colourful mountain village that is the last bastion of civilisation before striking out to explore the vast and untamed mountainous region. Here you can buy last minute supplies from food to Gortex jackets to sleeping bags, call your mother from an internet café, and load up on pastries from the German bakery. At 3444m, it is also the perfect place to acclimatise and prepare for the next few weeks. Fortunately, hiking in the Khumbu is very convenient. The abundance of homestays means you won't need to carry a tent, or much food. We had opted for the Three Passes route, without guides, to make for a more independent and enriching experience across about 140 kilometres of rugged, undulating terrain. This was Kate's first encounter with high altitude. By the end of the hike, she would have endured – and overcome – several symptoms of altitude sickness: diarrhoea, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, breathlessness, blurry vision, and a headache that feels like the Nepali army is using the inside of your head for stomping practice. After a day of resting in Namche, we hoisted our packs (with 70-odd Snickers bars) onto our backs and headed west. Peaceful serenity and solitude soon replaced the mad bustle of Namche.
The Himalaya had had a fresh dumping of snow for peaks to replenish their white cloaks. We passed mountain villas and conical Buddhist structures called chorten on the way to Renjo La. There is something meditative about climbing up a mountain pass, one foot in front of the other, as the scenery slowly changes. Grass and flowers disappeared. Lakes became thick sheets of ice. Deeper snow appeared, cradling fresh tracks from the rare snow leopard. Renjo La (5345m) sits in between sharp ridge lines, and is decorated with cairns and colourful prayer flags. To the east, the black, ice- and rock-covered pyramid of Mt Everest hovered above a puff of cumulus. It was our first view of the world's highest mountain. The pure turquoise of Gokyo Lake, just below the pass, glistened in the afternoon sunlight. We took a moment to bask in the view, and then practically ran down the hill to the lake to dive into its icy waters. The chill of a thousand blades stabbed our bodies, but it was glorious. The dip lasted but a few seconds. When we walked into Namaste Lodge, a smiling man greeted us with warm cups of a sweet, powdered orange drink and yak burgers. The yak is common livestock in the Himalaya – its butter providing flavour to local dishes and added zing to tea (comprising yak butter, tea, salt and water), and its meat nourishing the Sherpa people of the mountains. The meat is lean and moist, and often likened to bison. The fireplace – fuelled by burning yak dung – kept the lounge and dining areas luxuriously warm. It was here that we befriended Andy and Paulo, from America, with whom we shared our failed attempt to cross the Gokyo Glacier. The following day, after consulting some locals at our lodge, we crossed the glacier in the right place and made the steady climb up to Cho La (5420m), the second pass, where fog interrupted clear skies and turned
visibility to mere metres. Running shoes were perhaps not the best attire to deal with the steep, snow- and ice-covered scree slopes leading up to the pass. At the top, a fierce chill enveloped us and we then hurried to follow a guided group through snow tracks and down to the few homes that make up the small settlement of Dzongla. It had been a long day, and we were relieved to arrive in a home-stay that offered hot lemon drinks. "Fresh lemon?" I asked naively. "No," came the amused reply. "The only thing fresh around here is yak dung!” Still, the hot lemon was a soothing balm after an icy trek. By morning, the skies had cleared, and we gazed at the imposing summits to the south. From Dzongla, the track contoured around a hillside and joined the main trail towards Everest Base Camp. We were now on the main Khumbu highway of porters – carrying super-human loads on their backs – and trekkers from all over the world. We spent the next night in Gorak Shep, our highest slumber spot at 5160m. We arrived late in the evening and were fatigued and hungry, immediately wolfing down some Nepali bread (round flat bread fried in yak butter) to supplement our daily fixtures of tsampa (a common breafast of barley porridge with a generous dollop of yak butter) and dahl baht (lentils and rice). We needed the extra calories for the following morning, when we were to rise at 3am to navigate the trail up Kala Patthar. At 5545m, it was the highest point on the circuit, guarded by the steepest trail of the whole trek, though not steep enough to require any technical expertise or the use of fixed ropes. The incline made our leg muscles burn and our lungs heave, while the painfully elusive summit seemed to remain like a distant apparition.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Tibetan prayer flags and chortens are common in the Khumbu valley. A chorten is shaped to represent Buddha and is said to contain relics of Buddha. It has a base, dome, conical spire, upper umbrella and crescent moon, and sun point, representing the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. / Two Sherpa sisters play in the small village of Thame, Khumbu Valle, Nepal / The colourful tent city that is Everest Base Camp sits alongside the Khumbu Icefall / A still morning by Gokyo Lake, Nepal / Porters carrying heavy loads to and from Everest Base Camp are a common sight in the climbing season.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
19
"Everest stood tallest, leading a trail of peaks south towards the trifecta of Ama Dablam, Kangtega and Thamserku, where, at that very moment, climbers were pushing through thin air towards coveted summits."
But persistence paid off. Arriving well before the day's first rays crept over the shoulder of the monstrous summit of Everest and her vertiginous neighbour Nuptse, we watched as layers of wispy cloud filled the valley above the Khumbu Glacier, slowly lifting as the gentle rays made the summits blush. Everest stood tallest, leading a trail of peaks south towards the trifecta of Ama Dablam, Kangtega and Thamserku, where, at that very moment, climbers were pushing through thin air towards coveted summits. It is clear in places like this why ancient civilisations worshipped mountains and believed them to be deities. For hours, we simply sat at the peak of Kala Patthar sipping hot tea from a thermos and silently drinking in the glorious scenery. The serenity of Kala Patthar was very different to the city of tents at Everest Basecamp, a few hours' hike away. So vast is the camping area that it is almost a scar on the magnificent Khumbu Icefall. It is hard to believe that such a circus city – complete with a bakery and night club – exists in such an inhospitable location.
20//WHERE
The final pass – Kongma La – took us away from the main trail once again, and we were happy for the peace and quiet as we dropped back down the trail and crossed the Khumbu Glacier early the next morning. We were amply rewarded for the steep slog to the top of the pass at 5535m. The towering, cloud-covered Ama Dablam stood defiantly in the distance, high above a frozen lake. As we headed to the small town of Chhukung, Ama Dablam loomed larger, her sharp ridgeline fending off violent, billowing clouds. We spent a few days in Chhukung to soak in the experience, knowing that the moment we left would mark the beginning of the hike out. When we finally started our downhill push from Chhukung back towards civilisation, Ama Dablam seemed to follow, teasing us with her beautiful form. In Tengboche, she finally emerged from a frenzied grip of clouds, standing proudly in clear skies. Tengboche is the second largest settlement in the valley, after Namche
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Bazaar. Its famous monastery is full of detailed paintings depicting the life of Buddha, and visitors are invited to observe monks chanting mantras. On the path back to Namche Bazaaar, the landscape shifted again with flowers blooming and diverse shrubbery emerging from the soil. We re-joined the main trail, and the crowds gathered again – not just trekkers, but triumphant climbers returning from Everest's hallowed summit. Rain drenched us on the trail back to Lukla, where dozens of stranded hikers waited for the clouds to part and allow planes to take off. It had been weeks of the most majestic mountains and an at-times gruelling adventure, but for me, it was not quite over. I needed to make it back to Kathmandu for a 10-day meditation retreat, so as the others sipped tea in cafes waiting for the clouds to clear, I hoisted my pack onto my back and continued down the valley towards to the small town of Salleri, some 40 kilometres away - an adventure I was more than happy to extend.
MAIN: Layers of cloud hover over the Khumbu Glacier as morning's first rays hit the peaks of the Khumbu Valley, Nepal INSET: Paulo Wellman watches the sunrise while gazing at the black peak of Mt Everest and Nuptse, Nepal
X
posure
WILL GADD CLIMBING IN GREENLAND ON OCTOBER 14, 2018 IMAGE BY CHRISTIAN PONDELLA, RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Owha on the pontoon was taken in Whangarei during one of her regular visits there courtsey Leopardseal.org
HUNTED BY A SEAL By Andy Reid
I spend my time these days between my home in Coromandel and work in Auckland. It’s a lovely balance and while I am in Auckland, I live on an old kauri motor sailor in Westhaven Marina for 2 or 3 days a week. I do look forward to getting home to Coromandel on a Thursday night but also enjoy my weekly time on the boat. It may be surprising to some that Westhaven is the largest marina in the Southern Hemisphere and is home to over 2,000 boats. During the day it can be a hive of activity but very few people stay in the Marina and it gradually becomes a quiet and tranquil place in the evening and stays that way through the night and into the early morning. The soft rumble from the traffic on the nearby motorway gradually fades and the new lights on the Auckland Harbour bridge make a stunning backdrop. I have been living this lifestyle for just over 3 years now and one of the aspects that I really enjoy is that I can store my kayak on the boat and with little effort drop it into the water and head off for a paddle. Most Tuesday and Thursday mornings I set
off in the early morning and meet up with my adventure racing friends and spend between 1 and 2 hours kayaking in the harbour followed by a hearty breakfast at the local marina cafĂŠ. I am by no means the only one living in the Marina and a couple of years before I arrived another visitor had made Westhaven her home. Her name is Owha, and she is a female leopard seal and rather like me she comes and goes on a regular basis. She, however, had come from a little further than Coromandel, which is about 40km as the crow flies. She had swum up from Antarctica, a distance of some 5,300km. They can swim up to speeds of 25km per hour, but at a cruising speed of 10km per hour and with a few sleeps and snacks on the way it would have taken her at least a month. The first time that I met Owha was just under 3 years ago. To be precise, it was on the 12th October 2016 and it was a cold, dark morning at 6.30am as I hopped into my kayak. I headed up the main channel of the marina towards Auckland City just as the sun was rising. It threw up a beautiful
orange hue against a backdrop of tall masts, cranes and city skyscrapers. I was paddling along in a semi trance, enjoying the view and not thinking of much except trying to warm up while gently easing into my kayak stroke. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge black silhouetted shape crossed a few feet in front of my bow, reminding me of one of those hazy photographs of the Loch Ness Monster, with two humps and a huge head. It was surreal and after my heart stopped thumping, I realised that it had been Owha, probably on the hunt for her breakfast. On that occasion she did not stop to say hello. What amazed me was her sheer size. The females are the largest of the species and grow up to 13ft feet in length and 600kg in weight. They are not the largest seals on the planet, that prize goes to the Elephant and Walrus seals, but they must surely be the most ferocious looking seals, with their massive reptilian-like head and teeth for Africa. It was such a thrill to see a Leopard Seal in real life that I decided to do a little research
on google when I got back. I rather wished that I hadn’t. After the Killer Whale they are the Southern Ocean’s most fearsome predator. I also learnt that Leopard seals are solitary animals and that due to their exceptionally nasty demeanour and solitary nature, scientists know little about them. Surely that can’t be true, they look so cute! They get their name from their markings and like the rest of the species, Owha has a light grey head, throat and belly, scattered with dark grey and black spots.
"After the Killer Whale they are the Southern Ocean’s most fearsome predator." I was also wondering how she had got her name and I read that after about a year of sightings and due to her unusual presence, the local Maori hapu, Ngati Whatua ki Orakei, named her "He owha nā ōku tūpuna", or Owha for short, meaning treasured gift from our ancestors. I mentioned the close encounter to my kayaking buddies and it certainly added a bit of excitement to our weekly paddling excursions. Blair couldn’t wait to get out and meet her, but his wife Jules was somewhat apprehensive about heading out from the marina on her paddle board and I don’t blame her. Another adventure racing team-mate Andrew, a New Zealand spear fishing champion and someone who has swum around great Barrier Island was also decidedly nervous and refused to go kayaking with us while Owha was about. However, there was no sign of Owha again for many months. I heard that she had eaten all the shags in the marina and had moved on. There were sightings of her in the Whangarei Marina, which by a cruel coincidence is where Andrew lives. Fast forward to January 18th 2018. It was a pretty hot summer and I decided to move the inflatable dinghy from its usual storage spot on the top of the boat, where it was blocking the front hatch, and put it into the water beside the boat. This allowed me to get a nice breeze running through the boat. On Wednesday mornings I usually head off to Pilates to stretch my aging muscles. It runs from 7.00am to 8.00am and I find it extremely relaxing and beneficial. I returned from Pilates to an unusual sight. The inflatable was sinking and had almost disappeared. If it hadn’t been tied to the mooring it would have sunk to the bottom of the marina. I was slightly perplexed to say the least and dragged the sodden mass of rubber onto the pier. I was no longer feeling relaxed and as I inspected the damaged inflatable I could see
distinctive teeth marks in both of the front pontoons. That bloody Leopard seal had taken a liking to my poor inflatable dinghy. Bugger, I wasn’t feeling quite so warm towards Owha at that moment. I carried the wounded dinghy to the car and drove it around to one of the marine workshops that specialise in repairing damaged inflatables. I explained what had happened to the guy in the workshop and he sympathised with me. He also told me that it was totally beyond repair, shit. The next day I popped into one of the better local marine stores, Sailors’ Corner, to check out the price of a new inflatable. I explained to the salesman what had happened, and blow me down, he had already heard the news! Wow, word goes around quickly in this community. A replacement dinghy wasn’t cheap, so I decided to ring my insurance company.
equip yourself!
You can imagine how that conversation went. “Hello, I would like to make a claim” “What would you like to claim?”. “My dinghy has been destroyed”. “How did that happen?” “A leopard seal took a bite out of it and has damaged it beyond repair”, “Ok, I haven’t heard that one before” she replied with a hint of disbelief in her voice, “how do you know it was a leopard seal?”, I started to explain and even I was thinking this is sounding a little far- fetched. “I’ll send you the photo and you can see for yourself”, I ended. Suffice to say, with the convoluted explanation and the complex excess clauses, it just wasn’t worth the bother. Over a year went past and our Leopard Seal had completely disappeared from the scene. Despite the considerable hole she had put in my dinghy as well as my pocket, I was rather fond of her. However, all was not lost when one morning I was heading back from Herne Bay towards the harbour bridge with Blair and another adventure racing mate, Steven. It was early in the spring and the conditions were a little choppy and I was concentrating on keeping my tippy kayak upright. Steven spotted some commotion going on in the distance and as we got a little closer, we could see that it was being made by a pod of dolphins. Then something amazing happened, they spotted us, headed over and proceeded to playfully follow our kayaks, dancing in and around us. These were large bottlenose dolphins and Blair and Steven watched in amusement as one of them swam right under my kayak. It was difficult to enjoy the moment, knowing that with one gentle nudge I would be out and in the water. A few months later, on the 17th July, Blair and another adventuring buddy Cath and I had just passed under the Auckland Harbour
Low Prices Everyday Free NZ Shipping on orders over $150 for members Members Earn Equip+ Loyalty Points
shop online or instore
equipoutdoors.co.nz 62 Killarney Road, Frankton, Hamilton, New Zealand P: 0800 22 67 68 E: sales@equipoutdoors.co.nz
"I wish that I had not read the reports about how one of her relatives had attacked a snorkeler in 2003 in Antarctica and taken her to the bottom of the ocean and drowned her." Bridge in our kayaks, when Blair spotted something around 50m to our right, it was a school of common dolphins. They were on a mission and were heading along in convoy. We changed our direction and headed over towards them and spent a good 15 minutes with them following them under the harbour bridge and back towards Auckland city. There were a few adults and some youngsters. Blair was in his element, right in amongst them, while Cath and I watched on. It made our morning. A few weeks ago, out of the blue, I got a text from the Westhaven Marina, to say that Owha was back, rather like the “Terminator” and to be careful. Don’t allow your pet dogs or children to wonder unaccompanied on the piers. Don’t get within 20 metres of her. It all sounded a little dramatic but over the time Owha has appeared to be getting a little more destructive and had destroyed a few more dinghys around the harbour. She was also filmed turning another seal in the vicinity into mince-meat. I have not seen the footage myself, thankfully, but apparently it was quite chilling. About 3 weeks ago, it was a particularly cold June morning, a mist had settled over the harbour. I received a text from Blair that he would not be kayaking in the morning, some excuse about a crane blocking his driveway. I met Cath in the main channel
of the marina and we headed out into the harbour and under the harbour bridge. The visibility was down to about 10 metres, and with land completely out of sight it was most dis-orientating. We headed towards Cox’s Bay near Westmere and as it got light, we turned to head home. Unexpectedly, out of the mist, a huge head appeared from under the water. It was Owha, just a few meters to our left and she looked over towards us and I am sure she smiled, or was she licking her lips? It gave us both a bit of a fright, but it was nice to see her again and I wondered if I should give her a mild telling off for killing my dinghy. Not to worry, it was well over a year ago and I had gotten over it and forgiven her. We didn’t hang around to exchange pleasantries and headed back to the marina. The following week Cath encountered her again, just as she was launching off from the boat ramp, in the early hours of the morning. Cath heard some snorting and saw a ripple, just as she was about to head off. It didn’t seem to be going anywhere and Cath was able to proceed without being pursued. This week I got another text from Blair with some excuse about not being able to make the kayak again, something about mud on his driveway and being busy. It was a windy
and dark July morning and so Cath and I decided to stay within the marina and do circuits up and down the piers. It was pitch black at 6.30am and we were both wearing head torches. After about half an hour, it was still quite dark, and Cath heard something behind us. She wondered if Owha was about and then said it was probably just a fish. She then looked behind and let out a scream. Owha was on our tail, her head and shoulders were out of the water and she was following us, 300kg of muscle and teeth. Cath spotted an empty berth and hastily headed towards it while I carried on. I decided to stop and hold onto a pole and dolphin ring. Then I saw Owha rise from under the water. Her huge head and snorting nostrils just a few metres away from me. I looked over at her and her eyes glistened from the reflection of my headlamp. That with the huge reptilian head gave her a quite sinister appearance. She started to circle my kayak and would temporarily disappear under the water, rise again, snorting, getting a little closer to my kayak each time. I started to feel decidedly uneasy. I wish that I had not read the reports about how one of her relatives had attacked a snorkeler in 2003 in Antarctica and taken
her to the bottom of the ocean and drowned her or how another relative had jumped on to the ice sheet in 1985 and tried to drag a Scottish explorer into the sea. He was saved by his mates who had to kick the seal’s head with their spiked crampons to free him from their buddy’s leg. The only other and first documented threatening encounter with humans was during Shackleton’s 1914-17 Trans-Antarctic expedition when they were camping on the sea ice. One of the members of the expedition was chased along the ice by a 500kg, 12 ft Leopard seal. He was saved when another member of the expedition, Frank Wild, shot the animal.
"Probably the most fascinating account that I have come across was the Antarctic encounter with wildlife photographer, Paul Nicken, of the National Geographic magazine. He captured pictures of a leopard seal bringing live, injured, and then dead penguins to him, possibly in an attempt to teach him how to hunt. " I am sure they would have been much hungrier in Antarctica than Owha, who has a plentiful supply of fish and shags in the marina and would surely have no appetite for a grizzly old kayaker. She was beginning to get a little too close for comfort, it was after all, only our third date. After 2 or 3 minutes of sitting there I decided I needed to make a break for it. Without looking back, I made a beeline for the empty berth where Cath had exited. I’m am sure I could hear some snorting behind me, and frantically, with Cath’s help, clambered out of the kayak, and onto the pier. We were both in semi-shock and half laughing about the close encounter and could see Owha still swimming around looking for us. It was difficult to tell if she was being predatory or just curious. It would be nice to think it was the latter. Whist we had temporarily escaped, there was just one problem. The only way we could get off the pier, as the gate was locked, was to paddle over to my pier, which was a couple of piers over. I could see that Cath wasn’t overly keen to get back in the water and we wondered if Owha would hear us and swim under the pontoon towards us. Apparently out of water they have similar hearing to humans. We tentatively got back into the water and I
must say, that I have never seen Cath paddle so quickly, she reminded me of Lisa Carrington during one of her Olympic gold winning sprints. Cath was a little worried that Owha was beginning to stalk us and was questioning the wisdom of early morning kayaks in the marina. I rang Blair to tell him of our encounter who was most disappointed to miss her again. His wife Jules, needless to say, wasn’t. I also googled Owha again and was pleased to find an article announcing that she had recently received citizenship. Crikey, even I haven’t got around to doing that yet, after 26 years. Just a few weeks ago, Leopard seals have officially moved from being classed as vagrants to residents of New Zealand. This is largely due to the great work being carried out by NIWA cetacean biologist Dr Krista Hupman, who largely attributes this success to Owha who made the Waitemata Harbour her home in 2012. It was Owha, who has been sighted in Dunedin, the Bay of Plenty as well as Whangarei and Auckland that prompted Krista to research the prevalence and residency of Leopard seals in New Zealand. She has set up an 0800 LEOPARD hotline for the public to report sightings. The information that she has gathered has enabled the identification of 216 individuals who have visited NZ shores, including 74 in 2018 alone. Through her research she has compiled more than 3,000 sighting records including some from Maori middens, that indicate that Leopard seals have been part of the native fauna for centuries. I rang the hotline and spoke to an enthusiastic Krista and described the recent encounter with Owha. It was interesting to find that she has been growing in confidence and curiosity around humans and has moved on from her more clandestine activities of biting inflatable dinghys, which was a prevalent behaviour a couple of years ago. Last week she also scared a poor kayakyer in Greenhithe when she placed her head on the back of his inflatable kayak. Perhaps this confidence is a direct result of her newly found citizenship, which offers her many protections. Probably the most fascinating account that I have come across was the Antarctic encounter with wildlife photographer, Paul Nicken, of the National Geographic magazine. He captured pictures of a leopard seal bringing live, injured, and then dead penguins to him, possibly in an attempt to teach him how to hunt. His sequence of photographs are truly remarkable.
Officially...from Leopardseals.org Leopard seals are a native, resident species in New Zealand. They are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act 1978. Any disturbance to a leopard seal may result in a fine not exceeding $250,000 and/or 2 years imprisonment. Safety guidelines for encountering leopard seals: • If possible stay 20m away • Supervise children and put dogs on leads • Do not attempt to move or touch the seal • If you require assistance call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) or 0800 LEOPARD (0800 536 7273) Research into human-leopard seal interactions in Antarctica showed no attacks other than those mentioned in this article. It concluded that leopard seals approaching humans in the water generally did so with curiosity and did not attack. Caution when encountering a leopard seal in the water should always be taken, and exiting the water calmly is the safest way to respond to an encounter. Research is currently taking place into the management of leopard seals in urban environments. If you have had an encounter with Owha you can report it here: https://tinyurl.com/yczntnny If you have had damage to your property you can report it here: https://tinyurl.com/yyyly2d2
As I walk to work from the marina to the Wynyard quarter along the beautiful new walkway on the Auckland Marina, I always look out over St Mary’s Bay and wonder where Owha is, what she is doing today and when my next encounter might be?
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
27
the "joy" of camping By Brian Megaw, River Valley
For many people, hearing the simple statement, “I’m going camping”, can elicit a look of discomfort at best and horror at worst. Why is this the case? Why do so many adults react with horror to the thought of going camping? I have my theories about this, but I think that much of the blame may be placed at the door of many teenage school and Scouts type camps. Do you remember those camps? I still do, and I still like camping, but can certainly relate to people whom those camps left scarred for life (mentally scarred that is!) What Was Wrong With Those Camps and That Style of Camping? There was plenty that we endured on those camps that were less than positive. Tents: Tents were often old-style canvas or early nylon tents – often without tent flys. This lack of a tent fly meant they leaked. As School camps generally took place during mid to late spring, when it can rain a great deal, clothing and sleeping bags often got damp or wet. What You Slept On: If you were lucky, you were one of the kids that had a rubber sleeping mat. If you were not so lucky, you slept in your sleeping bag directly on top of a groundsheet. However, the sleeping mat was not a lot better, being akin to sleeping on a thick piece of cardboard. All night you tossed and turned, trying to find a new position that would give more comfort and relieve your aching shoulder, hip or back. Food: Food was often fairly average, dominated as it was by various out of a packet, simply add water and heat type dishes. Toilets: I think this is an area of the early camping experience that still bothers many people. Toilet conditions were often very
28//WHERE
primitive in the extreme, often involving the digging of small personal cat pits or smelly long drops. WHAT HAS CHANGED? A great deal has changed for the better since the school camps of my youth. It has been the development of so much better equipment that has led to this change. Tents: Tents now come in a dizzying range of styles, colours, shape and convenience. Many of even the cheapest tents will keep you dry and snug in all but the worst weather conditions. If you are prepared to spend more money, you can purchase tents that are lighter in weight, made of better materials and will stand up to blizzards. At the other end of the size spectrum, there are huge family tents available, perfect for some form of car camping. It is Now Possible To Have a Great Nights Sleep: While some people still have their rubber mat, I am not one of them! There is now a whole range of sleeping pad options. On our multi-day river trips, we issue thick self-inflating mattresses to customers, which allow a great nights sleep. Thinner three quarter length options are available if you are hiking or tramping. My personal favourites are the down inflatable sleeping mats. These are a little like an air mattress in having to be inflated but are light, pack small, warm
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
and comfortable. Perfect for a good nights sleep. Food: Surprisingly not as much has changed on this front, especially if you are carrying everything on your back. Our river trips are quite different. Expect three-course dinners, fresh vegetables and meat, wine etc. If you can comfortably carry it, which you can in a raft, then why not have it. The Toilet: There is still a range of toilet options. Cat pits are still a common option if out in the bush. On the river, we use a fold-out style toilet seat which is comfortable, hygienic and surprises many people with how clean and simple going to the toilet while camping can be. In conclusion, camping has come a long way since the days of your youth (that is if you are old as I am). I think you could be very pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and fun it can now be. I dare you to try it.
‘Best in Class’ vision since 1993. View Terra Nova Equipment’s award winning range online at Outdoor Action.
Shop online at: www.outdooraction.co.nz
THE LAST FRONTIER
Words and Photos by Mike Dawson and Sam Roil
The East Coast of the North Island is a remote, relatively untracked, and infrequently visited area except for the multitude of hunters who jealously guard their access and favourite spots. It is bounded to the west by Te Urewera (formerly national park), and to the North by the Raukumaras all the way up to Mount Hikurangi near the East Cape. Home to Tuhoe and Ngati Porou, the ‘coast’ runs on its on schedule and under its own set of rules. The respective areas of bush form the largest unbroken tract of native forest in the North Island. Access to Te Urewera is limited to (roughly) Lake Waikaremoana on the East side, or through the Whirinaki forest to the North West. The remoteness of this area has left it feeling a bit like the last frontier as far as kayaking goes – it takes a long time to get there from anywhere and there are logistical challenges for some of the rivers which have already been run. However, there are several unique features of the area which have given it a semi-mythical status in some of the kayaking circles around the country. The first of these features is geological. From Napier, all the way up to Hicks Bay on the East Cape, the landforms are massive slanted ranges of sand and mud stone which slope towards the coast. This creates two things – creeks which have huge bedrock slides, following the slant of the rocks, and secondly, lots of waterfalls where the strata of the rock is broken and the creeks drop off these onto the next layer down. These landforms have created rivers with runs on them such as the upper upper Ruakituri, the Maretu and the Waihi streams – all classic, class five kayak runs. Along with these are countless unexplored or simply unknown creeks with the same character dotted the length of the coast, just waiting for rain and a team of paddlers to discover them.
30//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Brendan Bayly takes in the stunning scenery / The Team - Ryan Lucas, Sam Roil, Tyler Fox, Brendan Bayly / Loading up the chopper / Cold misty winters morning in the drop zone. / Taking off from the front lawn of the Maungataniwha conservation block
This leads to the other unique feature of the East Coast. Much like the west coast of the South Island, the ranges in the east guard the coast – so any rain that comes from that direction all goes straight into the watersheds which drain east. And the rain which comes from the east is usually associated with a certain type of weather system... a tropical cyclone. These dump huge amounts of rain in a short time, sending everything into full flood stage – exactly what we as kayakers are always after. Generally, these storms send everything too high to paddle straight away and that then leads to the great game with which all kayakers are so familiar – what is the flow doing and when shall we go? All of the above factors have combined to perpetuate the myth of the East Coast – to date, the rivers mentioned above have collectively a handful of descents and two of them (the Waihi and Maretu) have never been run since their first descents. With this in mind, the scene is now set for the next chapter of East Coast epics.... Roughly ten years ago, (Queens birthday to be exact) Brendan Bayly and myself found an obscure topo map in a bach which we were staying in at Lake Waikaremoana. The map had a river which cut across the bottom corner before running off the edge. However, the small part which we could see begged deeper investigation... Lots of marked waterfalls amid good gradient and a big catchment (which means a good amount of water). This marked the beginning of a
32//WHERE
decade of frustration and optimism in equal amounts. Optimism because everything looked like all the ingredients were there for an amazing run - and frustration because we couldn’t seem to put the puzzle together of how to physically get ourselves and boats in there and subsequently out again safely. The creek – called the Manganuiohou stream, flows out of Te Urewera and joins the Waiau river – one of the major rivers which drain the area and empty into the sea at Wairoa. The stream has its headwaters off the side of the Huiarau range – once the stronghold of Te Kooti, there is even a legend which says Te Kooti’s lost treasure was dumped in the pool of one of the waterfalls of the Manganuiohou. A scouting mission to the upper reaches of the stream – involving a three hour walk over the range from Lake Waikaremoana on a non-existent track convinced us that the creek was worth the effort. We found a gorge which wasn’t even marked on the map, yet it held huge promise for what lay downstream. Without even seeing any of the marked drops, we were sure the river was worth pursuing. Unfortunately, that same downstream unknown provided the biggest barrier to the expedition. After the Manganuiohou joins the Waiau, the Waiau then enters a huge gorge. Google imagery showed massive boulders in a riverbed flanked by what looked like sheer rock walls. Remember the cyclone rain? Our major concern was that this gorge, following said rain event, would turn into something
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
which gives kayakers shudders the world over – unscoutable, un-portagable. A rapid that you can’t see the bottom of and you can’t walk around. The uncertainty of that gorge put the project on hold for a long time... There was, however, another option. Satellite imagery showed a 4wd track which lead close to the river above the gorge. The only problem was we had no idea who owned the land or how we could even get access to it. Conversations with farmers downstream, along with anyone who had been hunting or tramping in the area went along the same well worn path familiar to kayakers – ‘you can’t kayak that, there’s waterfalls there, you’ll die for sure’, closely followed by ‘no you can’t use my land to access it/land a helicopter/park a car etc etc'. Constructive stuff... The gorge was not the only challenge we faced. Less hazardous but still a problem was accessing the river itself. There were two options. 1 – Set a huge shuttle, somehow get a boat across Lake Waikaremoana, then carry a kayak for four hours loaded with overnight gear in the untracked, pristine, soaking wet NZ bush. Or, 2 – get a helicopter and fly from 30kms downstream with a sling load of kayaks underneath. Both options had their drawbacks, option 1 was more physical, while option 2 was, shall we say, financial in nature (as anything helicopter related tends to be) These were annoying yet not insurmountable setbacks.
PREVIOUS PAGE: New Zealand bush kayaking at it’s finest. A sleeping giant locked away in the remotest corner of the North Island. ABOVE:Out of the ferns and into the whitewater, Brendan Bayly finds a line in paradise.
The idea sat marinating in the backs of our minds, unable to be ignored but equally tricky to put together.
"Google imagery showed massive boulders in a riverbed flanked by what looked like sheer rock walls. Remember the cyclone rain? Our major concern was that this gorge, following said rain event, would turn into something which gives kayakers shudders the world over – unscoutable, un-portagable."
Fast forward now to 2018. Through a freakish set of coincidences, we managed to get access to the exact block of land which had the 4wd track to our dream takeout. The block was large, and very private with three locked gates and two-way radio communication needed just to get in the driveway. It should also be mentioned that the ‘driveway’ was an hour and a half long on a gravel road after already driving 3 hours just to get there – remember the remote part? Another scouting mission ensued – this time from the bottom, and what we found reignited what had been smouldering in the back of our minds... With pre-emptive phone calls to a helicopter pilot - ‘na I’m not sure when. How many? Don’t know.’ We introduced said pilot to the vagueness of kayaking trips. Now all we needed was the weather to play ball. Months went by, until finally in mid 2019, a big northerly front reared its head. Forecasts predicted it was going to swing into the east coast and so the last pieces of the logistical puzzle swung into action. Emails were sent to the managers of the block to organize keys and radios – note the email part because they live where there is no reception... Forecasts and rain guages were
scrutinised hourly. The heli pilot was organized. And last but definitely not least, a crew was organized who could drop everything and rally for a first descent in the middle of nowhere. Our team consisted of five people – a good amount of people for a river trip, but more pointedly, they were the five who could actually make it from the shortlist... Brendan Bayly, Mike Dawson, Tyler Fox and Ryan Lucas – all with long pedigrees in hard whitewater and exploratory trips, along with being all round good people to hang out with. And then there was myself – off the couch from hard boating, having been sidetracked by mountain biking for the last few years but there was no way I was missing out on this trip after so long! Somehow all of these things came together after three hectic days of organisation and we found ourselves loaded to the hilt en route to the East Coast! Our plan was to drive to the camp, and then stay the night and fly first thing the following morning. Needless to say, excitement levels were peaking when, at 8am sharp, the heli landed literally on the front lawn of our accommodation! After a brief committee meeting, (the pilot had never flown kayaks before) we had a plan and we were off to have our final question answered – ‘is there enough water in the river? Thankfully, after one of the best flights we’d ever been on, we saw that levels were low but adequate, pretty much what you want for a first descent, as low flows mean easier scouting of rapids.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
33
It’s good to the last drop, Okere Falls local Tyler Fox lines up some free fall.
34//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
www.intentsoutdoors.co.nz
Once we had all of us and our boats safely in the riverbed, it was time to see if all of the anticipation was worth it. The first rapid of the day set the scene, a low stress 50-foot slide into a big pool, this led us into a wonderland of Jurassic park-esque scenery, untouched native podocarp forest with Whio (native blue ducks) dotted frequently down the river. All of this was interspersed with nice class 4 boulder garden rapids until we came to the first of the marked drops. Brendan aptly ran it first and the rest of us followed suit. The character of the river was generally big bedrock slides and waterfalls with a few boulder gardens and flat sections in between. Mid way down, we came to the largest and most anticipated waterfall on the river. From our previous scouting trip, we had seen Te Rerehautai falls – a 70-foot, double staged drop which caused a range of responses from, ‘right I’m definitely walking this’, to ‘this will be amazing with more water’. Alas, it may look amazing with more water, but we didn’t have enough to convince anybody to give it a whirl.
Ultralight tents to roof top tents built to explore!
From below the falls there was still lots of slides and 20 foot plus waterfalls which we had varying success with – all due to our slightly low water. We all agreed that in the words of Brendan Bayly, ‘it could do with a foot more water’ Once we had hit the Waiau, it was a few km of class 3 until our car, where we then packed up and commenced the 5 hour drive back home and back to real life – midnight back in Rotorua found us satisfied and pondering the next trip – with the people who couldn’t make it this time and ‘sportier’ flows. Another run added to the mystique of the East, and fully in keeping with the theme which has been well established over there. A massive thanks must go to the Forest Life Force Restoration Trust who own the land and the accommodation which allowed us to finally tick this off. They are doing amazing work reinstating native forest and have a huge intensive pest control program along with one of the most successful kiwi breeding programs in the country. They collectively manage 25,000 ha of native and regenerating native forest and are forging the way for conservation in New Zealand.
Designed, tried and tested in NZ for NZ
The other big thanks is to Blake Charteris of Charteris helicopters in Wairoa. Blake was a pleasure to deal with and was super helpful with finding a landing site for us and helping work out the logistics of getting us all in there.
Find your adventure! 0210 405 991 www.intentsoutdoors.co.nz
FACING FEARS By Annabel Anderson
It took a while for the magnitude of my little ‘whoopsie’ to sink in. Maybe it was denial, maybe it was shock, maybe it was PTSD, maybe it was a combo of all. Whatever it was, charging mountains and carving rails was about as far from my mind as you could get for the many months I was well and truly deep in the trenches of recovery from said ‘whoopsie’. That late August morning, I had misjudged where I was and had taken one turn too many as I arced turns of white dusty chalk promptly proceeding to be bluffed and launched at pace off the precipice of Chute 7 at the very top of Treble Cone's Motatapu Chutes having had zero intention of going in there that day. Without any intention of being where I was, I embarked on the ultimate tuck-n-roll extravaganza over anything and everything in my path to come to a stop no less than 450 vertical metres below where I had unintentionally launched. In full yard sale style, by the time I had ground to a halt I was minus anything that could be ripped off with the impact including goggles, gloves, poles and skis. When you chew yourself up this well the helicopter comes to you. Cue a scenic flight in the Otago Rescue Helicopter, checking out from real life via anaesthesia to relocate my hip, a full body CT scan, a bulk bin supply of opioid pain relief, issued with a set of crutches and sent on my merry way the following day. Everything was a blur, including how it had happened and why I was now couch bound looking at the mountains rather than being up and amongst them.
I was sore, but I’d been worse. The reality of what had happened was a long way off and my usual method of coping with the immediate shock of the situation was to find ironic humour when having to converse about what had happened. “It could be worse”, “I’m still alive”, “I don’t remember it after the ‘oh f*&k moment”, were a collection of some of the one liners I had on lock. The days passed, spring sprang and as the lack of good news started to hit, the outward humour remained while the inner angst had begun to fester. I saw specialists who mooted significant surgeries with long recoveries. Injuries that had been overlooked in the initial course of the trauma triage came to light adding to the load. Thankfully (or not) I’ve been through my fair share of horror scenarios in the injury department and while it seemed like life was dealing me an unfair hand at the time; twenty years down the track, I’m grateful to have been through the washing machine of life with the odd cycle of heavy agitation. When you’re broken the outside world only sees the physical extent of your injuries, not the mental or the emotional turmoil that is often taking place. And so began the ongoing journey of patience and acceptance. The inner acknowledgement of what had happened, the only option I had in those moments being to give my body what it needed to recover which was rest, sleep and the white flag to any kind of anxious worry.
Day by day, week by week the year ticked on. I went to hospital for a check up and as I hobbled out the old ladies on reception waved me on with, “you take those (crutches) home dear, you might still need them for a while yet”….. Not only was the left side of my body obliterated with a blown shoulder, multiple hits sustained from my neck to my tailbone, a heavily haematoma’d left buttock, a fractured pelvis, a dislocated hip, fracture to the head of the femur, a full tear of the MCL, a fractured tibial plateau, some sweet scars down my lumbar spine courtesy of the rocks I hit mid tumble….. and a head injury which was yet to raise its hand following a long period of unconsciousness post tumble. But if I was cleared to walk, then I was determined to start to hobble my way back to normal one step at a time. I’d hobble to the lake and have drivers stop and ask if I needed a lift. I’d thank them and usher them on, the stoic inner warrior coming to the fore. I ratcheted up my mountain bike seat, battled to put on my sneakers and worked out how to get on my bike with a heavily incapacitated hip…and for the first time in weeks started to feel the fresh air of spring brushing my cheeks as I cautiously navigated the flattest and safest trails surrounding the lake. The impact was as much mental as it was physical and I could feel my system taking a sigh of much needed relief to be flushed with oxygen and subsequent endorphins once more. I made my way back to California to see my Doctor who has put me back together
" For those that have suffered concussion, post-concussion, TBIs and other head injuries it can only be described as “suffering in silence. "
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
37
There’s nothing like the feeling of blowing pillows of chalk dust from your rails.
a number of times over recent years. In lieu of major open hip surgery and a 12 month recovery I was placing my bets in a handful of injections of the regenerative medicine variety. I came home bound with enthusiasm to get stuck into the ‘work’ of recovery only to walk into an overhanging rock on the side of a trail days later when the brim of my cap shielded my peripheral as I looked to where my feet were going. If I had lucked out on the consequences of being knocked out one too many times when I fell, getting blind sided by a rock on the side of a popular local hiking trail was about to take my down. BIG TIME. For those that have suffered concussion, postconcussion, TBIs and other head injuries it can only be described as “suffering in silence”. Functioning like a normal human goes out the window and coping with life can become a monumental challenge on the daily. “But you look fine”, they would say, oblivious to the state of my head and only seeing the physical improvement I had made. I fast became a social recluse unable to cope with the constant questions, bright sunlight and loud noise of social situations. I looked at my bike and would be paralysed by choosing what kit to wear, what gear I would need or what direction I would head, instead throwing on a worn out old pair of trail shoes and walk the same track daily; sometimes twice. I was in depths of battle and my only option was to keep showing up. I had to learn the art of self preservation and how to say ‘no’ in order to preserve the precious energy I had for myself to get through the day. As the months rolled by and the physical injuries healed I found my way back to the yoga studio. It was hot, it was uncomfortable, it hurt, it was hard, but the lack of judgement and welcoming environment was the elixir I needed when I needed it the most.
" Sometime the only way to confront fear is to tackle it head on, even if I often didn't know what it was."
Fear is what will stop us if we let it. Like most things, the overcoming of fear is always a work-in-progress.
Daily practice often became twice a day and my body began to move as I knew it could. Walking turned into jogging which in turn became running. I started to get my memory back and cognitive function back and to cope with public situations once more. But had I truly dealt with the subconscious reality of what had happened? One of the ways I had coped with the ongoing recovery was to remove all expectation and to focus affecting what I could on a day to day basis knowing that if I just kept ‘showing up’, I’d eventually get to where I wanted to be and sometimes the only way to confront fear is to tackle it head on, even if I often didn’t know what it was. The question of would I ‘ski this winter’ was ever present and my response would be to send the person asking off with a succession of riddles for them to ponder. But courtesy of a late start to the season and some mind blowing progression on the recovery front, the unthinkable happened and I found myself back up the hill. I found my feel and without
any encouragement was back skiing lines that I always have and laying my planks sideways in the relentless search for the endless carve. It still astounds me that I was able to get my head around skiing again, let alone ski the terrain that had caught me out. Simply, it came down to focussing on the ‘doing’ to get my head around getting back on the horse and regaining the confidence to ‘do’. There’s a number of lessons I’ve embraced from this imposed period of recovery but resoundingly ‘choice’ keeps coming to the fore. The choice to be ‘relentlessly optimistic’, the choice to ‘look outside the box’ when it came to recovery, the choice to ‘keep showing up’, the choice to affect what I can on the daily’, the choice to 'confront myself with situations’ that bring feeling of discomfort.
" It still astounds me that I was able to get my head around skiing again, let alone ski the terrain that had caught me out."
Ultimately, it’s been the choice to commit to ‘facing fear’ head on.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
39
X
posure
40//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
RAFA ORTIZ DESCENDING A CREEK TOWARDS TO LA ROSA WATERFAL AT THE PRISMAS BASÁLTICOS OF SANTA MARIA REGLA IN HUASCA DE OCAMPO, HIDALGO, MEXICOON AUGUST 29TH, 2019. IMAGE BY MARCUS FERRO
in your opinion Freedom camping? Yes or No?
The number of freedom campers has grown significantly from around 10,000 in the early 2000s, to nearly 60,000 in more recent years. However, even with this increase, freedom campers only make up a very small percentage of campers. It is a thorny subject, pricking the rights to camp where you wish against the negative aspects that often come with freedom camping. So we thought we would ask your opinion.
Derek Morrison / NZsurfjournal.com "Yes, freedom camping should be legal. It’s a part of the New Zealand culture and it has been forever. We live in a comparatively sparsely populated country and we don’t have the guesthouses of Germany and Europe littered through our mountains or the range of accommodation options that other countries enjoy at the end of our dusty roads. We’re proud of our roads less travelled and the fact we can pull up at the end of them and stretch out among the trees and plan the next day’s adventure. Do we have a freedom camping problem? Yes. But it’s not Kiwis disfiguring our natural spaces and prized camping spots with their excrement and careless attitudes. It’s travellers slinging a bow on the opposite side of the respect spectrum to us when it comes to our wild and natural places. And its not all of them, it’s the few who think waving a white flag of toilet paper into an anchor of poo is okay. They park up, drop their parcels and then drive away without any thought or remorse for their actions. Should they all be banned because of this? No. Freedom camping is part of what makes New Zealand such a great country to live and travel in. Losing that would be detrimental to future generations. Those travelling on a budget now are the same ones revisiting in 2030 years time with wads of cash, a taste for fine wine, creative restaurants and first-class accommodation. That’s fundamental to New Zealand’s tourism strategy. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make the rules blazingly clear. We need to be Singaporean in our approach to breaches – high-fines (that will help to pay for surveillance) and cancel Visas, send them home. Make an example out of those who do the wrong thing and publicise it widely. We’ll have a few years of negative press around it, but eventually it will be normalised and our visitors will take a healthier approach to freedom camping. Even better, the experience will be improved for everyone – locals and visitors alike."
42//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
John Grahame / Reader " F*&K yes freedom camping – why should we be denied the right to camp where we want the only people against it are those living right there in the best spots and they don’t want to share."
Duncan / Go Native " Our lives feel controlled at times, where we can park, what schools our children are in the zone for. We freedom camped when I was growing up, it is a memory that I still cherish, as I write this I'm thinking about camping on the banks of the Hurunui River and floating down on an old tractor tyre tube, it was great fun. More of that I say, deciding where to pitch the tent was half the fun. I know some people ruin it for the rest. "
Paige Hareb / Pro Surfer "There should be freedom camping but maybe NZ needs more rubbish bins provided for them and possibly a few more public toilets too. There could be some rules and regulations set in place if they do litter or camp in one place for too long but I don’t think they should be charged. I’ve traveled a bit through the Europe countries like France, Spain, Germany and Switzerland and there’s freedom campers everywhere, it’s so cool to be able to travel like that and not have to worry about money for accom. I know it was quite a debate in Taranaki last summer. I don’t think we should get a reputation of over-charging tourists cause then they won’t come at all. Most of them are nice people and spend money in our communities at our local cafes etc. I think NZ already has too many rules compared to a lot of other cool countries like Australia and France. We had a debate in Taranaki about freedom campers always parking right at the beach in front of one of our surf spots near Fitzroy beach and a few locals got angry because they couldn’t “pull up and look at the surf from their car”. I think that’s a bit silly and lazy and some kiwis need to be more open minded and welcoming not just to new people but also new things."
? Jason Bundle / Reader "I don’t think you should be allowed to just camp anywhere but there should be areas or regions where its ok, and not just for campervans but for tents as well.."
Neil Stichbury / Outfitters NZ "Commercial campground operators invest in providing the facilities needed to camp. Make it affordable but make it mandatory."
Natalie Tombolash / Manger World Expeditions "Just like trails and iconic tourist sites, camping should be regulated and permitted with designated zones allocated. Otherwise people will park up as they please and potentially continue ruining our natural environments in the process."
Cynthia Writer / Reader "Freedom campers are gross – they are ruining so many places by leave rubbish and worse behind. Maybe some have ruined it for everyone but it cant continue. Stop it now!"
Ready to eat Casseroles & Curries Eat well hiking “Not your average camping meal Absolutely delicious! Not going back to dehydrated cardboard meals ever again. Butter chicken is my favourite, generous serving of meat and it has a real spicy kick. The mash is scrummy with the chopped chives.”
www.gonativeworld.com
camping hacks Some simple tips to help make your camping experience even more enjoyable Smores: For easy smore making, take an oreo cookie and twist apart and add roasted marshmallow.
Carry essentials in a small tin with you at all times.
Use sandpaper to light matches: Glue some sandpaper to the inside of a plastic container where you can store the matches and be sure the matches and lighter never get wet. Use a lanyard to keep your wash gear together:
Wrap duck tape around your drink bottle: That way you will always have it close by in an emergency.
Tictac boxes make great spice storage.
Use sage to repel mosquitos: If you put some sage on your campfire the smell will help keep away mosquitos.
44//WHERE
Vacuum seal your food before: Helps reduce weight and space and keeps food fresher longer.
Use a candle to ease a sticky zipper.
Use corn chips for kindling: Doritos are a great way to start a fire!
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Before you go camping, break your eggs into a water bottle and keep on ice in a cooler for 5-7 days.
EVERY BACKPACKER’S BEST FRIEND THE AETHER | ARIEL AG
TM
CONVERTIBLE DAYLID TM DAY PACK
ANTIGRAVITY TM HARNESS AND SUSPENSION SYSTEM
The Aether | Ariel AG™ Series features our innovative, ventilated and comfortable AntiGravity ™ system to deliver the best in load carrying comfort and stability. For big trips and heavy loads, nothing compares. Join us on the #CommonPath.
Find a stockist: www.southernapproach.co.nz
TAHITI AT HER FINEST Words and images by Steve and Zac Dickinson
I can honestly say I have never been asked to leave a surf competition before! Sure, I have been yelled at and abused a bit, but I have never been given ten minutes in the bin! Looking back we possibly we should have seen it coming. On the first day, we arrived at Teahupoo in Tahiti for the World Surf Leagues Championship Event – we should have got an inkling of what the next few days had in store. Let me explain: Teahupoo is a reef break, one of the biggest and heaviest waves in the world. Nestled at what is termed the 'end of the road' for a good reason - it is simply at the end of a long and winding road. This awe-inspiring coral reef not only creates phenomenal waves but also allows you to sit in a boat very close and watch. Being able to get so close means that at times it can be a little chaotic, with boats jostling for position, all trying to be the closest, in the 'right spot'. Normally if you arrive by boat, you wait in the channel for your turn, slowly moving into position and then you do your best to stay in 'the spot'.
46//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
47
A monster set rolls through unridden
48//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
We met our captain Daniel on the wharf. He spoke very little English; we spoke very little French. Teahupoo is a small place, and there is kudos attached to being a captain and being able to take your boat out in such giant waves and putting your clients on 'the spot'. Daniel comes from a long line of surfers, a giant of a man both in size and reputation, and we explained as best we could where we would like to be, he just smiled and nodded. As we approached the line-up of boats watching the surfing, he slowed, as you would expect, but then simply pushed his way to the front of the pack. We were feeling a little like we had just jumped the queue at the movies; I expressed my concern, but he just pointed at a small green flag flying from our boat and said “federation”, which meant a handful of boats had priority. Seemed entirely fair, as this was his job and we were his clients. As the swell got bigger, so did the number of boats arriving to watch the event. However, this did not deter our captain in his never-ending effort to put us on 'the spot’. Those around us seemed to accept we were there to do a job and whether it was the size of the small green flag or the size of the man behind the wheel all seemed to go reasonably well. As we concentrated on getting images of the surf, Daniel focused on seeing how close he could get to the breaking waves on the reef without killing us. Now there is a water patrol on duty at Teahupoo during the competition; they are there to make sure everyone is safe and that nobody gets too close to the reef or in any real danger. What started as a polite request from the water patrol escalated to yelling, finger-pointing and whistleblowing. Daniels reaction to these instructions was……. nothing, he smiled and continued doing exactly what he wanted.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
49
"Having a little experience of this, I knew the fundamental fact that 'what goes up must come down’, I also remembered to get low in case we got launched, which we did."
At one stage we made a loop to take a break (actually someone needed a wee stop), and as we pulled away into deeper water the gendarmerie (police) in a boat motored over to us and eights officers in uniform came over and spoke with the captain in French. (I should explain here that there is not a lot of love lost between the police, most of whom are from France, and the local Tahitians, it would be like our police force being all Australian!)
Basically, we were sent off for dangerous play. I am sure all was in control; however, I had my eyes shut for most of the experience so could not be sure! But unphased our captain simply did a circuit and basically came back to a slightly safer position. With the help of a Frenchspeaking local, we made it clear we did not want to go back on the inside and was quite happy just where we were. The captain sighed with real disappointment.
Someone translated the conversation. “You need to obey the water patrol.” To which the captain responded in Tahitian something along the lines of, “I don't care”, but later it was explained that it involved a more local expletive than that. By the look of the French-speaking people on board our boat, we had a rough idea of what was being said!
Now being expelled from the event (if only for a short while) was not the only dramatic moment over the three days. 'Drama’ seemed to be the go to word. Pre the main surf event, the trials had been massive and added two more Tahitians to the competition, which made the event so much more exciting for the locals.
With that, we headed back to the edge of the reef; at this stage, the waves were the biggest of the week – predicted to be the biggest since 2014. Now to be fair, the captain was very, very close to the reef, but when the largest set of the day arrived, he had few options. How it usually goes is when a big swell is coming, there are yells and blowing whistles and all the boats close to the reef head out to sea slowly, bobbing over the wave in an orderly fashion. Sounds simple, but it is not for the faint-hearted. Now as one of the biggest waves of the day approached, the yells started and whistles blew, but the boat in front of us did not know the rules and didn't move and we were a lot closer to the reef than we should have been. With no forward escape, our experienced captain slowly moved the boat sideways over the almost breaking wave. Having a little experience of this, I knew the fundamental fact that 'what goes up must come down’, I also remembered to get low in case we got launched, which we did. The prow of the boat went straight up in the air, we all lost our stomachs like going over a giant speed jump only to come down to people screaming and being surrounded by the water patrol who then ejected us from the game.
As the competition progressed, the excitement of the massive and dangerous surf was elevated by the shakeup on the 2019 Leader board with some of the biggest World Title threats bowing out of the event early while a new crop of hopefuls progressed. Fresh off a win at J-Bay event, Gabriel Medina arrived at Teahupoo placed seventh in the world title race. The exciting goofy-footer prepared for his heat by watching every surfer who sits above him on the rankings fail in Teahupoo’ s thundering surf. Brimming with confidence, Medina went on to take out his Round of 32 heat over Ezekiel Lau (HAW) but left his best performance, and that of the contest, for his Round of 16 wins where he posted a near-perfect heat total of 19.23 from only two waves against Griffin Colapinto. This score included a perfect 10.00-point ride, the first of the 2019 men’s season. "That was a nice heat," Medina said. "I feel blessed to share waves like that with Griffin (Colapinto), and it felt so good to get a nine and a ten. I've been waiting for this moment for the first half of the year — I love this contest, especially when the waves are like this — this is what I live for, going left and getting barrelled.’
2015 champion Adriano de Souza (BRA) only recently returned to competition after a year off with a career-threatening knee injury. The tour veteran has been struggling to find the form and consistency he is known for in 2019, but in seriously critical big surf, de Souza put to bed any question that he’s past his best, taking down countryman Italo Ferreira (BRA) in one of the heats of the year with de Souza’s 17.87 two-wave including the most significant ridden wave of the day. He then booked himself a spot in the Quarterfinal with a dominant win over Frenchman Joan Duru (FRA) with another first heat total, this time 17.50. Somewhat sadly, current leader Kolohe Andino (USA) took a blow to his tilt at the World Title, going down to 17-yearold Tahitian wildcard Kauli Vaast (FRA). Andino as he does, controlled the heat in its entirety until the final minutes, with the crowd screaming the local youngster swung on an inside slab and pulled in to take the lead and the win. Vaast was eventually eliminated by his hero and friend Jeremy Flores (FRA), while Andino leaves Tahiti with his worst result of the season. 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) had a massive opportunity to boost up the rankings at one of his pet events in flawless barrels — which are his speciality. Unfortunately for the 47-year-old, his event came to an end at the hands of the young gun Jack Freestone (AUS), dashing Slater of the chance to record a sixth event win in Tahiti. "I'm upset, but that's just how it goes," Slater said. "Last time I surfed against Jack, it was big like this at Margaret River and I kind of 'frothed out' and caught lots of waves while he was smart and got the better ones. I had my chance twice, but it just didn't go my way. I think this result will take me out of the picture as there aren't enough points out there to get me in the hunt for the World Title comes Pipeline, but stranger things have happened. There has been a lot of upsets today, but it will be tough for me now for the rest of this year — especially after that heat.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Kelly Slater falls from the competition / Specatators finding the best advantage / Spectacular sunsets / The vivid green backdrop to the end of the road / Wildcard Kauli Vaast was a standout at the event / Not a bad place to relax
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
51
7 year old Kelia Mehani Gallina, surfing Teahupoo
Owen Wright’s trademark of poise in the tube earned him an 18.50 heat total and a spot into the Quarterfinals while his opponent and local Tahitian superhero Michel Bourez (FRA) who was narrowly pipped at the post. "That was a very special heat to have Michel (Bourez) here in Tahiti and go wave for wave with him the entire time — it felt like a special heat going down" "I was up at 3:00 am this morning just thinking about what today would bring so I'm sure I'll struggle tonight to sleep after an amazing day. This place is so beautiful and gives us so much good energy, especially when we've got waves like this."
When smaller, Teahupoo became an acrobatic playground for the pro surfers, such as Kolohe Andino
The finals day held all the drama and excitement of a scripted adventure movie, local guys piped at the post, big names crashing out then the two team members, friends, yet arch-rivals went head to head; the flare, cockiness and brutal strength of Medina versus the almost ballet composure of Owen Wright. Trading wave after wave in massive sets the calm demeanour and determination to win pushed Owen right to the winners’ platform! He humbly accepted the win in tears raised his winning boarded aloft to the cheers of the watery arena (the next day is proposed to his long-time partner – big week for Owen) The real winner here (apart from Owen holding the trophy aloft and getting a new wife) was surfing and particularly surfing in Tahiti. Three days before the mega final we were photographing a 7-year-old girl being pushed into Teahupoo waves by her dad, to be followed by a medium swell which created an acrobatic playground that the pros went nuts in. Then the main competition and finals day where the waves were either amazing or your worst nightmare depending on how you looked at it.
A spectacular win in a spectacular playground that is Teahupoo
Maruru Tahiti (thanks) to Air Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Tourisme
54//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
X
posure
THE WINTER GAMES NEW ZEALAND IS AN ANNUAL ELITE INTERNATIONAL WINTER SPORTS EVENT, ATTRACTING THE WORLD’S BEST ATHLETES. THIS WAS THE SEVENTH EDITION OF THE GAMES, TAKING PLACE DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2019 IN QUEENSTOWN, WANAKA AND NASEBY.
Everest Base Camp Spring Trekking
Retiring from his position at the Service late last year, Paul Connelly had set himself a goal to achieve with his newfound time: improve his fitness and health and see a bit of the world along the way. Taking up a challenge – whether personal, professional or for a charity – was not alien to him and so he compiled his own personal bucket list to keep him occupied. The first point to tick off was to trek to Everest Base Camp and see the wonders of the mountains in this area of the Himalayas. And with that goal in mind, Paul’s Everest Base Camp review starts… I was daunted by the number of companies that were keen to take you trekking and all had slightly different ways of achieving the goal of getting to Everest Base Camp at 5336m above sea level as safely as possible. After a good bit of research, I decided to go with World Expeditions. They seemed to have everything I was looking for: a good reputation, a fair and ethical policy for looking after the porters and Sherpas, provided all of our food and water, and were sensitive to the environment that we would be travelling through. So, I booked via their London office and was a regular voice on the phone asking all sorts of questions in an effort to be as prepared as possible. I have to say I was delighted at the support and advice I received prior to
56//WHERE
the trip, which filled me with great hope for the actual trek itself. I opted to go late March, early April as I was hoping to see the teams prepare to make the summit of Everest, which is usually achieved from May each year. After three flights, I arrived safely in Kathmandu where later that evening I met my group, another 8 people, all under the watchful eye of Binod Llama our head guide and his team comprising of porters, Sherpas and cooks who would be with us every step of the way. We all got to know each other on a day of sightseeing in Kathmandu before we left the next morning on the first flight out to Lukla. I like to share my Everest Base Camp reviews on specific topics: Mountain Flights: After the briefest of safety demonstrations and a lump of cotton wool for our ears, we were off on a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Soon we were greeted with the most magnificent views of the Himalayan mountain range as we weaved in and out of the many mountain valleys that we encountered. One of our team is a commercial pilot and kept drawing our attention to the almost constant stream of alarms from the cockpit which apparently indicated how close we were flying to the mountains.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#215
"The constant stream of alarms from the cockpit apparently indicated how close we were flying to the mountains." In the Himalayas, the weather is a constantly changing phenomenon and en-route clouds had covered Lukla airport meaning that we could no longer land there. Instead we ended up in a military base and were surrounded by the Nepalese Army who were taking part in their morning fitness drills. After a 2.5-hour delay, Lukla was a welcome site to see on the side of the mountain. Shortly after a brief stop for lunch consisting of spiced potatoes, cabbage and carrots with some mango tea we were finally off to our first destination of Ghatt at 2600m. The sites and views were already amazing with us all looking at each other and saying WOW just about every time we rounded a corner and saw the view ahead.
4600m and rest up there for an hour or so before heading back to camp. After lunch, we did get some rest on a stunning day with the most amazing mountain views and the cleanest, if not thinnest air I have ever breathed in.
Private Eco Camps: Each day, we were woken around 5.30am by our Sherpas with the customary mug of hot, black tea and a bowl of washing water, always with a smile on their face and always happy to help. One of the things we quickly found out was that when it was sunny, it meant nice and warm temperatures on the trails during the day. However, the minute the sun goes down it very quickly turns freezing cold. Fortunately, the sleeping bags that were provided by World Expeditions were great for the climate and on that first night in the mountains, I had one of the best sleeps I have had in ages.
The Food: The area that we walk through on the Everest Base Camp trek has extremely fertile land so it is well populated with farmers growing their own vegetables. Meat is scarce so our diet would be made up of mainly vegetables, rice and pulses but we were well fed throughout the trip, even though it did get harder to eat the higher that we climbed.
For this time of year, we had an unusually cold night, which required us to stay overnight in one of the lodges along the trail. The stay made us all glad that we opted for the tent option for our stay and we are all of the same opinion that, given the option, we would rather use a tent.
Our food, despite the altitude on the later part of our trek, remains fantastic and is prepared each day for us by our 2 ‘kitchen boys.’ Our Sherpas Binod and Sorran are constantly monitoring us for signs of Acute Mountain Sickness and make sure we don't eat anything we shouldn’t.
Rest (or rather, Acclimatisation) Days: The mantra on our Everest Base Camp trip is to 'hike high, sleep low'. This meant that on one of our first days, lunch was followed by an acclimatisation walk up for a few hundred metres.
The Support Team: At night in the dining hall, conversation often turns to how everyone is feeling and it is clear further on in the trip that a number of our group are beginning to suffer. Everyone in our group, except me, is now taking Diamox which is an over the counter medicine used by many to help with symptoms of altitude.
We had two more rest and acclimatisation days on the trip. The first included a 2-hour walk up to a hotel at 3880m and as it was a clear day we were greeted with the most amazing views of Everest, Ama Dablam and the surrounding mountains, which is a sight that is hard to beat. Watching the clouds sweep off of the summit of the world’s highest point is amazing and something I will remember forever. On day four of the trek I definitely feel I am higher as I am beginning to feel lightheaded and food does not offer the same appeal as it did previously. On day 7 there is a second rest and acclimatisation day at Dingboche. As we have learned by now, rest doesn't actually mean resting as we still have to climb higher up to
Our porter team, who lug the majority of our bags up the mountains for us, are a friendly bunch of guys who are among the hardest working people I have ever seen and are also among the strongest people I have ever known.
Paul travelled on the Everest Base Camp & Kala Pattar trip with World Expeditions. To learn more about this trip, please see the itinerary on the website here: www.worldexpeditions.com/EBC www.worldexpeditions.com
As a round up, the trip was amazing; over the course of 2 weeks I lost a stone in weight, gained new friends from around the world and got a thirst for going on more adventures. It only goes to show that retirement doesn't mean that we are at the end of things but for me, hopefully I am just at the start.
BIG ADVE NTURES SMALL FOOTPRINT HIMALAYA TREKKING Over 40 years experience operating authentic, small group trekking adventures on the paths less travelled.
Trek with the experts.
__________________ __________________
worldexpeditions.com - 0800 350 354 enquiries@worldexpeditions.co.nz
A KIWI HOLIDAY IN BORNEO
By Nicky Steele
Borneo, known for its Orangutans and Pygmy Elephants, was the destination for our family holiday. We have taken our daughters, (12 and 16) on a variety of adventure holidays but this was going to be our first major wildlife adventure. I was hoping that this would be something that they would enjoy, but it turned out to be so much more. We landed in Kota Kinabalu, which is in the Sabah region on the north west coast of Borneo, after flying from New Zealand to Singapore. A few days later we headed over to the east coast to Sandakan port where we travelled to Lankayan Island in the Sulu Sea. It is one of the last islands in Malaysia before you reach Philippine waters. The first thing that struck us, and particularly our kids as strange, was the armored escort, consisting of a uniformed soldier dressed in a bullet proof vest and assault rifle. Lucy, our 16-year-old, was horrified, as they explained that we were heading into pirated waters and the escort was to prevent us being attacked. She could not believe we would bring her to such a remote and dangerous place, quite a contrast to her life at home in urban New Zealand. Lankayan itself is tiny dive resort island and is a marine conservation area in the turtle corridor and coral triangle. Our main reason for visiting here was to hopefully see the Green and Hawksbill turtles swimming and laying their eggs. As soon as we stepped off the boat and walked along the boardwalks, we spotted turtles, it then became not if we would see a turtle but how many. Waking early one morning we looked out to find a turtle laying her eggs right outside our room, the sun was just coming up and she was covering her eggs before heading back into the sea to swim away. It was such an amazing and peaceful sight to see. On the island, they have turtle hatcheries to try and ensure as many make it back to the ocean as possible. Our days were spent snorkeling around the resort with turtles and numerous other marine life which visit the coral reefs. There are many different types and colours of coral and so many tropical fish, it is another world just below the surface. We swam through small schools of fish and even saw a reef shark swim by and circle back around and yes they do come with the surround sound JAWS music playing. Scary but amazing fun. It was so nice just being able to snorkel when and for as long as you wanted rather than being transported on a boat and I can happily report we did not see any pirates.
Kate, Lucy and Greg on the boat out to Lankayan Island
" The first thing that struck us, and particularly our kids as strange, was the armored escort, consisting of a uniformed soldier dressed in a bullet proof vest and assault rifle."
Our uniformed soldier, complete with bullet proof vest and assault rifle
Green and Hawksbill turtles, both swimming and on land
Lankayan Island, a tiny dive resort island and a marine conservation area
After heading back to Sandakan Port our next stop was to the Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the spectacular Kinabatangan River. Each day we would wake early and head out onto the water in boats with guides who were fantastic at spotting the wildlife. The area is known for its “big 5”; Orangutans, Hornbill birds, Crocodiles', Proboscis monkeys and Pygmy Elephants, we managed to see all but the elephants. After a couple of hours watching the sunrise over the river, we’d head back to the lodge for breakfast and to relax. Sitting around the pool we were entertained by the very cheeky monkeys in the trees and then around 4 pm we’d head back out onto the river to watch the evening wildlife. The wildlife in the morning and evening are quite different, in the morning it was mainly the birds waking and drying off and in the evening the monkeys come down to the river, and on both trips, we saw Orangutans in the trees. After leaving the river our next stop was into the Primary Rainforest region of Danum Valley, which is 43,800 hectares of conservation reserve. We travelled to Lahad Datu to get a shuttle into the rainforest, travelling for about 2 hours on gravel/dirt roads to the most amazing spot, The Borneo Rainforest Lodge which is a Government-owned privately run resort.
Seeing monkeys and orangutans in their wild habitat was something else
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
59
"Despite the scare of the snake and the blood donations by my husband to the Danum Valley leeches, the trek was well worth the effort. "
On arrival you were given a guide for our stay who chatted to us about what we wanted to see and then tailored each outing to suit. We normally would have 3 outings a day; early morning, late afternoon and then an evening trip. Our first night we took our torches and walked along boardwalks in the forest, sighting many large spiders and insects, also seeing a mouse deer and a bearded pig. Being so remote, once you enter the forest if you turn off your torch it is pitch black. It was surreal to be standing in the rainforest devoid of any light pollution, yet admittedly slightly freaky, knowing what is around you. Waking early the next morning we sat out on the deck, which has a view of the rainforest, as the mist was rising from the trees, we could hear the call of the Gibbons as the rainforest began to wake. The rainforest has a magical quiet feel to it, when you are not in the forest you cannot take your eyes off it. The lodge is set up so everywhere has a view of the rainforest; from your shower, to the deck, to the dining room where you have your meals. I became that person who has a camera and binoculars with them everywhere they go, I was hooked. During lunch one day we saw orangutans swinging in the trees across the river, an incredible sight.
We walked to a place called Coffin Cliff where bones are buried at the top of a hill, and we could see the Gibbons in the distance, an orangutan nest, some amazing fauna, insects and many leeches. We were almost at the top of the hill when a snake dropped out of the tree and wrapped itself around our 12-year-old daughters’ leg. She was slightly oblivious until the 16-year-old began screaming and luckily managed to flick it off with the shake of her leg. Later we found out the snake was a venomous one! Despite the scare of the snake and the blood donations by my husband to the Danum Valley leeches, the trek was well worth the effort. One of the great things about the rainforest, apart from the incredible wildlife, was the lack of easy access to the internet. With slow internet access only in some areas, we found our daughters engaged more with one another and time away from technology allowed us all to really enjoy the experience. Sadly, on the way back to Kota Kinabalu, we witnessed the effect of the Palm Oil plantations and the deforestation of the area. Conservation work is underway to attempt to replant the rainforest so the wildlife can have a larger area to roam, however this will take time and the effects are quite clear to see.
Lucy in Dunum Valley
60//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Danum Valley leeches
Nicky at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge
We enjoyed everything about Borneo and also loved that in the places we have stayed they have shared some of their culture with us. This trip provided our family with some incredible memories and allowed us all to reconnect with nature and one another on a level beyond what can be achieved in our busy urban lives. We hope to one day come back and see the Pygmy elephants but also to just walk in the rainforest again.
The Kinabatangan River.
62//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
X
posure
MAX KRUGLOV PERFORMS DURING THE BACK 2 SCHOOL PROJECT IN ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA IMAGE BY ALEXEY LAPIN / REDBULL CONTENT POOL
SUBSCRIBE Go in the draw to win one of five Hydro Flasks
Hydro Flask has you covered for any adventure, consisting of a huge range of the highest quality insulated products. Keep your ice-cold water chilly all day during that February fishing trip, or that hot tea steaming on that winter hike. No matter the excursion, Hydro Flask will be there making your journey that much more enjoyable. So, say no to single-use plastic drink ware and invest in your new favourite adventure buddy. One Lifetime - Fill Often.
N E W Z E A L A N D
ADVENTURE WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
Issue #196//new zealand’s premIer adventure magazIne sInce 1981 Issue #196//new zealand’s premIer adventure magazIne sInce 1981
new zealand
new zealand
N E W Z E A L A N D
ADVENTURE
N E W Z E A L A N D
ADVENTURE
WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
hiking winter
wanaka
Winter
Winter
YES I’D LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE
WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
*
don’t look down
iceland
colder than you think
colder than you think
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN IN THE OUTDOORS
gear guide
ISSUE 215 AUG/SEP 2019 NZ $10.90 incl. GST
more than just a puffer
in the outdoors
A celebration of the Adventurous Woman
in the outdoors
* *
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN IN THE OUTDOORS
Issue 196 JUN/JUL 16 NZ $9.20 incl. GST AUST $6.90 incl. GST USA $9.99 CANADA $9.99
A celebration of the Adventurous Woman
free digital subscription with every hard copy subscription
Card Number: ...................................................................
Street: ............................................................................................
Name: ...................................................................
..........................................................................................................
Expiry Date: ...................................................................
Suburb: .........................................................................................
Signature: ...................................................................
Post Code:.........................Phone:...............................................
Or send cheque/money order to: ADVENTURE SUBSCRIPTIONS: Pacific Media Ltd PO BOX 562, WHANGAPARAOA, 0932 Or Email: subs@pacificmedia.co.nz For all subs enquiries call: Steve @ 0275775014
Clothing Size:................................ Shoe Size:...................................
education
ISSUE 215 AUG/SEP 2019 NZ $10.90 incl. GST
ISSUE 215 AUG/SEP 2019 NZ $10.90 incl. GST
A celebration of the Adventurous Woman
Name: ............................................................................................
Email:...............................................................................................
gear guide
more than just a puffer
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN IN THE OUTDOORS
Issue 196 JUN/JUL 16 NZ $9.20 incl. GST AUST $6.90 incl. GST USA $9.99 CANADA $9.99
* * *
mt aspiring
don t look down
COUPON ONLY OFFER New Zealand Subscriptions: One year subscription NZD$48.00 That’s six issues (you save $7.20!) Two year subscription NZD$90.00 That’s twelve issues (you save $20.40!) Asia/Pacific/Rest of the Universe Get it online at magzter.com or subscribe online at:adventuremagazine.co.nz
*
ice climbing
first rule
first rule
* education *
hiking winter
wanaka
* mt aspiring * ’ iceland *
ice climbing
URBAN THIS ISSUE:
inspiration: scott donaldson Style: urbanwear health: contrast bathing nutrition: the humble beetroot motivation: marmot x thread business: go native tech guide: Diversion: books for the avid hiker
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
65
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
URBAN INSPIRATION RELENTLESS Scott Donaldson is a former triathlete, Coast-to-Coast competitor, Ironman coach, mentor and competitor in a myriad of sports. He began as a swimmer to strengthen his lungs, after having lifethreatening asthma as a child. Scott's son also has asthma, and his father died aged 42 from a heart attack, and so Scott has made fitness a life priority. In 2018 Scott successfully became the first person to solo kayak the Tasman. The following is an extract from his book, Relentless: The First Person to Solo Kayak the Tasman. By Scott Donaldson with Steve Kilgallon.
The first psychological battle for most people is the moment on the third day when they lose sight of land. My wife, Sarah and I had talked about that, so I had mentally visualised what it might feel like. I’d also done one training paddle that took me out of sight of land. It didn’t seem much of a hurdle. It was around the same time that I hit the shipping lanes – the paths taken by the giant container ships travelling the world – so I had to stay awake and keep my eyes open so I didn’t get run over. I passed close to a few and chatted to a couple, but I just wanted to keep on going. I’d say, ‘Small vessel off your port bow, one mile,’ and seek confirmation that they could see me. After that, I wanted to get back to work. A couple wanted to know what the hell I was doing, but I wasn’t really interested in idle conversation. After about six days, a message came from Bob McDavitt, (Bob advised me on weather forecasts and currents) that I needed to hunker down, a storm was rolling in. ‘How bad is it going to be?’ I asked. His reply: ‘About as bad as it can get.’ The wind got up to about 50 knots, but I wasn’t concerned. I stared up at the eight-metre waves – that’s 16 metres from the crest to the foot, similar in height to a four-storey building – and I felt great. I was confident in my boat, and I was out there for the exciting stuff. I’d done the training and I knew what it was like to get hammered by a wave. Sure, that had been a three-metre wave, but it’s not the size that matters
66//WHERE
– it’s the frequency. If waves are 30 seconds apart, then you just roll through them. If they are nine seconds apart, you’ve got tonnes of white-topped water rushing at you and it’s dangerous. A three-metre wave can be more dangerous than an eight-metre wave.
"After about six days, a message came from Bob McDavitt, that I needed to hunker down, a storm was rolling in. ‘How bad is it going to be?’ I asked. His reply: ‘About as bad as it can get.’" I was inside my cabin waiting it out. It was the first time the boat was completely submerged. When the boat is submarining, inside the cabin goes completely black. It felt like I was underwater for a long time, but it was probably only four seconds. In the storm, it was relentlessly loud, because of the sound of the wind and the waves lashing a few millimetres away. Then when I went under, it was suddenly silent and dark. I embraced the few seconds of peace that brought. The experience also reconfirmed my confidence that Double Ditch could take the punishment without as much as a creak. When the weather is rough, I’ve got three heavy-duty belts, like airline seatbelts, to strap me down and stop me from being thrown about. The first time the boat rolled, I didn’t even have them on. I was asleep and I just rolled over,
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
chucked the belt on and managed to drift back off. It wasn’t a deep sleep – more a kind of meditative state. During the storm, the sea anchor sat some 70 metres in front of the boat, a giant 2.8-metre parachute filled with water. Its job was to keep my nose pointing into the waves, so the waves slipped around me. In a positive current, like the first gale-force wind I got on this trip, I could still travel forwards – in that case, I progressed 16 kilometres into the storm in 16 hours. When I was into the wind and the current, I was being driven backwards, but at a much slower rate than without the anchor, when I would have been at the mercy of the wind. The trade-off is that without the anchor, at night I would have had a much smoother ride and a much better sleep, because the waves would just wash over the kayak. It’s a safer but much rougher ride on the anchor, because it holds you in position and you get shoved around a lot more by the sea. I got through that storm, then headed north towards Lord Howe Island. Sitting 600 kilometres east of Port Macquarie, it’s the only bit of land poking above the water in the entire Tasman Sea. My desalinator had just malfunctioned (or so I thought), and taking it apart and rebuilding it was probably the worst chore to take on in the confines of that cabin. And I had the leak. Calling in to Lord Howe Island made sense.
The currents were tough to deal with, and Lord Howe isn’t very big, so I could easily have been blown by. To get there, I paddled 26 hours straight with virtually no rest – probably the biggest single athletic performance of my life. The wind was coming from the south at 20 knots, so I figured I would veer south, and as I approached the island, I would drop into the southerly winds and they would take me easily north into shore. I got to the point where I turned to go with the wind and found myself fighting a wicked current. I had eight hours before the wind was due to change direction and blow me away from the island. For eight hours, I went at race pace and I couldn’t stop for a breather or the current would have turned me sideways then backwards. Then it would have taken several minutes to get back to par, which shows how the current was dominating even the 20-knot winds. I drank energy pouches and worked hard. My muscles were cramping up, so I had to keep switching techniques to activate different muscle groups. If I missed the island, I would have to wait for the weather pattern to change then try to make my way back there. That would cost me up to four days and there was a chance I might not even make it. The approach to Lord Howe Island has claimed a few boats. While I was hammering away against the current, I was only making about a kilometre and a half an hour. I could see the island, but I was only inching closer.
past it and left the kayak on the sand. There was a bloke working on his boat just above the ramp. I walked up and said hello. ‘G’day,’ he said. ‘Where’d you come from?’ I told him Coffs Harbour, and he said ‘Yeah, yeah …’ and looked out at the boat moorings for my yacht. Then he asked me where my boat was. I said, ‘Oh, it’s on the beach, I kayaked here.’ His jaw dropped and his eyes said bullshit. He didn’t believe me. He asked me three times. In the end, he walked over and looked at the boat, then stood there and shook his head. ‘You really kayaked in that from Coffs?’ Once again, I’d arrived on Australian territory without my passport. But the locals were very welcoming and told me the local cop was off the island, so I didn’t need to worry about Customs. I’d asked Sarah to try to ring ahead to say I might turn up, but she’d not had much luck raising the locals. I think I was a bit of a surprise for them. She did, however, manage to raise a bloke called Craig Wilson, who set me up at the home of his parents, Clive and Beth. They were the embodiment of oldschool hospitality and Beth set about feeding me up as soon as I got there.
Next, I had to get the boat out of the water and figure out what was wrong. I discovered that one of the cells had dropped out of the lithium battery, which meant it hadn’t been providing enough power to drive the desalinator. I wouldn’t have discovered that while at sea. Taking the boat apart and identifying the problem took about three days. There wasn’t a lithium battery on the island, which was fine as I didn’t have the money to buy one even if there was. A new one costs up to $3000. It turned out some of the guys on the island had connections to the Australian entrepreneur and adventurer Dick Smith, the founder of the chain of electronics shops. I eventually talked to him, and he paid for a new battery for me. Only you’re not allowed to carry lithium batteries on a plane, so it had to come to the island by boat. The boat only sails three times a week and it’s slow. For 12 days, I sat on Lord Howe Island waiting for my battery to turn up. Trust me, there are way worse places to be stuck! When the battery finally arrived, I was quick to fit it, jump in the boat and start paddling again.
When I finally got into the sweet, current-free tropical waters of the bay, I realised there was a reef, and I couldn’t work out how to get around it. I could see one house, but I couldn’t raise anyone on the radio. I was thinking, ‘How many people actually live on this island?’ I was about to try to surf over the reef, which I knew would be perilous, but I had to make land. If the wave didn’t carry me over it, I would hole the boat and I would have to swim ashore then try to make a major repair on this tiny, distant island. Just as I was about to attempt to surf the reef, a boat came in and made its way around it, so I was able to sedately follow the other vessel to safety. I paddled up to the shore, taking in the stunning scenery and quietly saying ‘Wow!’ to myself. There was a little concrete boat ramp, so I paddled up
Be in to win a copy of Relentless. Email steve@pacificmedia.co.nz, subject line "Relentless" to be in the draw
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
67
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
URBAN STYLE Jack-Wolfskin Texapore Rain Hat $75.00
Blis K12™ Oral Probiotics $21.95 TravelProtect with BLIS K12 is an advanced oral probiotic that can support your natural immune system against airborne ailments when travelling. blis.co.nz
Raindrops keep falling on your head? That’s not much fun when you’re out hiking‚ unless you’re wearing your TEXAPORE ECOSPHERE RAIN HAT of course. This waterproof and windproof hat will keep your head dry. jack-wolfskin.co.nz
Chaco Z/CLOUD Sandal (men & women's) $159.95 Want your Classic Sandals with pillow-top comfort? Introducing our travel-ready Z/Cloud series, featuring our same custom adjustable strap system, performance ChacoGripTM rubber outsole, and a top layer of ultra-soft PU for instant-cushion underfoot. Every pair comes standard with our podiatrist-certified LUVSEATTM PU footbed for all-day comfort and support. Step in and feel the difference. chacos.co.nz
Chaco Odyssey Sandal (men & women's) $179.95 Overcome rivers, trails, and expectations. The allterrain, closed-toe Odyssey sport sandal delivers the durability of a hiker, the freedom of a barefoot trainer, and the performance you need from land to water. chacos.co.nz
Activate XT Mens Trousers $180.00 Whether you have your sights set on backcountry trekking, fast paced day hikes or simply everyday wear, the Activate XT mens pants are designed for longevity in outdoor use. jack-wolfskin.co.nz
68//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Rab Arc Jacket $399.95 Arc Jacket is a stretch waterproof jacket with pared-down features, designed as the ideal lightweight and easily packable jacket for multiseason active use. rab.equipment
Skinnies Sunscreen $35.00 New Zealand brand Skinnies sunscreen isn’t water-based, so it’s more concentrated, won’t sweat off, and lasts longer. A pea size blob is all you need to cover your face, neck and ears. It rubs in clear and won’t sting your eyes. Skinnies dries in 2 minutes and forms a thin layer that adheres to your skin, enduring a long day in the sunshine. skinnies.co.nz
Marmot PreCip ECO Rain Jacket $199.95 (Mens & Women’s) On the 20th anniversary of our best-selling PreCip Rain Jacket, meet the environmentally conscious and high-performing next generation: the lightweight PreCip Eco Rain Jacket. The waterproof / breathable, PFC-free Marmot NanoPro™ recycled nylon face fabric lasts longer than ever, thanks to the advanced technology of our microporous coating. Sturdier, more durable than ever, and with a patented dry-touch finish, this packable water-repelling jacket that stuffs into its own pocket will become an everyday piece that you can feel good in and about. It's topped off with an updated fit and the same fully functional features you love, like a stowable hood, adjustable hem, and heat-releasing PitZips. The DriClime™-lined chin guard wicks away moisture to help prevent chafing. marmotnz.co.nz
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
69
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
URBAN HEALTH
THE BENEFITS OF CONTRAST BATHING By Ronja Hill-Wright
R
onja Hill-Wright's life completely revolves around bikes.. When not training, or racing she is lucky enough to have a career that allows her to work within the mountain bike community. You might find her guiding bike tours or leading coaching sessions on my local trails in the Whakarewarewa Forest.
Make no mistake, mountain bikers have to be a little bit crazy. Sometimes I sit back and think, who had the idea to combine a bunch of dangerous variables like high speeds, velocity, sharp rocks, jutted roots and unexpected obstacles with two-wheels and 10kgs of metal in between them...? Yep, there’s a little bit of crazy in all of us. And for some reason we love it! But for all the madness, the injuries, and the physical toll the sport takes on your body, mountain biking combines my love of exercise, the sounds of native New Zealand wildlife and stunning views of the outdoors. Mountain biking has an amazing ability to create a sense of excitement and calm all at once. I love that. I’m originally from Canberra, Australia. It’s about as different from Rotorua as you can imagine. The trails here are amazing, and the mountain biking community is even better. My life is completely revolved around bikes when I am not training, or racing, I am lucky enough to have a career that allows me to work within the mountain bike community. You might find me guiding bike tours or leading coaching sessions on my local trails in the Whakarewarewa Forest. I do the odd bit of wrenching at Mountain Bike Rotorua, too. As a professional mountain bike rider, one thing I’ve learnt is that pictures and videos don’t do the experience justice. Watching a pro rider tearing around rocky berms and flying through the native bush is one thing but feeling the incredible impact it has on your body is another. It’s adrenaline-fueled fun, but the risks are real. The near-constant pressure on your knees and wrists rattles the joints, while your shoulders and forearms are working overtime to support your entire upper body moving at a rapid speed. Your quads burn, your calves and back tighten and your mind has to stay at the highest possible level of alertness.
70//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Like anyone, I’m sore after a good ride, aching even. Developing a recovery program has been something that has taken my performances, and ability to back them up consistently, to the next level. I’m not sure if it’s age, wisdom, or something in between, but I certainly wish that my younger self knew the importance of recovery when I started. So hopefully this article helps someone out there. We all know that time and rest are wonderful healers. Eating a healthy diet of whole foods and lots of rest definitely helps because giving your body time to recover naturally is essential. However, patience isn’t a great asset of mine. I’ve recently incorporated contrast bathing into this process, and I’m loving it. I’ll get into the physical benefits in a second, but just the fact that you’re doing something, going somewhere and seeing people as part of your recovery is massive for me – it sure beats sitting at home with an icepack! Being based in Rotorua, I often head to the facilities at Polynesian Spa. I go at least once a week, and it has done wonders for my recovery times. The way I look at it is, we just happen to have one of the world’s best natural contrast bathing option on our doorstep here in Rotorua, why not make the most of it! The spa itself is equipped specifically for contrast bathing, and it’s now just a part of my training regime. You always look after your bike, so make sure you look after your body! On the physical front, contrast bathing therapy has long been used to help athletes recover from muscle soreness – it’s just not that well known. This technique involves alternating between hot (36 degrees Celsius and above) and cold (around ten degrees) for between 30 seconds and five minutes at a time. The science behind the practice is simple – the contrast of temperatures causes blood vessels to contract and expand, pumping fluids around the body. The fluids help aid the regeneration of muscle tissue and relieve muscle pain. Enjoying an early-morning therapeutic bath does wonders for my mental health, too.
"On the physical front, contrast bathing therapy has long been used to help athletes recover from muscle soreness – it’s just not that well known."
I’ve certainly found this method more effective than a simple ice bath – my body doesn’t shut down, it stays activated – and it’s much easier too! Out on the trail, we can take our good health for granted. The last thing anyone wants is for aches and pains can turn into full-blown injuries. Incorporating contrast bathing into my recovery regime is something that has certainly helped me, both physically and mentally. Right now, I’m focused on improving my dirt jumping, and overall speed with the goal of Crankworx Rotorua 2020 firmly in my mind. Crankworx Rotorua is one of the three main events under the Crankworx Global brand. This event drew nearly 40,000 attendees and over a thousand pro athletes to Whakarewarewa Forest in 2019. The atmosphere in Rotorua was electric – the town goes wild for downhill mountain biking. I feel so fortunate to have found my place here – even if I am just a little bit crazy.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
71
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
URBAN NUTRITION THE HUMBLE BEETROOT Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) is a root vegetable (which means it simply grows underground), is also known as a garden beet, or just plain beet. They used to be commonly found in Uncles hamburgers and were responsible for most of the purple stains on white t-shirts back in the day… perhaps that is why they seem to have faded from the modern-day hamburger!
The attractive and bright colour tends to put people into one of two camps; either you love it, or you hate it and it has a distinctive taste. If you’re not a fan, you should know that beetroot has been gaining a reputation as the new superfood around the world. It’s low in fat, full of powerful antioxidants, rich in Vitamin C, and helps in the absorption of iron. Both the leaves and the roots can be eaten. While the pink/purple root is sweet, the dark green leaves are bitter but very rich in calcium, iron and Vitamin A. Beetroots are most effective eaten raw, as cooking seems destroy most of its nutrients. You can add them in salads or simply just juice them up and drink. Packed with essential nutrients, beetroots are a great source of fibre, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. The modest beetroot, and as a juice, have been associated with numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure, and increased exercise performance. These benefits are due to their high content of inorganic nitrates. Vitamins and Minerals Beetroots are a great source of essential vitamins and minerals. •Folate (vitamin B9). One of the B vitamins, folate is important for normal tissue growth and cell function. •Manganese. An essential trace element, manganese is found in high amounts in whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. •Potassium. A diet high in potassium can lead to reduced blood pressure levels and positive effects on heart health. •Iron. Iron has many important functions in your body. It’s necessary for the transport of oxygen in red blood cells. •Vitamin C. This well-known vitamin is an antioxidant that is important for immune function and skin health . Benefits of Beetroots Lower Blood Pressure: High blood pressure can damage your blood vessels and heart. What’s more, it’s among the strongest risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and premature death worldwide Eating fruits and vegetables rich in inorganic nitrates may cut your risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and increasing nitric oxide formation. Studies show that beetroots or their juice can reduce blood pressure by up to 3–10 mm Hg over a period of a few hours. Such effects are likely due to increased levels of nitric oxide, which causes your blood vessels to relax and dilate.
72//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Increased Exercise Capacity Numerous studies suggest that nitrates can enhance physical performance, particularly during high-intensity endurance exercise. Dietary nitrates have been shown to reduce oxygen use during physical exercise by affecting the efficiency of mitochondria, the cell organs responsible for producing energy. Beets and their juice are often used for this purpose because of their high inorganic nitrate content. Consumption of beetroots may improve running and cycling performance, increase stamina, boost oxygen use, and lead to better exercise performance overall. Other Plant Compounds Plant compounds are natural plant substances, some of which may aid health. The main plant compounds in beetroots are: •Betanin. Also called beetroot red, betanin is the most common pigment in beetroots, responsible for their strong red colour. It is believed to have various health benefits. •Inorganic nitrate. Found in generous amounts in leafy green vegetables, beetroots, and beetroot juice, inorganic nitrate turns into nitric oxide in your body and has many important functions •Vulgaxanthin. A yellow or orange pigment found in beetroots and yellow beets. Inorganic Nitrates Inorganic nitrates include nitrates, nitrites, and nitric oxide. Beetroots and beetroot juice are exceptionally high in nitrates. However, debate has swirled around these substances for a long time. Some people believe that they’re harmful and cause cancer, while others believe the risk is mostly associated with nitrites in processed meat. Most dietary nitrate (80–95%) comes from fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, dietary nitrite comes from food additives, baked goods, cereals, and processed or cured meats. Research shows that diets rich in nitrites and nitrates can have positive health effects, including lower blood pressure levels and decreased risk of many diseases. Your body can convert dietary nitrates — such as those from beetroots — into nitric oxide. This substance travels through your artery walls, sending signals to the tiny muscle cells around your arteries and telling them to relax. When these muscle cells relax, your blood vessels dilate, and blood pressure goes down.
So to surmise the humble beet: Beetroots are a good source of nutrients, fibre, and many plant compounds. Their health benefits include improved heart health and enhanced exercise capacity, both of which are attributed to their inorganic nitrate content and best eaten raw!
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
73
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
URBAN BUSINESS GO NATIVE:
How does it keep for 2 years? Our pouches have a very low oxygen and moisture transfer rate, we finish them in a retort steam process which helps to kill any bugs. Are some products more popular than others and is there a reason why? Butter Chicken and Spaghetti Bolognese are the two most popular. They’re both classics that people know and love, they are rich, hearty and seriously delicious, they’re better than most people can make at home. Go Native is marginally heavier than free dried food – what is the value to weight ration – i.e. why would I carry something heavier? If you’re eating freeze dried, you need a 2 serve which is 175g our meals are 250g so the additional weight is 75g. An iPhone 7 weighs 140g. If I packed two identical packs for an overnight adventure and I put an iPhone 7 in one pack and asked you to guess which pack had the iPhone 7 in it you wouldn’t be able to tell me.
Sick of eating freeze-dried meals and artificial energy bars was the motivation Duncan Forbes and Garth MacIntyre needed to start their food company, Go Native. They wanted to eat a hearty delicious meal while adventuring around the world and hence, Go Native was created. We caught up with Duncan to find out a little more about their business... What sets Go Native apart from other tramping/hiking foods? • You will actually enjoy your meal and look forward to it • Our meals are ready to eat casseroles and curries not freeze-dried • They are good enough to eat at home • They can be happily eaten cold for lunch or in an emergency, you don’t need to give up your valuable water to rehydrate them • They are ready to eat in 2 minutes • They are packed with a generous serving of meat • For a meat lover our vegetable curry is superb • The proof is in the eating. Line our meals up against your current favourite. Why the name Go Native? It’s a positive call to get into nature, get off the grid and go and spend some time in our stunning native environment. We all spend too much time on our screens and under pressure. Heading into the outdoors with friends, family and even by yourself is great for the soul. Go Native. Starting up a business in an already competitive market you have to have some specific personality traits. How would people who know you and Garth – describe you? This is not our first rodeo, we’re proven in other businesses. It’s never easy, you build some confidence in yourself through previous ups and downs which gives you belief in the harder times that you will find a way. What is the process behind the making of Go Native as a product? We batch make the meals as you would at home but on an industrial scale. This give them the rich and delicious flavour, most freeze-dried meals are made by freeze-drying the individual ingredients, storing them and then blending the individual freeze-dried ingredients together and adding a powdered gravy flavouring. You don’t get that authentic rich natural infused cooking flavour with freeze-dried meals like you do with real food ready to eat meals, it’s not rocket science or some clever trick why our meals taste dramatically better. We then fill the retort pouches and steam finish them.
74//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
What you would be able to tell me is the significant difference in the enjoyment between the Go Native ready to eat meal and the freeze-dried meal. There is no contest. Our meals are purchased and used on Mt Everest and eaten at base camp 3 and 4, these guides are professional climbers who are more weight conscious than 99% of hikers; they have told us the quality of our meals warrants the small weight difference. If you’re carrying water on your hike for camping then you carry more water with freeze dried meals which means they are actually a heavier solution as you need to carry 250g of water to pour in and rehydrate every meal. With our ready to eat meals you heat them by placing them in boiling water for 2 minutes which means you can use the hot water for a brew afterwards or leave it to cool and reuse. What is in the pipeline for Go Native in terms of new products in the range? We have an exciting roster of new products coming across the outdoor meal menu What has been the biggest challenge to overcome with Go Native? Go Native products are purchased by some of the leading athletes and teams in the world, we sell to them so we’re not allowed to say who they are. If we could promote our elite customer names people would be blown away by who is buying and using Go Native. What does the future hold for Go Native as a business in terms of expansion? We’re developing our Australian market and have started selling products into North America. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to set up an ‘adventure product’ based business? Be a genuine user of your own products as you will then really understand what works.
McCashin’s Brewery 660 Main Road, Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand T: +64 3 547 5357 E: orders@mccashins.co.nz
# stokedinNZ
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
URBAN MOTIVATION MARMOT X THREAD Eco-friendly T-shirt collaboration with Thread International creating positive economic and environmental change. Sustainable style goes off mountain in cool new graphic tees for men and women made with upcycled plastic. Plastic bottles are collected from the streets and canals of Haiti and Honduras, turning waste into eco-conscious, impactful Thread Collection apparel. Thread fabrics can be traced back to the collection centres in the first mile (the individuals and areas where plastic bottles are picked up from the ground). Each yard of recycled fabric helps create thousands of jobs in a circular supply chain. In 2010, Ian Rosenberger (fun fact, Ian also finished 3rd in 2005 Survivor Palau, and was a dolphin trainer at the time) visited Haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. He went to help, and while there he met a young man named Tassy who had a cancerous facial tumour and needed surgery to survive. Rosenberger set work, raised the necessary $50,000, brought Tassy to the US, and in short, saved his life. “I realized that unless we stuck with Tassy until he didn’t need us anymore, this was all just a self-congratulatory exercise. That begged the question: What did it mean for him not to need us anymore?” He spent a year or so trying to figure that question out. He realised he should provide jobs. It wasn’t just the money they needed; it was dignity, too. But Haiti was resource-poor, and work was hard to come by. Then he had a realisation, one that stemmed from an entry he made in his journal during that first trip: “If Haiti can turn trash into $ = good.” He realised that all the discarded plastic bottles that otherwise littered the streets were in fact a resource. He founded Thread International, a company that now pays locals to take empty bottles to a collection centre where they are de-labelled and sorted and placed into collection sacks. They’re then taken to a Haitian-run manufacturing plant, where they’re cleaned and processed into plastic ‘flake’, and then those flakes are processed into yarn. That’s where Marmot comes in; they buy the yarn from Thread to create their ‘Marmot x Thread Collection’ line of T-shirts.
Each T-shirt is 50% recycled polyester. That’s 2.25 plastic bottles per shirt. The other 50% is reclaimed cotton. Marmot’s thread tees have helped create 417 jobs in Haiti, but the shirts have less environmental impact, too. The use of pesticides is reduced, carbon emissions are cut by roughly 300 grams, and water usage is decreased by approximately 435 litres (a 50% reduction compared to an ordinary cotton T-shirt). And the T-shirts don’t just make you feel good ethically, they just feel good period. They’re super-soft, and the recycled polyester means they dry quickly. View the full Marmot X Thread Collection https://marmotnz.co.nz/collections/thread
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
URBAN TECH B a
c
A
d
Jabra Elite 85h Headphones $549.00
Engineered for the best wireless calls and music experience with SmartSound sound that automatically adapts to your surroundings. Be the first to own these intelligent wireless headphones, and level-up your listening experience. www.jabra.co.nz
B
SunSaver Classic Solar Power Bank $99.00 The SunSaver Classic is the power bank that never stops working, so that you never miss out on using your portable devices. The extremely solid exterior and IP67 certification means that it is fully waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, to make sure it can survive any environment. With a 16,000mAh battery capacity it can fully charge a standard smartphone up to 6 full times, while also being compatible with most other 5V devices, such as your Action Camera and MP3 Player.
www.sunsaver.co.nz
c
SteriPEN Adventurer Opti $239.95
Lightweight water purification for peak performance in the outdoors! SteriPEN Adventurer Opti was built for the toughest mountains and rivers in the world. www.outfitter.com
d
Tex: Energy Infinite Air Wind Turbine $199.95
The Infinite Air harnesses the wind to generate instant power direct to a device or battery and is perfect for charging smartphones, cameras, medical equipment and more. www,outfitterstore.nz
E
SunSaver Power Flex 6.4-Watt Solar Charger $99.00
Engineered to be light, rugged and smart, the SunSaver Power Flex offers
6.4-Watts of solar charging power that folds up to fit in your pocket. The American made solar cells are efficient enough to charge a standard smartphone in less than 2.5 hours of sunlight, and with their protective film coating, they are weather resistant and very durable. www.sunsaver.co.nz
78//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
E
F F
Kaiser Baas X600 4K 30FPS Waterproof Body Action Camera $279.99
G
The first waterproof camera from KB that doesn't require a case. The incredible stabilization and 4K technology will make your footage look sharp and smooth. www.kaiserbaas.co.nz
G
Kaiser Baas S3 3-Axis Stabilized Gimbal $129.99
Take your content creation to the next level and capture professional-looking footage, every time! Compatible with Android & iOS Smartphones with screen sizes below 6�. www.kaiserbaas.co.nz
H
I
H
Kaiser Baas Carbon Float Grip $54.95
Never lose your Action Camera when you're in the water this summer with the Carbon Float Grip. www.kaiserbaas.co.nz
I
Kaiser Baas X450 4K 30FPS 14MP Action Camera $199.99
Designed for thrill-seekers that want stunning detail, the X450 boasts exemplary 4K resolution and Video Stabilisation to capture super clear content. www.kaiserbaas.co.nz
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
URBAN DIVERSION
We've searched the internet for some great reads for hikers and here's what we found...
Following Atticus
A Million Steps
AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
Tom Ryan’s inspiring tale of how he and his miniature schnauzer companion, the “Little Buddha” Atticus M. Finch, attempted to scale all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s four thousand foot White Mountains twice in the dead of winter.
Part diary, part travelogue, A Million Steps is Kurt Koontz’s engaging memoir of hiking the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain. With outgoing humor and friendliness, he embraces the beauty of the countryside and joyful connections to other pilgrims from around the world, while navigating through his personal history of addiction, recovery, and love.
David Miller’s account of this thru-hike along the entire 2,172 miles from Georgia to Maine. On page after page, readers are treated to rich descriptions of the valleys and mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the life-changing moments that can only be experienced when dreams are pursued.
K2: The Worlds Most Dangerous Mountain
River: One Man's Journey down the Colorado
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Colin Fletcher, the backpacking guru and consummate observer of nature takes readers on a 1,700-mile, six-month journey down the entire length of America’s second longest river, the Colorado.
One of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told — Aron Ralston’s searing account of his six days trapped in one of the most remote spots in America, and how one inspired act of bravery brought him home.
Focusing on seven of the mountain’s most dramatic campaigns, from his own troubled ascent to the 2008 tragedy, Viesturs crafts an edge-of-your-seat narrative that climbers and armchair travelers alike will find unforgettably compelling.
80//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
The best place to buy top outdoor brands at great prices
www.gearshop.co.nz
GET IN EARLY FOR
CHRISTMAS!
Big Agnes Boot Jack -4°C Down Sleeping Bag RRP $449.99
Big Agnes Spike Lake -9°C Down LH Sleeping Bag RRP $469.99
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV 2 Expedition Tent RRP $1,149.00
Big Agnes Wiley SL -1°C DownTek Sleeping Bag RRP $519.99
Big Agnes Hitchens UL -6°C Downtek Sleeping Bag RRP $879.99 Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL Tent 1 Person Tent - RRP $749.99 2 Person Tent - RRP $899.99 3 Person Tent - RRP $1,049.99 4 Person Tent - RRP $1,399.99
Big Agnes AXL Air Pillow RRP $74.99
Big Agnes Copper Spur Platinum UL Tent 2 Person Tent - RRP $1,049.95 3 Person Tent - RRP $1,499.99
KTI Safety Alert SA2G 406 Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) RRP $359.99
HUGE RANGE ONLINE
Knockaround Fast Lane Polarized Sunglasses RRP $59.99
Knockaround Classic Polarized Sunglasses RRP $39.99
Knockaround Fort Knocks Polarized Sunglasses RRP $69.99
Trekmates Mountain Pod Group Shelter RRP $189.99
HOT PRODUCT
Big Agnes Tech Dry Bags 12, 19 & 32 Litre Sizes From RRP $39.99 Big Agnes Q Core Deluxe Camping Pillow RRP $89.99
Trekmates Moisture Absorbent Balls RRP $39.99 Trekmates Thermo Emergency Blanket RRP $54.99
Big Agnes Delux Travel Pillow RRP $69.99 Packs down small
Trekmates Bush Hat with Mozzie Net RRP $59.99
Trekmates Glenmore GTX Ankle Gaiters RRP $69.99
Check out our website for current sales & promotions
Big Agnes Tech Compression Sacks 10, 14 & 21 Litre Sizes From RRP $59.99
Big Agnes Logo Water Bottle RRP $14.99
sales@gearshop.co.nz 0800 432 774
While stocks last • Prices subject to change without notice
Choosing the right tent There are so many camping tents on the market, that finding the right one can seem quite daunting. However, if you narrow down these few things it will definitely make the choice a little easier.
How much space do you need? What are you are using it for? Is the weight of the tent important? What time of the year will you go camping? How far do you have to carry it?
Some quick tips
Chose a tent that is easy to set up. Make sure it provides enough weather protection for your needs.
Choosing a backpacking tent
Unless you are camping close to your car you will have to carry your tent, which means weight and packability will win over size and space.
Single vs double walled tents: Most tents are double
Tent Stakes: Although weight is an important factor to consider with your tent stakes, the ability to penetrate the ground is sometimes more important. However, using the natural environment, such as rocks, roots and trees to tie down your tent is the best option.
Tent Vestibule: This is the “entrance” to the tent, usually in the form of a protective “awning” where you can store your boots and packs leaving the space inside the tent just for sleeping. Downside is it requires a larger “footprint”.
walled, which means they have a breathable inner tent overlayed with a waterproof outer tent/fly. This allows condensation to more to the outer layer keeping your tent dryer on the inside.
In-tent Storage: Look for pockets and lofts to keep small personal
Weight: If carrying your tent any distance, look for a tent that weighs around 2 pounds per person.
Doors: Look for a smooth zipper and if you have a two man tent then two doors can be advantageous.
Netting: Important for keeping out sandflies and mosquitos and also for allowing the tent to breathe.
Height and wall shape: If you are hiking in exposed areas you will
Tent poles:
Aluminium: Great weight to strength ratio which makes it an excellent choice. However, they need looking after if you camp close to the sea due to corrosion. Fibreglass: Lightweight, inexpensive but can shatter under pressure. Carbon Fibre: Super lightweight but expensive. Steel: Strong and rigid but heavy and corrosive. Air Beams: Easy to set up and cope well with changeable winds however they can leak and at the moment tend to be more expensive.
82//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
items within easy reach. Look for internal loops that also allow you to hang things from.
want a low profile design that will help deflect wind and rain at the expense of space. However, look for good internal space that can be created by clever design.
Ground Sheet: Important for keeping the moisture off the floor of
your tent.
Seams: Look for tents with taped seams, which helps keep tents both warm and dry.
Vango Banshee Pro 200
2-person tunnel design with two doors, a vestibule/storage area, high quality, light and pre-angled poles for more usable space. Full packaged weight 2.39kg. RRP $279.99 BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
intents outdoors Jett 1 UL Tent
Spacious 1 person tent great for hiking. Great performer with 20D Ripstop Silnylon and PU3000mm waterproof coating. Lightweight 1.4kg with quick pitch and multi-pitch options. RRP $299.00 INTENTSOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
Marmot Tungsten Ultralight 2P Tent
A newly designed tent for the space conscious among us, the Tungsten blends durability, roominess and intuitive livable designs. In fact, it has more space per ounce than any other of our freestanding ultralight tents. Constructed with two large D-shaped doors, two vestibules and a no-stretch Rain Shield polyester fly, this little tent gives the feeling of big living in the woods. Minimum Weight: 1470g Maximum Weight: 1603g) Floor Area: 3.0 sq m Vestibule Area: 0.91 sq m | 0.48 sq m Packed Size: 45.7 x 17.8cm RRP $799.00 MARMOTNZ.CO.NZ
Kiwi camping Weka 2 Hiker Tent
Spacious two-person tent with vestibule and double entrances. Fits in a backpack, ideal for all year-round hiking. 4000mm aqua rated fly with SPF50 UV coating. 3 year warranty. RRP $299.00 KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
explore planet earth Speedy Blackhole 2 Pop-Up Dome Tent
Sleep longer and cooler with the Blackhole feature that cuts out early morning sunrises and keeps the tent cool. Has integrated LED lights and a 3 year warranty. RRP $299.00 KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
CA M P I N G
intents outdoors Indie 2
Ultralight 1.3kg*, 2 person tent with 2 entrances and vestibules. Great for hiking, and bikepacking. Waterproof 20D Ripstop Silnylon with quick pitch and multi-pitch options. RRP $329.00 INTENTSOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
intents outdoors Tracker 1-2
Proven all-rounder for 1-2 people – great for hiking, hunting, cycling, casual camping. Freestanding 1.95kg design with durable Ripstop Polyester PU3000mm fly and PU5000mm floor. RRP $229.00 INTENTSOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
Macpac Apollo Tent
The Apollo is a free-standing, two person tent that’s perfect for camping. Easy to set up with a Swift-Pitch™ design, it’s got dual entrances and vestibules, a waterproof Torrentwear™ XP floor and a waterproof factory seam sealed UV75™ PU fly sheet. RRP $529.99 MACPAC.CO.NZ
THE NORTH FACE TALUS 3
This spacious yet lightweight, three-person tent features two doors and vestibules for easy access and added storage, high-low ventilation to eliminate condensation, a durable, fully seam-taped canopy and floor, and a loft to keep spare layers and tools within grabbing distance. Trail weight 2.5kg RRP $600.00 THENORTHFACE.CO.NZ
Vango Tay 400
4-person dome-style tent with gothic arch pole (increases stability and assists water/snow run-off). 4.79kg. RRP $229.99 BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
84//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Vango Sky 500
5-person easy-to-pitch three pole tunnel tent design with side entry into the stand-up height inner tent. RRP $499.99 BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
Kiwi Camping Kea 5E
The ideal 'getaway' tent with a standing height bedroom, spacious front vestibule for extra storage. RRP $449.00 EQUIPOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
Kiwi Camping Takahe 8
The Takahe 8 is built super strong. With 3 generous sized rooms and excellent airflow. RRP $1299.00 EQUIPOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
orson outdoors AX2 Roof top tent
Tough roof top tent, perfect for your next trip. Low profile design, aluminium treadplate base, telescopic ladder, waterproof, quality mattress, zips, cover. With or without annex. RRP $2099.00 INTENTSOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
CA M P I N G
Macpac Overland Sleeping Bag
Featuring a water-resistant 650 loft HyperDRY™ RDS duck down fill and Pertex® Quantum shell, the Overland has a tapered, semi-rectangular shape. Temperature Rating: comfort -1°C, limit -7°C, extreme -24°C. Weight: 1079 g (ISO 23537 tested and weighed STD size) RRP $499.99 MACPAC.CO.NZ
RAB Neutrino 200
The Neutrino 200 is a lightweight, minimalist down-filled sleeping bag, designed for light-weight end uses, where warmth-to-weight is a prime concern. RRP $739.95 RAB.EQUIPMENT
OZtrail Treksmart 3 Sleeping Bag The OZtrail Treksmart 4 Sleeping Bag is a mummy style sleeping bag for nights down to -10 deg.c. RRP $159.90 EQUIPOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
kiwi camping Intrepid Lite Single Air Mat
This air mat is ideal for tramping, weighing just 480g. Made of heavy duty 40D, 310T nylon ripstop, it’s ultra-durable. Supplied with carry bag and repair kit. RRP $99.00 KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
86//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
kiwi camping Tawa Sleeping Bag
Keep warm in temperatures as low as -10° with the hood, draft strap and thermal chest collar. The ‘mummy’ shape increases insulation qualities for a more consistent temperature. RRP $149.00 KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
sea to summit Etherlight XT Insulated Sleeping mat
Refining lightweight cold-climate sleeping comfort, this mat combines a lightweight 30/40D Nylon fabric, Exkin Platinum® and THERMOLITE® insualtion with a loop baffle Air Sprung Cell™ construction to create a 10cm thick mat with an incredibly low weight. Women specific version also available. Features include: •Extra thick (XT) loop baffle Air Sprung Cells™ •Ultra-Fresh® anti-microbial treatment to the TPU formula to prevent internal mould growth •Included Pillow Lock™ system attaches Sea to Summit pillows to mat •Includes an Airstream™ Pump that is integrated into the stuff sack for quick and easy inflation RRP $349.99 SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ/SEA-TO-SUMMIT
Marmot Hydrogen Sleeping Bag
The Hydrogen delivers enough warmth for ultra-light cool-weather climbs and backcountry excursions, while still weighing in at a wispy one pound for light and fast climbs and hikes. Bag temperature(°C): -1° C Insulation: 800+ Fill Power Goose Down Weight: 665g Fill Weight: 310g Pack volume: 4.6 litres RRP $749.00 MARMOTNZ.CO.NZ
Marmot Helium Sleeping Bag
Remarkably light and compact, the Helium delivers impressive insulation. Use it as a three-plus season bag to substantially reduce your load while backpacking and mountaineering. Bag temperature(°C): -9°C Insulation: 800+ Fill Power Goose Down Weight: 935g Pack volume: 7.0 liters RRP $949.00 MARMOTNZ.CO.NZ
sea to summit Spark 2
Ultra-light and technical, our Spark™ Series bags are designed to keep you as warm as possible while minimising packed weight and size. The Spark™ Series spans everything from an ultralight liner to an expedition weight midwinter bag. Features include: •Contoured mummy shape for efficient insulation •Updated sizing provides extra room for both shoulders and hips while still maintaining insulation efficiency •Includes lightweight Ultra-Sil™ Nano compression bag for compact storage RRP $579.99 SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ/SEA-TO-SUMMIT
RAB ARK Emergency Bivi
Made with lightweight PE (Polyethylene), the ARK Emergency Bivi bag is wind and waterproof and reflects body heat. Super packable, folding down 12x6cm in its stuff sack, and lightweight at 105g. RRP $19.95 RAB.EQUIPMENT
CA M P I N G
Back Country Cuisine
ROAST LAMB & VEGETABLES: Tasty
freeze-dried lamb and mint gravy with vegetables and creamy mashed potato. Gluten Free. HONEY SOY CHICKEN: A sweet and spicy blend of rice, freeze-dried chicken and vegetables. Gluten Free.
SPAGHETTI BOLOGNAISE: Freezedried tender beef mince with tomato
in a savoury sauce, served with spaghetti pasta. Available in one serve 90g or two serve 175g sizes. RRP $8.99 and $13.49
BACKCOUNTRYCUISINE.CO.NZ
hydroflask 12oz (354mL) Coffee Mug This Coffee Mug is not your usual. Soft to the touch with a silicone outer, stainless steel insulation and ceramic inner lining – savour every sip. RRP $59.99 HYDROFLASK.CO.NZ
Back Country Cuisine
APRICOT CRUMBLE: Freeze-dried fruity chunks of apricot made in a hot sauce and covered with tasty malt crumbs. 150g.
RRP $12.49 BACKCOUNTRYCUISINE.CO.NZ
SOTO Windmaster Stove
OZtrail Lumos 500 L Rechargeable Lantern A Rechargeable Camping Lantern with ultra-bright LEDS creating up to 500 Lumens. RRP $69.90 EQUIPOUTDOORS.CO.NZ
Performs brilliantly in windy conditions. Comes with 3 prong TriFlex pot support and the 4 prong 4Flex pot support for larger pots, stealth igniter. 60g (stove only), 67g (stove with TriFlex support), 87g (stove with 4Flex support) RRP $134.99 BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
Jetboilfuel
hydroflask 12oz (354mL) food flask 100% Leak Proof. An essential for your pack. Stay fuelled on every adventure. Keeps soup steaming or yogurt chilled for hours. Enjoy each bite. RRP $59.99 HYDROFLASK.CO.NZ
88//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Jetpower fuel contains a blend of propane and iso-butane. Propane provides higher vapour pressure to the fuel which means better performance in cold weather. Fuel efficiency translates to weight, space, and money savings. Since Jetboil is up to twice as efficient as conventional stoves, you can take half as much fuel on your trip, thus saving weight. A Jetpower fuel canister, with 100 grams of fuel, boils as much water with Jetboil as competing stoves do with their big 227g canisters. The other big benefit is space savings since Jetpower canisters nest conveniently inside the cooking cup. Available in 100g, 230g & 450g recyclable canisters. RRP $7.99 - $16.99 JETBOILNZ.CO.NZ
Summit Skillet
Our new non-stick Summit Skillet packs the performance of your kitchen pans into a trail-ready solution. Not only does it improve your backcountry cooking versatility, the turner nests into the handle for compact and lightweight travel. After all, your meals on the trail deserve to be just as good as your adventures. RRP $119.95 JETBOILNZ.CO.NZ
Jetboil MightyMo
Bring your kitchen skills to the backcountry. MightyMo has the same great power and control as the rest of the Mo series, but with the freedom for you to pick your own cook pots, pans, and percolators. Featuring a mighty 10,000 BTU burner and boasting a four-turn regulator, you can go from boiling, to sautĂŠing, to simmering, taking your taste buds on the trail with everything but the kitchen sink. RRP $119.95 JETBOILNZ.CO.NZ
kiwi camping Vibe Chair Gasmate High Output Cooker & Pot Set
Feed the masses on the go. Monitor and control the temperature easily. All parts pack away into the 20L aluminium stock pot, then into the carry bag. RRP $349.00 KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
Comfortable with padded arm rests and mesh back for air flow. Constructed in durable steel with 600D polyester, it also features an integrated bottle opener and cup holder. RRP $89.99 KIWICAMPING.CO.NZ
go native ready to eat meals
Hearty and delicious ready to eat casseroles and curries. Not freeze dried. This is real food ready to eat. Food is one of the most important elements of a successful trip, the ideal meal is a ready to eat casserole or curry that you would happily eat at home. Heat the meal pouch in boiling water for 2 minutes, use the hot water for a brew after heating. Butter Chicken, Spaghetti Bolognese, Chilli Con Carne, Vegetable Curry, Chicken and Chickpea Curry, Beef Casserole, Chicken Italiano. 250g. Eat well hiking. RRP $12.99 GONATIVEWORLD.COM
Jetset Utensil Set
Stowable in your Jetboil cook pot, these high-temperature nylon utensils extend to reach every last bit of food at the bottom of the cup. The ideal utensils for Jetboil cooking systems or meals-in-a-bag. Long enough to comfortably reach the bottom of the cooking cups, and specially shaped to scour each edge and corner. RRP $24.95 JETBOILNZ.CO.NZ
OZtral Galaxy 2 Seater Sofa
Cuddle up with your special camping buddy this summer in the OZtrail Galaxy 2 Seater Sofa with Arms. RRP $139.90 EQUIPOUTDOORS
FUELING EPIC ADVENTURES FOR 21 YEARS Wherever your next adventure is about to lead you, we’ve got the goods to keep you going.
OZtrail Camp Kitchen Double Pantry
The OZtrail Camp Kitchen with Double Pantry is a popular combination of a camp kitchen and pantry storage. RRP $249.90 EQUIPOUTDOORS
Est. 1998 Back Country Cuisine specialises in a range of freeze-dried products, from tasty meals to snacks and everything in between, to keep your energy levels up and your adventures wild.
Kiwi Camping Savanna 3 backcountrycuisine.co.nz
The Kiwi Camping Savanna 3 is the ideal picnic, evening BBQ, sporting shelter or entertainment shelter at the campsite with plenty of space for all. RRP $399.00 EQUIPOUTDOORS
YOUR ADVENTURE YOUR CHOICE
NEW 2019
SLEEP SYSTEMS Lightweight, compact and comfortable—what’s most important to you? No person and no trip is the same. Match the lightest sleeping bag with the lightest sleeping mat, make warmth your highest priority or combine the lightest mat with the warmest bag. Be light, be warm, be safe, be extreme, be unique.
BUILD YOUR
SLEEP SYSTEM
seatosummit.com
COMPACT DOWN AND AEROS™ AIR PILLOWS Often forgotten, always appreciated. No more choosing to take one or not, the only decision now is which one? Our lightest, most compact option weighs just 60g.
ULTRA-DRY DOWN™ AND SYNTHETIC SLEEPING BAGS Find your perfect balance of weight, warmth and packability from the 42 models in our range. We provide the choice, you define the criteria.
AIR SPRUNG CELLS™ AND SELF-INFLATING SLEEPING MATS A good night’s sleep sets you up for your best performance. Choosing the perfect base for your sleep system combination is crucial to your overnight recovery.
SLEEP LINERS From super insulating to silky cool, our technical liners add warmth to your sleeping bag, keep it clean and provide versatility as a stand-alone bag in warm conditions.
TRAINING
Forget the glass slipper -This princess wears running shoes
Salewa MEN’S ULTRA TRAIN 2
An emerging favorite for those taking on the Te Araroa, through hikers, and trail runners looking for a robust ultra-light to move quickly over NZ’s gnarliest terrain. An aggressively lugged, super sticky Michelin sole gives tenacious grip. WEIGHT: 320g DROP: 8mm (Heel: 26mm / Toe: 18mm) RRP $299.00 BOBO.CO.NZ/BRANDS/SALEWA/ INSTAGRAM: SALEWANEWZEALAND FB: SALEWA NZ
merrell Choprock Shandal mens
Packed with materials that dry out fast, grip on slick terrain, and protect your feet from debris. Vibram® MegaGrip® and rubber toe bumper for complete toe coverage and protection. RRP $239.00 MERRELL.CO.NZ
merrell Choprock mens
Packed with materials that dry out fast, grip on slick terrain, and protect your feet from debris. Vibram® MegaGrip®, Water friendly synthetic, mesh and webbing upper. RRP $239.00 MERRELL.CO.NZ
Hoka One One Speedgoat 3 (men & women's)
Road. Trail. Peak. Repeat. HOKA ONE ONE trail and all-terrain shoes are designed to take you anywhere – and everywhere. Start from your door, or from the trailhead; run to the peak, or keep going. Let your only worry be how far you want to explore today, and not the shoes that you’ll use to get there. The Speedgoat epitomizes the “go everywhere, run everything” attitude, this shoe is designed to attack all kinds of technical trail: the fastest, toughest trail running shoe out there. RRP $299.95 HOKAONEONE.CO.NZ
Hoka One One Challenger ATR 5 (men & women's)
In its fifth iteration, the Challenger furthers its reputation for versatility. Fast and light on the trail, its midsole geometry ensures a smooth ride on the road. While the distinctive multi-lugged outsole leaves you in no doubt as to its trail heritage. Arranged closer together towards the heel for a smoother, more consistent ride, the lugs have a wider spread in the forefoot to help with grip on the trail and in wet conditions. The Challenger ATR 5 also features a modified midfoot design for improved lockdown as well as a supportive heel counter for lateral and medial security. It looks fast and goes fast. Some colours also available in wide fit. RRP $259.95 HOKAONEONE.CO.NZ
Featured product
KEEN M Targhee Exp WP
This updated trail shoe takes the immediate comfort of the original Targhee and fuses it with a bold, streamlined design. It's breathable and supportive, and the all-terrain outsole adds stability. Available in Black/Steel Grey. RRP $269.99 AVAILABLE AT SHOE CLINIC/KATHMANDU/MACPAC
Salewa WOMEN’S LITE TRAIN K
A Knit upper breathes new life into the low-pro speed demon providing a secure midfoot wrap yet a more natural, wider toebox. The soft lugs with aggressive Motocross inspired tread give good cushion and will leave you in disbelief with what you can stick to. WEIGHT: 230 g DROP: 6mm (Heel: 18.5mm / Toe: 12.5mm) RRP $279.00 BOBO.CO.NZ/BRANDS/SALEWA/ INSTAGRAM: SALEWANEWZEALAND FB: SALEWA NZ
merrell Choprock Shandal Women’s
Packed with materials that dry out fast, grip on slick terrain, and protect your feet from debris. Vibram® MegaGrip® and rubber toe bumper for complete toe coverage and protection. RRP $239.00 MERRELL.CO.NZ
Salewa WOMEN’S ULTRA TRAIN 2 Salewa’s best selling shoe in NZ returns unchanged for the 2020 season. In the previous year the Ultra Train 2 rose in popularity among fastpackers, Te Aroroa trail hikers, mountain runners and adventure athletes and has quickly garnered a cult like following. We’ve sat down with Sales and Technical Rep for Salewa NZ, Ryan Dunn, to find out why. “There’s really not much on the market like it. It’s a uniquely versatile shoe that stands out for it’s cross-over appeal and versatility.” Explains Dunn. The Ultra Train 2 is best understood when bifurcated from back to front. The hindfoot is comprised of a very structured heel counter, 3f Heel retention system and torsional stiffness through the midsole that give it unshakable stability in tough NZ terrain and helps to achieve exceptional motion control. “It’s great for heavy pronators, and helps add support if you’re carry a moderately heavy load.” The forefoot of the shoe is a different story. It’s very flexible and snappy with significant toe spring. The result is a shoe that hikes with surefooted stability when one is using a walking gait (heel strike) and offers a springy, agile, quick-turnover feel when one transitions to a running gait (forefoot or midfoot strike). “Another reason for its rise in appeal is due to a redesign of the upper from the previous Ultra Train.”adds Dunn. A seamless mesh upper, which hugs the foot like a second skin, adds a precise yet adaptable fit with superior breathability and drainability (important for all those river crossings). A protective rubber rand doubles as a fit aid to help keep the foot stay laterally secure during technical descents. “Salewa gets it right when using the functional aspects of a shoe transparently to add to the visual appeal. It’s a cool looking shoe and that has definitely attributed to it’s success.” Last but not least there’s the Michelin’s OCX compound outsole. “It’s what makes the shoe so special.” States Dunn, as a wry smile lights up his face. “An Ultra runner in Wellington showed me the soles of her Ultra’s. They looked worn but definitely had plenty of usable tread. She asked me how many K’s I thought she put on them? It was over 700!” Not only durable, the outsole is most lauded for it’s stickiness and aggressive tread pattern. “One of our sponsored adventure racing athletes Claire Bell, was blown away with the stability and grip during her Coast to Coast run. She reckons it knocked multiple minutes off her time from the previous season. It seems to stick like glue to any surface, including wet rock. I reckon it’s stickier than Vibram Megragrip, which we use on our approach shoes.” Be sure to check out The Salewa Ultra Train 2 at a NZ stockist nearest you. RRP $299.00 BOBO.CO.NZ/BRANDS/SALEWA/ INSTAGRAM: SALEWANEWZEALAND FB: SALEWA NZ
TRAMPING
KEEN M Targhee III Mid WP
Salewa MEN’S MTN TRAINER MID GTX
A versatile all rounder with a legendary fit. ¾ shank, bi-light injected midsole with built in motion control, 3-F heel retention, climbing lacing, and suede upper help make this the go to boot for any multi-day trek off the beaten path. WEIGHT: 700g RRP $499.00 BOBO.CO.NZ/BRANDS/SALEWA/ INSTAGRAM: SALEWANEWZEALAND FB: SALEWA NZ
Our hiking boot for men brings an updated look to all-terrain adventures. We brought the fit, durability, and performance of our Targhee waterproof boot and took its rugged looks to a new dimension. Available in Black Olive/ Golden Brown. RRP $299.99 AVAILABLE AT SHOE CLINIC/BIVOUAC/ MACPAC
KEEN W Explore WP
Why stop at sneaker when you can get a hiker, too? Unplug instantly in this women's crossover hiking shoe that's always ready to explore. Lightweight and waterproof in performance mesh, it's a one-shoe wonder. Available in Black/Star White. RRP $269.99 AVAILABLE AT SHOE CLINIC
KEEN W Targhee III WP
Our iconic hiking shoe for women brings an updated look to all-terrain adventures. We carried over the fit, durability, and performance of our Targhee waterproof boot and took its rugged looks to a new dimension. Available in Weiss/Boysenberry. RRP $279.99 AVAILABLE AT SHOE CLINIC/BIVOUAC
ANATOM Q3 Braeriach Boots Salewa WOMEN’S ALPENVIOLET GTX
The Italians have a knack for blending function with form. Stichless welded rands, reinforced toecap, suede upper, and the sticky pomoca outsole of this well cushioned lightweight hiker back up the beautiful aesthetics. Women’s specific fit and midsole design will ensure your feet will be feeling good on the trail. WEIGHT: 410g RRP $429.00 BOBO.CO.NZ/BRANDS/SALEWA/ INSTAGRAM: SALEWANEWZEALAND FB: SALEWA NZ
Durable, comfortable boots. Waterproof/ breathable tri.aria™ membrane and Interface One™ lining keep your feet dry and the cushioned midsole provides improved shock absorption, support and protection. Vibram® Soparis sole. RRP $429.99 BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
Featured product keen M Explore Mid WP & W Explore Mid WP Adventure covers a lot of territory, so we made a waterproof boot that does, too. Part hiking boot, part sneaker, this lightweight, agile hiker is always ready to go. • • • • • • •
Speed hooks for easy lace adjustment 4mm multi-directional lugs for traction Stability shank delivers lightweight support Konnectfit heel-capture system for a locked-in feel KEEN.Dry waterproof, breathable membrane Radial support system adds midsole structure for better lateral stability Notch in back for achilles comfort
Sizes Available Men: 8-13 (1/2 thru 12) Women: 6-11 (1/2 thru 11) Colours Available Men: Magnet/Fiery Red Women: Black/Star White
Picture Credit: Chris Anderson
RRP $289.99 AVAILABLE AT KATHMANDU
TRAMPING
Osprey Aether AG 70 & Osprey Ariel AG 65
The new Aether/Ariel AG Series combines Anti-Gravity technology with customizable fit and innovative features to create a more capable and comfortable pack for backpacking, thru-hikes and alpine expeditions. Features: •Removable top-lid converts to DayLid daypack •Lower Inside-Out compression straps •Additional main compartment access •Integrated FlapJacket cover for lidless use •Internal hydration reservoir sleeve •Large front J-zip access to main compartment RRP $429.99 SOUTHERNAPPROACH.CO.NZ/OSPREY
EXPED Explore 75 Pack
Tough, abrasion resistant pack. Access the main compartment from the top, front and sides Floating lid with dual compartments. Men’s and women’s specific available. RRP $379.99 BIVOUAC.CO.NZ
jack-wolfskin Kalari Kingston Kit 56 + 16
The KALARI-56 and KINGSTON-16 are lightweight, multifunctional packs that are made of recycled materials. The packs are designed for short trekking trips and long-haul travel. RRP $365.00 JACK-WOLFSKIN.CO.NZ
lowe alpine Aeon 27
Constructed with lightweight yet durable abrasion-resistant nylon, coated in Lowe Alpine’s unique TriShield® which further increases durability and tear resistance. RRP $259.95 LOWEALPINE.CO.NZ
96//WHERE
lowe alpine Airzone trail 35
A proven single-buckle, top-loading entry combined with an extremely breathable and comfortable AirZone back system make this our most popular hiking pack off all time. RRP $279.95 LOWEALPINE.CO.NZ
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
THE NORTH FACE TERRA 65
The Terra 65 pack has been fully redesigned with our new Dyno Carry System™ to provide superior comfort and on-the-fly adjustments. Men’s and Women’s specific fit available. RRP $400.00 THENORTHFACE.CO.NZ
Featured product Macpac Rhyolite Pack Designed for simplicity with a streamlined aesthetic, the Rhyolite has an innovative front zip opening for fast and easy access while hiking or travelling. The full length front zip — complete with a double storm flap and overlapping webbing tension strap — means you can choose to ‘place pack’ your gear internally with smaller individual dry bags, as well as packing via the traditional top opening. A lighter weight construction, the Rhyolite features a nylon ripstop main fabric (210D), a tough Cordura® base fabric (500D) and a Helium™ harness with a light yet supportive frame. With a moulded foam back panel and mesh overlay for optimised airflow and comfort when carrying up to 15 kg of gear, the Rhyolite is ideal for overnight adventures. Providing a 47 litre capacity, this pack can fit all your hiking essentials. • • • • • • • • •
Centre front zip opening with double storm flap Webbing tension strap and hook — securing lid Helium™ harness with a lighter weight frame Dual walking pole or ice axe attachments Self-draining hip belt pockets Mesh side pockets Side compression straps Top zip pocket Hydration compatible RRP $299.99 MACPAC.CO.NZ
SUN, SURF, SAMOA
COCONUTS BEACH CLUB RESORT & SPA WWW.C B C SA M OA .CO M
98//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Vanuatu's Great Hikes As you might expect from a jungle-covered volcanic archipelago, Vanuatu has some of the best tropical trekking in the world. And it’s not all stunning mountain vistas either. Where else can you hike to the rim of an active volcano, sleep in kastom villages, sip kava with Ni-Vanuatu chiefs, or cool off beneath aquamarine limestone waterfalls? More developed islands like Santo and Efate are great for short, half-day hikes, or you can head further afield, to Malekula or Ambrym, and tackle sweaty, multi-day jungle treks. Wherever you walk, you’ll be greeted with megawatt smiles and some truly epic scenery.
Dog’s Head Trek, Malekula Malekula is shaped like a sitting dog, and the northern part of the island, the ‘Dog’s Head’ is crisscrossed with some of the best hiking trails in Vanuatu. The usual route is known as the Dog’s Head Trek. It’s a 2-day hike from Malekula’s east coast, all the way over the rugged hinterland mountains, to the charming western village of Tenmaru. Along the way you’ll meet the Small Nambas and Big Nambas (two of the island’s major tribes), get a crash course in Malekula’s history of cannibalism, and swim in cascading river pools, hidden deep in the forest.
Manbush Trail, Malekula If you want to go all out and explore Malekula from edge to edge, sign up for the 4-day . It’s one of the island’s iconic hiking trails, taking you on a journey to a part of the world rarely seen by most people. You start from the small village of Unua on the east coast, then head inland, up into the dense jungle, crossing rivers, snacking on island bush foods and summiting Mount Laimbele, a whopping 850 metres above sea level. Along the way you’ll meet several of Malekula’s hill tribes, like the elusive Lembongbong, and stay in thatched bungalows. The Manbush Trail is a challenge well worth making the effort to complete, and at the end of the trek, there’s still time to cool off in the clear waters of the Matanoi River. Banyon tree climbing, Luganville forest, Santo Image by Joel Johnsson
Losinwei Cascades Walk, Malekula Not all Vanuatu’s treks require a fully stocked backpack and several days up your sleeve. Malekula’s Losinwei Cascades Walk is the perfect example. It’s a half day hike into the misty foothills of central Malekula. Guides will lead you through the forest, surrounded by tiny orchids and flowering irises, to the picturesque Losinwei Waterfall. You can swim beneath the falls, climb the rock face to find hidden limestone pools, and just generally laze the day away before trekking back down to Losinwei Beach.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
99
Mount Garet Hike, Gaua Rising from the sea in the north of Vanuatu’s archipelago, Gaua is the country’s unofficial adventure capital. Mount Garet is the island’s highest peak, an active somma volcano (it last erupted in 2011) surrounded by a horseshoe caldera, the beautiful Lake Letas. Travellers can embark on a 3-day hike to climb and explore Mount Garet. You’ll climb to 711 metres above sea level, see bubbling lava and volcanic mud pools and swim beneath the stunning Santa Maria waterfall (but not directly beneath… it is 120-metres high). At night, sit around the campfire on the shores of Lake Letas and swap stories with your local guides.
Mount Tabwemasana, Santo When you think ‘mountaineering’, you don’t usually think Vanuatu. But the archipelago is home to one of the highest peaks in the Pacific, the mighty Mount Tabwemasana, which rises from the surrounding cloud forest and supplies most of the fresh water on Santo. Not many people actually summit Mount Tabwemasana (around 6 per year), but it can be done. Just make sure you arrive in the dry season (May to October), when the river crossings are possible. Be warned, it’s a tough journey that takes around 10 hours hard trekking to basecamp at Kerepua village, then another 4 hours to the summit. You can organise guided tours through local Santo operator, Wrecks To Rainforest.
Image by Joel Johnsson
Millennium Cave, Santo Millennium Cave is probably Santo’s most famous natural attraction. It’s also the biggest cave in Vanuatu. The trek to reach the cave isn’t the longest walk in the world (it takes around 90 minutes from Vunaspef village) but the route is challenging. You’ll be scrambling up slopes, fording streams and climbing giant river boulders. All that hard work is worth it though as Millennium Cave is truly stunning. You’ll explore the cave in the dark (using nothing but a torch), learn about local food and kastom, then cool off in the rock pools outside the cave. It’s one amazing (and exhausting) Santo day tour.
Trek Tanna, Tanna The island of Tanna is lucky to have one of the most active volcanoes in the world, the smoking Mount Yasur. Exploring Mount Yasur is easy, you can charter a 4WD to within about 150 metres of the crater rim (from there it’s just a 10-minute walk). But for more of a challenge, travellers can embark on a proper journey, which starts on Tanna’s moon-like ash plain, and winds up past the dry Siri Lake and through the island’s famous John Frum village. The full hike takes around 4 hours. Just be aware, there are no guard rails or viewing platforms on Mount Yasur, and it is an active volcano. If you want to trek the sulfuric slopes, it’s best to find an experienced local guide.
100//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Benbow Crater Hike, Ambrym The mystic island of Ambrym has always been one of the more mysterious in Vanuatu’s archipelago. It’s known as the Black Island, thanks to its volcanic soil and history of dark magic. But it’s also home to two of Vanuatu’s more active volcanoes, Mount Marum and Mount Benbow, and there are dozens of hiking options through the surrounding jungle. Fitter travellers can try the 1-day hike to Benbow’s crater rim (a 10 hour round trip), or you can sign up for 2, 3 or 4-day treks that allow you to explore the whole volcano field. If you’re planning a trekking holiday on Ambrym, travelling between August and January is generally best.
Dive and help preserve the unexplored
Dive Munda is a multi-award winning SSI Instructor Training and Extended Range Centre in the Western province of Solomon Islands committed to sustainable dive eco-tourism. Discover WWII history and Kastom culture and scuba dive unexplored reefs, hard and soft coral, cuts, caverns and caves along with pelagic life and shark action, all in one of the last wild frontiers left on planet ocean. • Direct weekly flights from Brisbane to Munda with Solomon Airlines
Landline: +677 621 56 Cellphone: +677 789 6869 divemunda@dive-solomon-com www.divemunda.com Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Agnes Gateway Hotel, Lambeti Station, Munda, New Georgia. Western Province, Solomon Islands
Magic Munda Sealark Maritime Exploration (www.sealark.co.nz), a organization based on helping the people of the Solomon’s not profit, headed to magical Munda in May 2019. The team congregated in Brisbane, Australia and made the most of the new flights that take you direct to magical Munda in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. On arrival the team settled into Agnes Gateway Hotel (AGH) and sorted out their gear before heading to see Barney Poulsen and his collection of WWII memorabilia. Friendships with Barney were rekindled, as the majority of the team had already met him and of note we found out that one of our members was actually the first name in his visitors’ book. We also caught up with Belinda Botha and her great team at Dive Munda, our partners for the week.
Sealark’s aims were to work with Dive Munda to lay a number of commemorative plaques, ground truth our draft Wreck Diving Map of Munda, conduct further survey work and follow a number of leads. The team then commenced, what would be an amazing week, of reconnecting with that dramatic piece of history – WWII and the Solomon Islands. The first dive was on Jimbo’s CORSAIR, (a early bird cage model F4U-1). A shallow dive (9m) with better than expected visibility was followed by a very shallow (3m) WILDCAT. Whilst there is not left, it is still it’s important to record this history before it is too late as these wrecks are now over 70 years old. The following day we joined up with Belinda and Dive Munda to head to Blackett Strait
via the Diamond Narrows for the first dive of the day. A A6M2 Model 21 ZERO Manufacture Number 5455 Presentation Number 1049 sits in 17m of water with the wings under silt and just the fuselage protruding from the seabed. An amazing wreck with some very intact writing on the fuselage.
TOP: Barney Poulsen’s WWII Museum in Munda. MAIN: The Blackett Strait ZERO. Photos Ewan Stevenson.
After the Zero we all headed to Bairoko Harbour to enjoy our surface interval and a snack. The next dive was the 654 ton freighter, the KASI MARU, and again Ewan and Dive Munda headed down first, this time to lay a plaque commemorating the loss of life on both sides of WWII. Once the plaque was laid, the rest entered the water and enjoyed exploring this very intact Japanese Transport.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
103
Belinda Botha from Dive Munda diving the SBD DAUNTLESS. Image by Gerald Rambert
104//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
Surface interval included lunch this time before we all headed to a WILDCAT off Bairoko Harbour. This was a special plaque laying as it was Mark Roche (Sealark team member) who had in 2008, located the remains of LT(JG) I.E. RINKS, USNR and who had overseen his repatriation back to the USA. With that special dive being the last of the day we all headed back to Munda for the night. We headed over to Rendova Harbour the next day. This time to dive and lay a plaque on LT(JG) James ‘Jim’ Doherty’s SBD DAUNTLESS. After a snack on beautiful nearby Lumbari Island, the home of a WWII PT Base and a certain LT John F Kennedy (PT109), we headed to dive a P39 AIRACOBRA in 28m of water. Sitting on white sand, the visibility was a good 25m. After lunch and a snorkel on Lumbari the team headed back to prepare for the next day. Some of the team joined Dive Munda the following day to dive another CORSAIR. The CORSAIR sits in 53m of water. After this a reunited team investigated a rumoured plane close to Agnes Gateway Hotel. The team snorkeled in the area, before a yell of ‘it’s here!’ A close study by Sealark identified what was a very intact and rare Japanese VAL Dive bomber upside down on a coral ledge at 10m. A great find. In amongst these dives, Sealark continued to chase leads for new sites. But all activity was not all in the water. After returning a guide to his village, the team trekked inland and explored a B17E Flying Fortress the site behind his village. The B17E had exploded on impact, with the wreckage spread far and wide entangled in the jungle. All too soon our action packed week was over. The team had enjoyed a wonderful week with Belinda and her team, not too mention the great service from Agnes gateway Hotel. With more mysteries to solve, Sealark would be back as soon as funds allowed!
The team at the B17 site and a piece identifying it.
TAVANIPUPU ISLAND RESORT
The Solomon Islands, the last Paradise on Earth
WWW.TAVANIPUPU.COM.SB
#NewCalPulse
NEWCALEDONIA.TRAVEL
Notchup P2018144 - Crédit photo : Getty Images
An event calendar worth travelling for
If you’re the kind of person who lives for a challenge, goes for a 10km run before breakfast and would rather go on a hike than a sight-seeing tour, then New Caledonia is the destination for you.
Getting There:
Fly to New Caledonia with Air Calin https://nz.aircalin.com Base yourself at the Chateau Royal Beach Resort & Spa, Noumea
Besides the cliché image of drinking mojitos on the beachfront in Noumea (great in small doses), New Caledonia has an athletic and outdoor-crazed population who are mad keen on trail running and adventure sports. They jam-pack the annual calendar with events that are worth building a holiday around. Check out what’s scheduled for 2020:
New Caledonia Ultra Trail Festival | May
This trail festival is spectacular due to the ever-changing landscapes along the way. Ochre red earth is contrasted by the deep blues of the lagoon behind. Steep mountain passes act as the ultimate challenge but the views from the top will act as a welcome distraction from burning legs. The main event has recently been upgraded to 135 km long with a positive elevation gain of 6 200 m, starting and finishing in Plum (20 km drive from Nouméa). Race organizers also deliver 55km and 13km disciplines alongside the event in case the thought of 135km makes your head spin.
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ
107
Groupama Race, Sail Around New Caledonia | June
The Groupama Race is an ambitious 1,500km non-stop sailing race around New Caledonia – a key event in the international sailing calendar. The course can take from two to five days depending on the weather and the boat, and starts and finishes in Noumea. Image by Bryan Gauvan
Sailors navigate alongside reefs and inside the UNESCO World Heritage listed lagoon, with only one compulsory waypoint: “North of the Grand Passage.” Given the strong winds, powerful currents and heavy swells in the extreme north, the race is up the east coast and down the west coast… non-stop, without rest and with a regular soaking from the warm seas of 22° south. The Sydney-Hobart has its Bass Strait; the Groupama Race has its mythic Grand Passage, where you will surf down big waves and see plenty of wildlife. Keep a careful eye on those humpback whales.
Trans Caledonian Southern Province Mountain Adventure Race | July This is a two-day endurance event traversing New Caledonia’s southern mountain chain. From the hardiest experienced trekker to families with younger children, choose from race distances between five kilometres and 50 kilometres. Racers are guided through the hinterland with the help of local tribesmen, experiencing gruelling terrain and parts of New Caledonia that are well beyond the borders of standard adventure. This athletic event, one of the most anticipated events of the year, alternates between the provinces of the North and the South, and always offers challenging obstacles for the best athletes.
New Caledonia International Marathon | August
There is no better way to celebrate running 42km – minutes after crossing the finish line than immersing your aching body into the cool waters of Anse Vata beach in Noumea. It’s the location of this marathon that makes it the most special, with a course overlooking the coral barrier reef that New Caledonia is famous for. Going for nearly forty years, this race usually gets over 10,000 entrants. Open to all runners aged 20 and over, the Marathon is an Olympic-level qualifying event for the French Championships and receives strong international participation.
Megarando Mountain Biking Event | August
Take a long weekend exploring the Deva Domain and join the ultimate cross-country biking event. On nearly 8,000 hectares , this biodiversity treasure is home to 10% of the New Caledonian dry forest and 13 kilometers of World Heritage coastline. Ecosystems are preserved and enhanced through the development of nature sports, and trails have developed especially to showcase this unique environment. The Megarando was the first MTB event in this area and the biggest sporting event in the territory, bringing nearly 1,500 amateur cyclists from all over New Caledonia and abroad. Key events include a night ride on marked trails, missioning through the savannah to niaouli and its particularly rich fauna. Complex to organize, the mountain bike at night provides un unforgettable MTB experience.
PWA Windsurfing World Cup Events | November
PREVIOUS PAGE: New Caledonia Ultra Trail Event TOP TO BOTTOM: Groupama Race Trans Caledonian Southern Province Moutain Adventure Race Megerando Moutain Biking Event PWA Windsursfing World Cup Event
108//WHERE
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
The New Caledonian lagoon is an incredible playground for flat-water activities. With around 120 days of wind per year, you’re set up with ideal perfect conditions for windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing and standup paddleboarding. In Nouméa, Anse Vata is the mythical gathering spot for all windsurfers, and even if you’re not at World Cup level, you can enjoy the vibe here and try your hand at windsurfing. Not a day passes without the shorelines being overtaken by a frenetic ballet of windsurf sails that speed between here and nearby Ilot Canard. This is why international kitesurfing and windsurfing events choose to have their World Cups here. The 2020 event dates are still to be announced, but these usually happen in late October and early November.
I’m an adventurer at heart. I’ve always wanted to go to Taiwan to experience the adventure trails as Taiwan’s mountains are extremely diverse. They are crisscrossed with hiking trails and you can experience everything from hot, sub-tropical jungles to snow capped alpine peaks. Taiwan has more than 300 mountains that are over 3000m tall, many of which are very accessible with well-maintained trails and basic cabins to stay in, capture the moment and take me to Taiwan.
EXPERIENCE MOMENTS THAT YOU’LL TREASURE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE eng.taiwan.net.tw
Anjali Mulari New Zealand Ice Fernz
A C T I V E
a d v e n t u r e
The best handmade crocheted hacky sacks you can buy!
SEAPA NZ
P.O. Box 104, Whangamata, 3643 p: 027 451 8255 e: dave@seapa.co.nz
www.seapa.co.nz
2020 Aitutaki Marathon Group Adventures 25-28 March 2018
NZ South Island Walking Tour 18 days from 24 April
Cycle Samoa 10 days from 19 July
Rarotonga Road Race 9 days from 18 September
Daily savings
*42.2km, 21.1km, 10km* Walk Japan
at your fingertips...
21 days Marathon is stunning! from 21 October 5 night packages
Access 2,000 discounts across NZ & Australia.
The Pacific’s newest are waiting...
www.wildsidetravel.nz 0800 874 748 110//WHERE
Join now: yha.co.nz/ membership
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#216
BAD BUGS LOVE TRAVELLING TOO Travel often involves being crammed in with strangers from all corners of the world with all manner of global bugs. So it’s little wonder that airborne germs are a common cause of concern for travellers. Your exposure to bad bugs increases during travel and your body’s immune defences are often weaker. TravelProtect with BLIS K12 is an advanced oral probiotic that helps defend and protect against bad bacteria in the mouth and throat. Taken as directed before and during travel, TravelProtect can support your natural immune system against airborne ailments when travelling.
Available at pharmacies or blis.co.nz
Always read the label and take as directed. If symptoms persist see your healthcare professional. BLIS Technologies, Dunedin TAPS PP2977 INSIGHT 9084
the website for adventure professionals, those looking for work and those looking for staff
www.adventurejobs.co.nz
Your Mobile Power Solution www.sunsaver.co.nz
ULTIMATE VOLCANO expeditions
www.ultimatevolcanoexpeditions.com CALL: NZ +64 21 329 248 or Netherlands +31 616687416 Masaya, nicaragua november 15 to 28, 2019 | Ambrym, Vanuatu July 2020
ALL NEW
LARGE 1300mm TRAY LENGTH
A DONATION FROM EACH RHINO SOLD WILL GO TO SAVING THE WILD.
XL
ST BIGGE
K C E D ASS
1600mm TRAY LENGTH
IN CL
A STYLISHLY VERSATILE PICK-UP WITH GIANT-SIZED TOW CAPACITY. THE ALL-NEW RHINO CAN HANDLE WHATEVER YOU THROW AT IT OR INTO IT. THE NEW RHINO MAY BE A SERIOUSLY STRONG PICK-UP TRUCK. BUT IT DRIVES LIKE AN SUV. TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. • Petrol or Diesel Engines • Automatic or Manual • 2WD or 4WD • Outstanding Tow Capacity • Full Rigid High Strength Frame • 5 Seats • Superb Safety Systems • Beautifully Appointed Interior Materials • 8 inch high-definition touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto • plus a whole lot more. TEST DRIVE ALL-NEW RHINO AND RHINO XL TODAY.
SsangYong Rhino from
$25,990 +GST & ORC
Find your nearest dealer Ph: 0800 772 649 or visit ssangyong.co.nz
