A long and ambling winter road trip finally took us down to the bottom of the South Island. And by us, I mean myself and my friend Emma, who luck would have it was just as into the outdoors, and launching themselves into any opportune adventure, as I was. Sometimes even more so than me. We had spent the road trip encouraging each other to go surfing in the brisk winter seas with no hot shower awaiting us; hiking for several days even in the rain when no one else would and taking icy dips in glaciated lakes to the bemused stares of onlookers.
By the time we had made it the bottom of the South Island, we had perfected our routine of living out of a car, adding in adventures and making hearty meals out the back of the boot in the cold, dark early evenings. So far, we had learnt a lot, it was time to test ourselves and our friendship with a big mission.
There were two obvious options to satisfy our desire for an adventure down at the tip of the South Island – head to Stewart Island: 1. The Rakiura Track. 2. The North-West Circuit. Option 1 was too short to feel like we would have fully submerged ourselves into the wilderness of Stewart Island. And it was ruled out. That left us with ambitious Option 2. Part of an adventure for me is challenging yourself, going beyond your comfort zone without being rash.
The North-West Circuit is a 9-11 day tramp covering 125km in the remote wilderness, with no opportunity to resupply nor much likelihood of meeting many other people. There is only one town on the whole of Stewart Island – Oban. In hiking terms, 125km is not often that far to achieve over this period of time, but the time and distance indicated how rough the terrain would be in relation to other hikes.
Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Papua New Guinea
Four reasons to add Papua New Guinea to your bucket list
The benefits of being a Multi-Trick Pony
"A broad skill base and how you can draw from one platform to the next – women often pigeon hole themselves"
The RELUCTANT adventurer
An eighteen-year-old princess, who paints his (yes, his) nails and dyes his hair bleach blonde, embarking on an adventure trip with his family, sounds like a plot for a bad 80s movie.
The Meaning of Tramping
What does tramping mean to you?
Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude
The North Shore season of 1957 is recognized in the surfing world as the start of an era. When Greg Noll, a young Mickey Munoz and company went out and rode Waimea for the first time, it was a glimpse of what could be in the world of big-wave surfing.
North West Circuit Stewart Island
I found myself in limbo during the winter of 2020, in between jobs in a strained covid economy. And so, I did what any outdoors person would do with a large amount of free time on their hands. It was time to pack up my belongings and hit the road. It was time to leave behind home comforts and go adventure-seeking.
Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut
“I want to be the leader!” Miss Six announced, pushing past me in her determination to be in front. Momentarily off-balance with my heavy pack, I narrowly avoided twisting an ankle on the sharp rocks and silently swore while cracking a bright smile.
Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes
I recently watched a youtube movie entitled, “Her Way” (check it out on the Adventure Website) which introduced a woman who had an overwhelming passion for running. The preface at the bottom of the clip, read as follows:
Adversity at Altitude
The wind and snow is whipping at my face. I’ve readjusted the stiff frozen fleece buff around my neck and mouth, desperately trying to protect myself from the -20 degree bitter wind. Adrenaline is still pumping through my body but I know I’ll start to get cold soon.
Last Great Mountaineering Challenge
Ground-breaking mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE has attained an incredible new world record by submitting K2 as part of a collaborative team in the depths of winter. Until now, it was a record that was believed to be impossible to accomplish and was famously known as the ‘last great mountaineering challenge’.
