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- Per-Episode Audience
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1 - 1,000 - Monthly Reach
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1 - 5,000 - Active Followers
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1 - 500
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On the show
Recent episodes
Travers-Sabine Circuit and Blue Lake
May 1, 2026
8m 59s
Lydia Bradey - From Arthur's Pass to Everest
Apr 24, 2026
24m 22s
Cape Brett Track and Whangamumu / Te Toroa Track
Apr 17, 2026
8m 35s
Rob Frost - Guiding Trans-Alpine Expeditions
Apr 10, 2026
29m 46s
Tongariro Northern Circuit and Around the Mountain Track
Apr 3, 2026
14m 14s
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1/26 |  Travers-Sabine Circuit and Blue Lake | In this episode of The Tramping Life, we return to Nelson Lakes National Park for one of New Zealand’s classic backcountry circuits — the 80km Travers–Sabine Circuit — with a demanding side trip to Rotomairewhenua / Blue Lake, regarded as one of the clearest natural freshwater lakes in the world. Starting from St Arnaud on the shores of Lake Rotoiti, the Travers–Sabine Circuit typically takes 4–7 days and traverses a broad cross-section of Nelson Lakes terrain: beech forest, braided river va... | 8m 59s | ||||||
| 4/24/26 |  Lydia Bradey - From Arthur's Pass to Everest | Lydia Brady is a mountaineer, guide, and author, best known as the first woman to climb Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen. In this episode, Lydia shares her remarkable journey from teenage tramping trips in the Lewis Pass to record-setting Himalayan ascents. She talks about the “James Bond day” that nearly ended in disaster, how she found confidence in the mountains, and what she’s learned guiding others at high altitude. We also discuss how climate change is reshaping Aoraki ... | 24m 22s | ||||||
| 4/17/26 |  Cape Brett Track and Whangamumu / Te Toroa Track | In this episode of The Tramping Life, we head to Northland for a rugged coastal overnighter along the Cape Brett Peninsula in the Bay of Islands — finishing at one of DOC’s most unusual and historic huts. The 16km one-way Cape Brett Track follows an old Māori trail through regenerating bush and along exposed ridgelines, with constant climbs and descents along the spine of the peninsula. On paper it’s moderate. In reality, it’s physically demanding — particularly in summer heat, with limited ... | 8m 35s | ||||||
| 4/10/26 |  Rob Frost - Guiding Trans-Alpine Expeditions | From school tramping clubs to epic trans-alpine expeditions, Rob Frost has spent a lifetime exploring the wild backcountry of Aotearoa New Zealand. An engineer turned mountain-guide, photographer, and author of the award-winning Aoraki Tai Poutini – A Guide for Mountaineers, Rob shares how early experiences above the tree line sparked a fascination with remote routes and self-sufficiency. In this episode we talk about: - Misadventures that became defining lessons — and why “adventur... | 29m 46s | ||||||
| 4/3/26 |  Tongariro Northern Circuit and Around the Mountain Track | In this episode of The Tramping Life, we head to Tongariro National Park for an extended circuit of one of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes — combining the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk with the Around the Mountain Track into a six-day, 82km loop from Whakapapa Village. Established in 1887, Tongariro is New Zealand’s oldest national park and a dual UNESCO World Heritage site, recognised for both its natural and cultural significance. At its heart stand three volcanic giants: Moun... | 14m 14s | ||||||
| 3/27/26 |  Peter Hillary - Everest, Aspiring, and Kea | Peter Hillary is a mountaineer, author, and adventurer. The son of Sir Edmund Hillary, Peter has forged his own remarkable path — from summiting Everest and crossing Antarctica to dedicating his life to exploration, storytelling, and conservation. In this episode of The Tramping Life, Peter reflects on a lifetime spent outdoors — from his first climb at age ten with his father and Mingma Tsering, to sleeping sixteen years of his life under canvas. We talk about the lessons of ri... | 29m 40s | ||||||
| 3/20/26 |  Thousand Acre Plateau | In this episode of The Tramping Life, we head into the north-west of Kahurangi National Park to explore the Thousand Acre Plateau — a vast upland landscape of limestone formations, open tussock and sweeping horizons. Rising to around 1000 metres above sea level, this elevated former seabed feels unlike almost anywhere else in New Zealand. Accessed via the Matiri Valley Road near Murchison, the tramp begins gently along a 4WD access track to Lake Matiri Hut, before a sustained 750-metre climb... | 8m 24s | ||||||
| 3/13/26 |  Jan Finlayson - Public Access, Stewardship Land, and Grasshoppers | Jan Finlayson has spent a lifetime exploring and advocating for New Zealand’s wild places. In this conversation she reflects on childhood memories of camping and school tramps, early adventures on the Routeburn, and the lessons learned from near misses in the mountains and rivers. We talk about her strong views on hut booking systems and access rights, and why legal roads and stewardship land matter for the future of conservation. Jan’s stories move between humour, challenge, and deep care fo... | 23m 31s | ||||||
| 3/6/26 |  Angelus Hut | Today we head into Nelson Lakes National Park to one of the country’s most iconic alpine destinations — Angelus Hut. Perched at 1,650 metres beside Lake Angelus and surrounded by the rugged Travers Range, Angelus is a true alpine hut — spectacular in fine weather, serious and unforgiving when conditions turn. In this episode I walk through the five main routes to the hut: the exposed Robert Ridge, the more sheltered Speargrass Track and Speargrass Creek route, the Travers Cascade route, the ... | 16m 00s | ||||||
| 2/27/26 |  Marios Gavalas - Publishing, Guiding, and Yurts | Marios Gavalas has spent decades exploring Aotearoa’s mountains, forests and coastlines — and helping others do the same through his books, guiding, and photography. In this episode of The Tramping Life, Marius shares stories from his early days tramping the Coromandel with little more than a tent and a pair of skis, to writing 18 guidebooks that introduced countless people to New Zealand’s tracks. We talk about his transition from writer to professional guide, what it’s like ... | 33m 39s | ||||||
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| 2/20/26 |  Banks Track | Today we’re heading to Banks Peninsula and one of New Zealand’s most varied multi-day walks — a privately run track that combines coastal scenery, wildlife, and unusually comfortable accommodation. This episode explores Banks Track. Opened in 1989, Banks Track was New Zealand’s first private walking track. The 31km route is walked over two or three days, crossing farmland, regenerating native bush, volcanic ridgelines, and dramatic coastline, with wide views over Akaroa Harbour and the Pacif... | 11m 18s | ||||||
| 2/13/26 |  Neil Silverwood - Caving, Paragliding, and Giant Spiders | Neil Silverwood is a leading photographer, conservationist, and lifelong caver. Neil takes us not only deep underground but also high into the hills, sharing stories of tramping, caving, and flying. We talk about the challenges of caving – from hauling 35kg of gear, to eight hours stuck in a squeeze, to emerging from the dark into alpine light. Neil reflects on caves as “a black-and-white world,” the universality of claustrophobia, and the joy of taking flight through paragliding. Neil... | 28m 12s | ||||||
| 2/6/26 |  Copland Track & Welcome Flat Hut | Today we’re heading to the West Coast and one of its most popular tramps — an historic track best known for its natural hot pools. This episode explores the Copland Track and Welcome Flat Hut. Developed in the early 20th century as a route across the Southern Alps, the Copland Track is now usually walked as a return trip from the West Coast road end to Welcome Flat Hut. The 18km track follows rivers, crosses swing bridges, and winds through lush rainforest before emerging beneath the towerin... | 9m 25s | ||||||
| 1/30/26 |  Corina Jordan - Hunting, Conservation, and Coexistence | Corina Jordan is Chief Executive of the Game Animal Council and Fish & Game New Zealand. We talk about her lifelong love of the outdoors, from childhood adventures in Northland and Taranaki to her current role shaping New Zealand’s hunting and conservation policies. Corina explains how modern game management can benefit both hunters and conservation, what “herds of special interest” mean for species like tahr and sika, and how organizations like Fish & Game are restoring wetla... | 25m 48s | ||||||
| 1/16/26 |  Geoff Spearpoint - A Life Exploring the Backcountry | Geoff Spearpoint is one of New Zealand’s most experienced trampers, writers, and backcountry advocates. For decades he has explored some of the country’s most remote corners, helped preserve our huts and tracks, and inspired countless trampers through books, photography, and articles. In this episode we talk about his beginnings in the Tararuas, youthful adventures that nearly went wrong, and the friendships that shaped his tramping life. Jeff shares stories of ambitious expeditions across F... | 29m 42s | ||||||
| 1/2/26 |  Craig Potton - Photography, Happiness, and Rock Bivvies | Craig Potton is a photographer, publisher, conservationist, and one of New Zealand’s most thoughtful voices on wild places. Craig’s stories take us from crawling out the back door as a kid in Nelson, to surfing wild west coast breaks, finding happiness in the Himalaya, and carrying camera gear heavy enough to need a chiropractor decades later. We talk about burning down a hut (almost), sleeping beneath bivvy rocks, the heartbreak of vanishing glaciers, and the deep connection between ... | 33m 48s | ||||||
| 12/19/25 |  Celia Wade-Brown - Politics, Walking Festivals, and Te Araroa | Celia Wade-Brown is a Green Party MP, former mayor of Wellington, founder of the Wairarapa Walking Festival, and a lifelong tramper. From childhood walks in London’s parks and the Lake District, to rafting adventures, multi-day tramps in the Tararuas, and eventually walking the length of New Zealand on Te Araroa, Celia’s journey reflects her passion for the outdoors and sustainable living. In this episode, she shares the joys and challenges of Te Araroa, why outdoor education matters, the imp... | 25m 43s | ||||||
| 12/5/25 |  Gerry McSweeney - Conservation, Tourism, and Penguins | Gerry McSweeney is a lifelong tramper, former president of Forest & Bird, and founder of Wilderness Lodges at Lake Moeraki and Arthur’s Pass. Jerry reflects on his early days with the Christchurch Tramping Club, hard river crossings and tramping with trains, and how tramping shaped his lifelong commitment to conservation. We hear stories of endurance epics in the Southern Alps, the importance of predator control, and the transformation he’s witnessed in New Zealand’s forests and birdlife ... | 30m 12s | ||||||
| 11/21/25 |  Kemi & Niko - Creativity in Corrugated Iron | My guests today are Kemi and Niko, the creative duo behind Kemi Niko & Co. Known for their handcrafted miniature huts, public art projects, and love for New Zealand’s backcountry, they blend art, design, and outdoor culture in a way that’s utterly unique. We talk about how they began as broke artists in Wellington, their passion for real materials and hut heritage, the challenge of raising kids who tramp, and the surprising demand for tiny huts made from salvaged tin and timber. It’s a ... | 21m 56s | ||||||
| 11/7/25 |  Alistair Hall - Wilderness Magazine & NZ's Worst Tramp | Alistair Hall has been the editor and publisher of Wilderness Magazine for nearly two decades — and part of its story since the early 1990s. In this episode, he talks about his earliest outdoor memories, the “type two fun” that sparked his passion for tramping, and the muddy, magical challenge of the Southern Circuit on Rakiura. He shares what it takes to produce a monthly magazine that’s chronicled New Zealand’s outdoor culture for more than 30 years, why Wilderness has endured while others ... | 22m 20s | ||||||
| 10/24/25 |  Victoria & Emilie Bruce - Mother, Daughter, Trailblazers | Victoria and Emilie Bruce have shared thousands of kilometres of trail — and hundreds of backcountry huts — between them. When Emilie was just seven years old, the pair set off to walk the length of New Zealand on the Te Araroa Trail, raising funds for conservation and mental health, and inspiring trampers young and old along the way. In this episode, Victoria and Emilie talk about the adventures that shaped them — from snowstorms in Nelson Lakes to the solitude of the West Coast — an... | 25m 58s | ||||||
| 10/10/25 |  Andrew Buglass - Huts, Solitude, and the Birth of Permolat | Andrew Buglass is the founder of Permolat and the central figure in The Hut Keepers, a new film celebrating the grassroots effort to preserve New Zealand’s hut network. In this episode, Andrew shares his deep connection with the mountains, the challenges of solitude, and the pivotal experiences that shaped his lifelong commitment to protecting backcountry huts. From youthful nights in the hills with only a transistor radio for company, to leading a movement that has kept our huts alive for fu... | 29m 45s | ||||||
| 9/27/25 |  Jerry Van Lier - Tales from the Tararuas | Jerry Van Lier is the creator and host of the Tararua Fever podcast, which dives deep into the rugged, rewarding, and sometimes notorious Tararua Ranges. From his very first tramp at the age of six to weathering gnarly conditions on southern crossings, Jerry’s stories capture both the challenges and the joys of these hills. We talk about tramping clubs and changing generations, hairy sections like the Waiohine Pinnacles, the huts he loves (and avoids), his philosophy on gear and safety, and w... | 22m 38s | ||||||
| 9/17/25 |  Megan Dimozantos - Advocacy, Adventure, and the Future of Tramping | Megan Dimozantos is president of the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC), and a passionate advocate for our huts, tracks, and wild places. We talk about her late introduction to the outdoors through rock climbing, her years of 24-hour solo mountain bike racing, and how volunteering with LandSAR drew her deep into New Zealand’s backcountry. Megan shares stories of epic 10 to 15 day trips, the lessons of running out of food in the wilderness, the special meaning behind moving a hut with an all-women... | 29m 44s | ||||||
| 9/13/25 |  Rob Brown - Keeping the Hut Network Alive | Rob Brown is one of the most influential voices in New Zealand tramping. Rob is the National Operations Manager of the Backcountry Trust, the organisation that supports volunteers to restore and maintain our huts and tracks. He is also a renowned photographer, writer, and long-time advocate for the outdoors. In this wide-ranging conversation, Rob shares stories of his early adventures with the Massey University Alpine Club, his long tramping partnership with Shaun Barnett, and the making of ... | 39m 37s | ||||||
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