Great Out Doors

We set off up a small stream with no path, just me and one of the kids. She was thrilled, bouncing ahead and splashing into the water without hesitation. There was no trail to guide us, just rocks to hop over, branches to duck under, and the steady sound of the stream winding its way through the trees. Each little obstacle felt like a new discovery—a mossy rock here, a shiny stone there. For her, every step felt like a small victory.

On the way up, she took her time, inspecting leaves and sticks, occasionally pointing things out with the excitement only kids can muster. She laughed whenever her shoes slipped in the water, not minding a bit when her pants got wet. With each step, she got braver, happily stepping into the deeper parts and challenging herself to cross even slipperier stones. There was no rush or goal, just pure enjoyment of being somewhere wild and free.

The way back was even better. She wasn’t worried about getting wet anymore; she was already soaked! Every splash was an invitation to play, every stumble a chance to laugh it off. It wasn’t like a regular hike with a clear path to follow. This little adventure was raw and messy in the best way, and seeing her joy in the simple things reminded me why getting off the beaten path is sometimes the best way to explore.

Not involved at all (apart from some posts) but thought it was a pretty cool idea.

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This is the first day of our Doubtful sound trip, where we cross Lake Manapouri, and get ourselves and our boats across Wilmot pass and into Doubtful sound itself.

The pass does not connect to the main road network, so all vehicles using the pass must be barged across the lake, which is why we didn't simply drive to the sound.

This was the start of a two week trip in the sound.

This is the second video after we towed a boat across to Urapukapuka, and I think filmed the next day. From Urapukapuka, we paddled to Hole in the Rock, and stopped at deep water cove on the way back for lunch.

I saw the tiptop makara peak photo and felt the urge to post.

This photo was taken at first light earlier in June.

This was a trip we did a few years ago, paddling from Kaingahoa marae to Urapukapuka bay campsite. The kayak was loaded with camping gear, including a queen size air mattress, a tent big enough to stand up in, a chilly bin, and a whole second tent we used for storage.

The paddling distance was just under 3km, and took just under an hour.

My favourite part of Wellington

Camera perspective is deceptive - my fellow caver here is still at least 20-30m from the bottom. The 60m rope we used only had about 5-6m left! Was an epic pitch, and we can't wait to get back in to survey the cave, and hopefully find more passage.

This is a video I did a few months ago, on a rare dead calm day where our group was able to explore all of these caves.

The wave action against this stretch of coast is pretty intense, and this area is usually far too dangerous to explore in this way.

I've wanted to make this video for a few years, and finally had the opportunity to. We arrived at high tide, and had enough daylight for me to then walk around at low tide and take a number of photos, which I've edited into the video.

Let me know if you'd like to see more content like this.

Wild Camping. A days walk up stream with no track to camp where noone has camped before.