Aotearoa Adventures: The New Zealand Travel Podcast

Abigail Hannah
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  • Places & Travel
  • Updated weekly

Explore New Zealand with Aotearoa Adventures - your ultimate guide to travel, adventure, and the outdoors. Each week, host Abigail Hannah brings you inspiring stories from everyday people, covering tramping, vanlife, bikepacking, road trips, and so much more. Get beginner tips and practical advice for every adventure, from camping under the stars to multi-week expeditions. Whether you’re a local, on a working holiday, or visiting, this podcast will inspire you to explore New Zealand deeper and connect with nature.

  1. 1 day ago

    194: Summer as a DOC Ranger on Stewart Island and Women in Trades with Brooke Thompson

    Brooke Thompson AKA @sparkygirlnz is a self-proclaimed 'South Island snob' passionate about the beauty of her Southland home. She shares about the summer she spent working for DOC on Stewart Island, after signing up to volunteer with the dotterel team and being brought across as a sparky instead. Brooke talks about fixing the solar systems in the huts, a hut ranger stint on the Rakiura Track, and doing track maintenance from Freshwater Hut to Mason Bay. Brooke previously guided two summer on the Milford Track, after a spiritual moment that lead her there. She reflects on starting her apprenticeship unable to name a single female electrician, to advocating for culture change within the trades industries and better working conditions for all. Brooke proves that you can carve your own path in life and shares advice for others that are finding their purpose. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Brooke on Instagram: https://instagram.com/sparkygirlnz/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

  2. 11 Sept

    193: Solo Tramping the Richmond Ranges and Running an Outdoor Store with Emily Thompson

    Emily Thompson owns MD Outdoors, an all-women outdoor store in Nelson, and grew up on the West Coast of the South Island. She shares about a five-day solo tramp through the Richmond Ranges in late November, from Slaty Hut over Mt Rintoul, then through Mid Wairoa, Hunters Hut and Red Hills before hitchhiking out to St Arnaud. Emily talks about going lightweight, underestimating her food and trading Radix meals for noodles in the huts, and leading a struggling walker over the hardest section. Emily reflects on micro goals, eating every 45 minutes, and why she is stepping back from ultra running toward tramping. In life, she has pivoted multiple times, always building a life that she finds fulfilling and shares advice for others trying to create a life they are passionate about. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Emily on Instagram: https://instagram.com/em.russnz/ Follow MD Outdoors on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mdoutdoors/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

  3. 4 Sept

    192: Six Week Road Trip in the Top of the South Island with Abigail & Isaac

    Abigail & Isaac share all that the Top of the South Island has to offer and how they spent six weeks road tripping around a region that most people skip. From multi-day hikes on the Old Ghost Road and Abel Tasman, to long drives on gravel roads, to hidden caves and hidden coves, they share plenty of ideas for couples, families or solo roadtrips. In six weeks across Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough, they share how this road trip surprised them and delighted them, including a 2 night self-guided kayak trip in the Queen Charlotte Sound. They suggest bringing cash with you for real fruit ice cream and roadside stalls, and keeping an open mind to what you'll discover. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

  4. 28 Aug

    191: Backcountry Huts as Art and Tiny Home Living with Kemi & Niko

    Niko grew up on the West Coast near Punakaiki and is one half of Kemi & Niko, who are artists that create miniature backcountry huts. She shares how seven huts placed in the Wellington bush in 2014 grew into a Hut of the Month practice, built from salvaged timber and tin cans. They research a real hut each month, choose an era, and recreate it at hand size. Niko talks about their tramp into Old Cedar Flat Hut out the back of Hokitika, and taking a miniature version with they. Leaving the kids behind, they set off at 3.30pm in the rain, taking the flood route and working through the stream crossings before arriving safely at dark. She shares practical tips for building a tiny home from salvaged materials and their upcoming move south at the end of the year. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Niko on Instagram: https://instagram.com/kemi_niko/ Niko's personal account: https://www.instagram.com/niko_n0thing/ Kemi & Niko: https://keminiko.com Read the Blog: https://www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

  5. 21 Aug

    190: Family Tramping on a Budget and Child-Free Trips with Shoshannah Shand

    Shoshannah Shand is a solo mum who shares tramping and camping adventures with her two kids to her large online audience. She shares how she gets her family outdoors often and on a budget. She talks through her non-negotiables, decent rain gear and merino layers, hunting secondhand gear, and making her own dehydrated meals. Shoshannah shares about the importance of recent child-free trips and her tramp to Lake Christabel. She reflects on managing risk with kids, knowing when to turn back, and why the best place to start is with what you have. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Shoshannah on Instagram: instagram.com/shoshannah.nz/ Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@shoshannahNZ Follow Shoshannah on TikTok: tiktok.com/@shoshannahnz Follow Shoshannah on Facebook: facebook.com/p/Shoshannah-Adventures-NZ-61582559345562/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

  6. 14 Aug

    189: Moving to Aotearoa from Chicago and Building a Life in Queenstown with Viktoria De Dominicis

    Viktoria De Dominicis left the rat race in Chicago a decade ago and now calls Queenstown home. She shares how a spur-of-the-moment first trip to India in her twenties opened up years of travelling through Southeast Asia and South America, before she landed in New Zealand and knew within a year that it was home. She talks about six years in Wellington, chasing the town-belt trails to a lookout where she could see the South Island, then moving south to Queenstown with her second baby on the way. From road trips through the Mackenzie to a Doubtful Sound cruise with her kids, Viktoria reflects on building community far from family, and why New Zealand can still make you feel like the only person for miles. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Viktoria on Instagram: instagram.com/viktoriawanders/ Visit Viktoria's website: www.viktoriawanders.com/ Read Viktoria's Substack: viktoriawanders.substack.com/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

  7. 7 Aug

    188: Bikepacking 3,000km in New Zealand on Tour Aotearoa with Laura Bell

    Laura Bell is a Kiwi living in Melbourne who came home this year to cycle the length of the country. With time off between jobs, she took on Tour Aotearoa, the 3,000 km bikepacking route from Cape Reinga to Bluff, riding it with her dad. She shares how they rode semi-supported over 31 days, changing direction on day one to dodge a fierce southerly, sleeping in the trailer-cabin he built from old refrigeration panels, and working through a hard fight on the Timber Trail. Having started the ride off the back of burnout and grief, Laura reflects on the simple rhythm of eating, sleeping and pedalling, and why a hard day was never a reason to quit. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can't wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow Laura on Instagram: instagram.com/adventure.revolution/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

  8. 31 Jul

    187: From Beginner Trail Running to Setting Course Records with David Haunschmidt

    David Haunschmidt is an emergency medicine doctor who moved from Scotland to New Zealand. Working around shift work, he shares how days walking DOC tracks turned into trail running, then ultramarathons. In just two years David found himself on podiums, with course records, an XTERRA world title and fastest known times on Great Walks. David talks about his first mountain race on the Karioi Trail near Raglan, running the Kepler, Milford and Rakiura tracks across one six-day summer down south. David doesn't run to win, but he does it because it's fun and adds more life to his days. He reflects on getting into running later in life, listening to his body through injury and the 1% improvements that add up. Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :) Follow David on Instagram: instagram.com/david_zebedee/ David's coaching and website: davidzebedee.com Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_

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Explore New Zealand with Aotearoa Adventures - your ultimate guide to travel, adventure, and the outdoors. Each week, host Abigail Hannah brings you inspiring stories from everyday people, covering tramping, vanlife, bikepacking, road trips, and so much more. Get beginner tips and practical advice for every adventure, from camping under the stars to multi-week expeditions. Whether you’re a local, on a working holiday, or visiting, this podcast will inspire you to explore New Zealand deeper and connect with nature.

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