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For a place famous for its rain our trip was surprisingly dry! Our goal was spend a week exploring the Mason Bay area of Stewart Island looking for rare plants and kiwi. With a backpack loaded with tons of Absolute Wilderness freeze dried meals we water taxied to Freshwater Hut and walked 15km to Mason Bay.  The Mason Bay dune system is one of the most important in the southern hemisphere with over 30 endangered plant species, massive sand hills and dunes reaching up to 3km in land. Every day we explored a different area each day including a 24km beach walk...

ONE thing we are ultra committed to with the Absolute Wilderness Adventure Race is going to remote locations, stepping off the beaten track and bush bashing away from it. So we hunted out something that met the requirements - and it's 100% Mokihinui!  Nestled on the West Coast just up the road from Westport is the small village of Mokihinui at the river mouth. To the west is the expansive Tasman Sea, to the east is mountains, rivers and raw adventure.Event InformationThis years Absolute Wilderness Adventure Race will have only 3-person teams (some years there are 4-person teams). The event will be based from...

In 2016 I stepped away from top level adventure racing after winning the World Champs in Australia. The reasons were that I’d struggled in training and during the race with a knee injury that I was scheduled to get surgery for in 2017. That alone was enough of a reason, but I was also wanting to create more time to invest into a business I am an owner of, Absolute Wilderness Freeze Dried Meals. After racing extensively on the AR World Series and World Champs since 2011, I wanted a break. I wasn’t sure if I’d race again, but I...

Avaya have done it again! Over the last 5 days we’ve been glued to our screens watching the adventure racing world champs on Reunion Island. After an amazing race Avaya (fulled by Absolute Wilderness) has managed to pull away from their competitors and secure the victory.

Planning your next adventure in the South or Stewart Islands? How about searching for the elusive and secretive South Island kōkako?! The South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust is preparing a map to show you when and where the best encounters have been reported and we’ll let you know when it’s ready here. In the meantime, some of the best reports recently have been from the Heaphy Track.  From Gouland Downs Hut to Aorere Shelter there has been a cluster of reported encounters, the most recent in late August.  A large bird with orange at its throat was seen flying onto...