http://RealAdventures.com/vacations/184994_articles-new-zealand-other.htm Check out some of the recently updated travel & vacation listings on RealAdventures. Be inspired, go explore! en-us Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:32:34 GMT Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:32:34 GMT http://RealAdventures.com http://RealAdventures.com/vacations/184994_articles-new-zealand-other.htm 100 100 http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1156413_Creative-discoveries-in-New-Zealand http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1156413_Creative-discoveries-in-New-Zealand Articles New Zealand Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:02:07 Want to learn how to carve your own piece of bone or weave a proper little harakeke (NZ flax) basket? I have recently come to New Zealand and went on to become a "creative tourist"! Let me share my interactive experiences with you ... -
Want to learn how to carve your own piece of bone or weave a proper little harakeke (NZ flax) basket? I have recently come to New Zealand and went on to become a "creative tourist"! Let me share my interactive experiences with you ...


In the morning of January 30, my friends and I ventured out into the suburbs of Nelson city to participate in a bone carving workshop. Bone carving is a Maori tradition whose beautifully carved designs are immensely popular among tourists. Trust me, however after this experience, you would never want to buy a bone carving souvenir in a shop again!
The bone carving workshop started off with an initial brainstorming session, where we applied individual designs to a piece of happy New Zealand cow bone. Under the expert tuition of Stephen and with the help of several tools, we watched our rough pieces of bone gradually turning into shiny miniature masterpieces. Still, most of our work had to be done by hand, hence the great sense of achievement we experienced during the day.
My friend Nathalie (whom you can see in the picture at the left) told me, This is a fantastic souvenir. I have chosen to carve a wave at the bottom of my bone, which perfectly reminds me of my stay in New Zealand swimming with dolphins and learning how to surf. It is truly exceptional.
And each one of our carvings was. After that, I personally decided to stretch my creative potential and venture beyond the limits of a oneday experience. It was through Creative Tourism New Zealand (www.creativetourism.co.nz) that I heard of flax weaver Maureen Harte. Her unique location in the Golden Bay region between Farewell Spit and Collingwood made me spend a wonderful day blending merry laughter with handson discoveries over weaving my own little harakeke kete (flax basket). I remember the texture and the smell of the freshly cut flax as being extraordinary, and really came to appreciate its traditional Maori use for it.
In the future, I definitely want to pursue the path of creative encounters during my New Zealand travels. Apart from all the fun, walking off with your own handcrafted souvenir just sets the creative tourism activity apart from the rest. And its the perfect means to connect with real Kiwis. An experience Id definitely recommend!

Details & Reservations: Creative discoveries in New Zealand
RealAdventures | New Zealand Articles

]]> http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024428_New-Zealand-An-Adventurer-s-Paradise http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024428_New-Zealand-An-Adventurer-s-Paradise Articles New Zealand Fri, 23 Apr 2004 00:04:00 Stu Wilson on bungee jumping, trekking, and the natural wonders of New Zealand. -
Stu Wilson on bungee jumping, trekking, and the natural wonders of New Zealand.


by Stu Wilson

I&8217d traveled 8,000 miles by air from the comfortable confines of home in America to a remote Pacific island nation 1,000 miles off the coast of Australia. I&8217d never before left the North American continent. I find myself on a little wooden platform built off the side of the historic Kawarau suspension bridge, 143 feet above the swirling clear waters of the Kawarau River, just outside of Queenstown on New Zealand&8217s South Island. A large group of onlookers watches from a viewing platform below. My life is in the hands of the AJ Hackett Bungy crew, whose members are now wrapping a towel tightly around my ankles. As I steady myself on the platform and try to appear brave, I watch with interest as one fellow tries clumsily to thread the sling that&8217s attached to the end of the bungy chord through my shoelace. He turns inquisitively to his coworker and asks, &8220Hey mate, is this how we do this?&8221

New Zealand is not completely defined by the friendly and whimsical nature of its citizens (known as Kiwis), nor by the sensational nature of its homespun participatory sport creations. Adventures of a more cerebral and picturesque sort abound as the South Island of New Zealand is home to some of the world&8217s most stunning scenery. A strong national conservation ethic, a dearth of heavy industry, and sparse population density combine to frame the dramatic southern alps, mysterious lakes, lush rainforests and glacierfed rivers into one of nature&8217s more dramatic picture postcards. The beauty of it all is that, unlike Yellowstone National Park on Labor Day, one gets the feeling that one has the place to oneself.

The Milford Track is rightfully considered one of the world&8217s great walks (tramps, in Kiwi parlance). Lacking the worldwide name recognition of the Milford, however, proves a blessing for the neighboring Routeburn Track. A shorter hike than the Milford (three days instead of four), the Routeburn tends to be less heavily traveled, a feature especially evident at the overnight huts. There the Department of Conservation rewards the rigors of the day&8217s tramp by thoughtfully providing hot showers, drying rooms, bunkstyle sleeping accommodations, and kitchen facilities. No less dramatic a visual experience than the Milford by most accounts, the Routeburn features a steady dose of alpine scenery, skirts the mouths of plunging waterfalls, and traverses mountain lakes. I found the expanse of starry sky draping the surrounding peaks above the second night&8217s Falls Hut aweinspiring.

New Zealand&8217s wonders aren&8217t confined to those on land. Off the coast of Kaikoura, north of Christchurch, Dusky Dolphins congregate near shore in groups numbering from 75 to 300. Being social animals, they seem more than happy to interrupt their feeding to provide a boatload of wetsuitclad humans a chance for close aquatic encounters. When a group is sighted, the skipper positions the boat in the oncoming path and advises participants to take to the water. The sight of 200 leaping, pirouetting, twisting, plunging, splashing mammals bearing down upon me was an unforgettable one. Although we were asked not to touch the animals, they certainly drew close enough to hitch a ride. We learned we could capture the attention of these frisky underwater kittens by emitting erratic shrieks, whistles, and melodies. Our swim fins allowed us to remain momentarily competitive as we engaged the dolphins in the downward loop chase, the simple headtohead race, and an assortment of other aquagymnastic stunts. As the group of dolphins moved off en masse, I was left wondering just who entertained who.

New Zealand, privileged by its remoteness, is done justice by a minimum stay of two weeks. Those drawn to remote wilderness and exquisite scenery do not do themselves a disservice by spending all of their time on the South Island. Organized adventure tours, which vary widely in style and content, are an excellent way to experience this outdoororiented country efficiently and economically.
Details & Reservations: New Zealand An Adventurer's Paradise
RealAdventures | New Zealand Articles

]]> http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024426_Prisoners-Of-Our-Minds http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024426_Prisoners-Of-Our-Minds Articles New Zealand Thu, 08 Jan 2004 00:01:00 An inspirational story about the lifechanging possibilities of nature travel. -
An inspirational story about the lifechanging possibilities of nature travel.


by Ron Marriott

I hate to admit it, but after a lifetime of hating people, I am starting to like them. They are touching me and it feels good, most of the time. I think now that most people want to be honest and decent, if their bloody lives will let them. It seems to me that, for a lot of people, a city life is a pressurefilled life. A sort of exciting merrygoround, fun if you don&8217t fall off. And I think a lot of the people we get here are those who have fallen off, or at least want to get off.

Someone said to me that this place is a &8220turnaround&8221 place. Right at the end of the Sound, it&8217s the place where you stop for a while when you find you can&8217t go any further. And then you turn around. Some go back to where they come from, at least knowing that they want to. And some go off to a new destination, having found that it wasn&8217t as hard to get off the merrygoround as they had thought. I think that I came here like that. Only I haven&8217t left yet.

Heike was like that. I first met her when she came for a few days as a guest. At that early stage of her travels she was bright, bubbly and full of excitement at the prospect of travelling through the wonders of South Island nature. Later, nearly at the end of her travels, she wrote and asked if she could come again, but this time for a longer period and as a &8220woofer.&8221 A woofer is a kind of modern tramp. They work a few hours a day for their keep. I said OK.

Heike this time was a little different &8211 happy enough and full of praise for New Zealand and New Zealanders, but a little wistful at the thought of her imminent return to Germany. Over the next couple of weeks, bit by bit, it all came out. Her travel in NZ had opened her eyes to a different kind of life and environment. To her, NZ was a land of blue seas, green bush and crashing waterfalls, inhabited by people who put play before work and family life before money. In NZ, people had time to sit round and talk about things and did not live for work, she thought. While as a New Zealander I was more than a little chuffed at her feelings about my land, I privately thought that this didn&8217t quite sound like the country I knew. I said very little, hoping that in the end she would work it all through.

But she didn&8217t. A couple of days before she was due to leave, we were mustering the sheep. During a break, when we were gathering a few mushrooms for dinner and talking about how they were going to be cooked, she burst out with, &8220How can I go back to Germany after this? Look at me. I am here on this beautiful day in this beautiful land, and the thing which is most important is how we are going to cook these mushrooms tonight. This could never happen in Germany. I can&8217t go back.&8221

Her despair wrenched at my gut like a knife and we sat down, forgetting the sheep for a while. We talked, something like this

&8220Why can&8217t this happen in Germany. Do you not have sunny days?&8221 I asked.

&8220Yes, of course,&8221 Heike said.

&8220Do you not have green grass and sheep and nice scenery?&8221

&8220Yes.&8221

&8220Well, why can&8217t this happen in Germany?&8221

&8220People there don&8217t have time.&8221

&8220Look, Heike, I don&8217t really want to tell you this, but I think you&8217ve got the wrong idea about New Zealanders. Most ordinary people in our cities are so busy competing with each other they don&8217t have time, either. In your travel here you have been meeting people like me whose job it is to have time to talk. I think that really we are not so different to Germans.&8220

&8220I hate my job,&8221 she said.

&8220Well, what you rather do?&8221 I asked.

&8220I want to work with children.&8221

&8220Why don&8217t you?&8221

&8220In Germany, this job is not considered high. It is poorly paid. In Germany you are only respected when you work to the maximum of your capability, and your capability is judged by the quality of job you have.&8221

&8220But the people who matter, your boyfriend, your parents, your friends, they would still love you, wouldn&8217t they?&8221

&8220Yes. I don&8217t know.&8221

I was stumped, she unconvinced, and so we went on. I don&8217t know who was the more depressed. I couldn&8217t begin to understand a culture apparently so rigid, and I didn&8217t really believe it, but I didn&8217t know. My rosy glow of selfsatisfaction was gone. Her experience in my country, as good as it was, had made her miserable.

I was still sad when it became time for her to go, a sadness that even the warmth of her parting hug could not dispel. I felt such a bloody failure. I said that I would think of her and I meant it, but I knew that the thought would not bring me joy.

About six months later, a card came. It was from Heike. She said that she had chucked her old job in, was working with intellectually handicapped children, and that she was very happy and settled back in her country. It seemed that her fears had been unfounded. It was her mind that had been keeping her prisoner, not her country. Her travel experience had shown her a different way, which in the end she followed, and all was well.

I hope all is still well, Heike, and that one day you might come back and read this story and know how much happiness your card gave me that day. You touched me, and I liked it. I said I would think of you and I often do, particularly when I&8217m collecting mushrooms.
Details & Reservations: Prisoners Of Our Minds
RealAdventures | New Zealand Articles

]]> http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024427_The-Fall-And-Rise-Of-A-Walk-Guide http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024427_The-Fall-And-Rise-Of-A-Walk-Guide Articles New Zealand Thu, 08 Jan 2004 00:01:00 Join Kiwi guide Ron Marriott as he experiences bad weather and good people at his South Island wilderness park. -
Join Kiwi guide Ron Marriott as he experiences bad weather and good people at his South Island wilderness park.


by Ron Marriott

I feel quite inspired today. I&8217ve been walking in the rain, with a mad woman from America. Normally walking in the rain with mad women from America makes me feel terrible. Something to do with wet socks, I think. Makes me feel I&8217m wasting my time. Do you ever feel like you&8217re wasting your time? I bet you do, sometimes. I hope you do, because I wouldn&8217t like to think that I was the only one who felt they were wasting their time by walking about in the rain with wet socks.

Last week I felt like I was wasting my time, and it wasn&8217t even raining. I was walking with this guy through the Ship Cove trail. He was seventyodd years old, had some heart trouble. I was there in case he pegged out on the way. But it was me who nearly pegged out. And I&8217m twenty &8211 well, nearly twenty &8230 never you mind, I was younger than him and I couldn&8217t keep up. That was enough to make me feel like I was wasting my time on its own. What was worse, he didn&8217t seem to like the track. I like the track. I have to because I made it and if I didn&8217t, I would feel that I had wasted my time, wouldn&8217t I. And you know what that does to me, don&8217t you? Makes me feel like I&8217m walking about in the rain, with wet socks.

I don&8217t really know if he didn&8217t like the track. He didn&8217t actually say he didn&8217t like the track. In fact, he didn&8217t really say anything at all. He didn&8217t look at anything, either, at least not as far as I could see. He couldn&8217t with his head down looking at his boots, could he? I tested it out.

&8220That&8217s a beautiful tree, eh?&8221

&8220Humpf,&8221 he said.

&8220Port Gore looks great today, eh?&8221

&8220Humpf,&8221 he said.

Do you think that was a yes or a no? Anyway, I shut up after that, cleared a few ferns off the track to make me feel I wasn&8217t wasting my time and plodded on.

Later in the day he got quite talkative. &8220Why on earth do you live out here,&8221 he asked.

That really cheered me up.

&8220Well, I&8217m letting the farm go back to it&8217s natural state and creating a wilderness park,&8221 I said.

&8220What for?&8221 he said.

&8220Well, so we can make a living by making the whole place a sanctuary so that people like you will want to come,&8221 I said, a bit viciously.

&8220Humpf,&8221 he said. &8220You&8217ll never make any money out of that.&8221

&8220Well, money isn&8217t everything, is it? As long as we make enough, we&8217ll still be living in a beautiful place where my family can bring up their children and live in peace,&8220 I protested.

&8220They&8217ll all leave,&8221 he said.

&8220Well, if they do and if my wife and I don&8217t want to stay, it still won&8217t have been a waste of time. We had a very good offer for this place just recently. There are some people in the world who appreciate the natural values of this place,&8221 I snarled.

&8220If I was you, I&8217d have taken that offer. It won&8217t always be there,&8221 he said.

I shut up after that. The only good thing about that day was that I was so keen to get home and shoot myself, I beat him back to the home gate, by a yard, but then I suppose he did have a crook ticker.

But that was last week. Today I&8217ve been walking in the rain with this mad woman from America, and despite the wet socks, I feel good. It didn&8217t look that good at the start. When I met the boat at Ship Cove it was pissing down, if you&8217ll excuse me English. Pissing down like only Ship Cove can, and I already had wet socks, with six hours of walking to go.

&8220Lovely day,&8221 I said. &8220Welcome to the land of eternal sunshine.&8221

Nobody laughed, including me &8211 and I usually laugh at my own jokes. Except this American woman. That&8217s when I knew she was a bit strange. And I started to get this funny feeling. You know the one. It starts as a little tingle somewhere in your gut and then it sort of bubbles right up through your chest, till it gets to your heart. And then it disappears for a while, out through your shoulder I think. You must know the one. The one that you felt as a kid on Christmas Eve and the one you still do, on your birthday, if you haven&8217t turned fifty yet, like I have. That&8217s the one. Of course in this case it was probably just wind. But I&8217m pretty sure my socks were starting to dry out a little.

As well as Carol (the name of the American woman), there was also a family group of Kiwis who were going to take the walk, and they weren&8217t looking all that impressed with the weather. They looked at me expectantly, as though I was about to tell them that the rain would stop soon. I find a lot of people look at me like that. I don&8217t know why. I don&8217t even look like a weather forecaster, do I? I don&8217t wear natty clothes and drive classic cars. I do talk nonstop, I must admit, and tell stupid jokes, but not on TV. Anyway, like a real forecaster, I decided to tell them what the weather was going to be, even if I didn&8217t have a clue.

&8220I think there&8217s a likelihood of showers today,&8220 I spat through the torrent of water pouring off my hat. &8220If the sun comes out, the rain will probably stop&8221 I added, wisely.

I tried again. &8220The weather is so bad that I wouldn&8217t blame anyone for not wanting to walk for hours through a lot of wet trees to see damn all, so, if you want, the boat can take you all direct to the lodge and a hot fire,&8221 I said.

I had to hang on during this last bit because the boat was starting to rock, with all the heads nodding, including mine.

Except for this American woman. &8220I would really like to walk if I could, please, if you really don&8217t mind,&8221 said Carol, in a small voice.

I told you she was strange. I felt another attack of wind coming on. &8220Of course I don&8217t mind, I&8217m a Kiwi. I never mind walking in the rain with wet socks,&8221 I thundered.

Well, the upshot of it all was that soon Carol and I were sloshing through the calfhigh lake that had developed on the Ship Cove lawn &8230 with the parents of the Kiwi family. The kids took the easy way out and went by boat to the fire, but you can&8217t blame them. They&8217ve got more life in front of them so they really don&8217t have to walk about in the rain with wet socks. Not yet.

Actually, it wasn&8217t too bad in the bush under the trees, and Carol seemed to like it, and I started to like her. After all, it&8217s not every broad that laughs when she gets slapped in the face with a wet punga. There&8217s hardly any in New Zealand. I know that because I spent most of my teenage years looking for a woman like that. I don&8217t suppose there&8217s many in America, either. Anyway, things only started to get tough when we got to the waterfall. The gentle stream that we normally hop across was now a raging torrent, and we couldn&8217t get across. This is where my years of bush experience came into play.

&8220We&8217ll go downstream until we meet the sea, and then we&8217ll swim across&8221 I said.

Carol seemed most impressed. Actually, we didn&8217t have to, because a few paces down river we found a tree trunk that had conveniently fallen between the banks.

Greasy little number that was. I showed Carol how a real bushman gets across rivers on trees. It&8217s easy. You give your pack to your partner, take two steps forward standing up, and then leap on to your stomach and wriggle the rest of the way with your arms wrapped round the trunk. After that Carol followed. I was a bit annoyed, actually, because she can&8217t have been watching properly. She just walked across. On the other hand, she had both packs to balance her.

From there, to link back up to the track was easy. Just 15 minutes through a waistdeep swamp, and a short 50metre climb up a vertical and muddy cliff, and we were there. After I had got my pack back off Carol, I said, &8220That was a bit rough,&8221 and she replied, &8220That was great.&8221

Things went even more strange after that. I&8217m sure Carol had never been there before, but she seemed to know almost every tree. Every now and then I&8217d hear this exclamation of, &8220Man oh man,&8221 and she&8217d sort of skip ahead and give this tree a little hug. I understand a lot of that goes on in California. D&8217you remember Neil Diamond? He talks about tree people on one of his tapes. She seemed to be very interested in leaves too, and flowers and twigs. She would touch them gently and hold them up close to her face and give out a little squeak.

Of course, with all this going on, I quite forgot about the rain, and it seemed no time at all before we broke out onto the clear ridge above Port Gore. I do remember briefly thinking about the warning my mother gave me a long time ago never walk in the woods with strange women. But it was quite nice, really, and I must admit, by the time we got there, I was feeling quite chipper.

All the time we were climbing, the rain had come down in buckets, but do you know, the moment we stepped out onto the ridge, the clouds parted, the sun came out and there was Port Gore below us, as blue as ever with its deserted green hills in the background.

&8220Thank Christ for that,&8221 I said, and Carol started to pray. At least, I think that&8217s what she was doing. She was going, &8220Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,&8221 and that has to be praying, doesn&8217t it?.

It seemed a good time for a bite, so after Carol had sorted out God, that&8217s what we did. And now that it was safe to open your mouth without getting half drowned, we had a bit of a chat.

&8220It must be great to get to live in a place like this,&8221 Carol said.

&8220Well, I&8217ve always wanted to take a bit of land and create a wilderness park,&8221 was my reply.

&8220I can easily understand that. What a wonderful way of making a living,&8221 she said.

&8220Well, it&8217s not much of a living, at least not yet,&8221 I complained.

&8220Money&8217s not everything,&8221 she said. &8220As long as you can make enough you&8217ve got a beautiful place where your family can bring up their children in peace.&8221

&8220Yeah, I suppose so,&8221 I said. &8220But they might want to leave one day.&8221

&8220I can&8217t see that happening, and even if they did, and you and your wife wanted to go, there would be plenty of people who would pay big money to have this. You&8217re very lucky to live here,&8221 was Carol&8217s reply.

And that&8217s more or less how the whole day went. The weather stayed fine, Carol prayed a lot and hugged a few more trees and I tingled along behind. Like with the guy last week I beat her to the home gate by a yard, but only because I wanted to tell someone at home how lucky I was.

I quite like mad women from America. She&8217s coming back, you know. She wants to do the same walk again. I&8217m going to go along with her for a second time, and you never know &8212 I might get to hug a few trees myself.
Details & Reservations: The Fall And Rise Of A Walk Guide
RealAdventures | New Zealand Articles

]]> http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024284_Southern-Traverse-99 http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1024284_Southern-Traverse-99 Articles New Zealand Sat, 07 Jul 2001 00:07:00 1999's Southern Traverse, a grueling adventure race, set in New Zealand&8217s upper South Island. -
1999's Southern Traverse, a grueling adventure race, set in New Zealand&8217s upper South Island.


By Lisa & Andre Ismael

This year&8217s Southern Traverse, a grueling international adventure race, was set in one of New Zealand&8217s pristine locations in the upper South Island. It was the first time in its 9year history that the race was held away from home in Central Otago.

The decision to move the race was a difficult one. Many competitors had said they wouldn&8217t return if the race moved base. But it was timely decision by organisers Geoff Hunt and Pascale Lorre as floods and high rivers swept through the lower South Island just a week before the race was due to start. 50 teams entered, making it the largest field of competitors ever. International participation was also at an all time high with competitors from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, Wales, and the USA.

Included in the tough course was 67km of sea kayaking, 290km of mountain biking, 80km of mountain trekking, a 200m abseil and a rafting section. First home, Team Star & Garter, pushed themselves to their limits in a time of 71.5 hrs with just 2 hrs sleep.

There were plenty of rewarding sights for the racers. The 450km race took competitors around the idyllic coastline of the Able Tasman National Park, over the mountains and through the forests of the Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes National Parks. After a murderous ascent of Mt Arthur (1790m), the competitors were treated to spectacular 360degree views of the surrounding national parks. Later, after another killing climb, they passed over the amazing limestone karst area of Mt Owen. This area recently attracted filmmaker Peter Jackson and his crew for the filming of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. At the prerace briefing Geoff warned, "If by this stage you&8217re hallucinating hobbits" you might not actually be nuts."

Why do people do it? Well it&8217s certainly not for the big prize at the end. What the winners collect at the end of the race is just enough to cover the entry fee. Top division winners take home a NZ$4000 reward to be split between the four team members. Are they crazy? No, they&8217re multisport adventure racers who believe the thrill of a challenge is enough to see them through. Though there are a number of teams who compete for the winner's spot, there are others who enter just to complete the course. In fact many of the teams return each year for more punishment, and it&8217s not just the young. Team Arrow International with an average age of 50 has been returning for the past eight years.

Although fitness, strength and endurance certainly count, a rational mind is another key to success. Unlike other multisport events, adventure racing is team racing. It&8217s important to know who&8217s on your team, their strengths and weaknesses and how to communicate. Gisele Volpi Monte captain of the Brazilian team Expedicao Mata Atlantica (EMA) Light found out the importance of &8216knowing your team&8217 as the race progressed.

EMA Light was made up of 3 women and 1 man, Joao Lisboa. Nora Audra Defilippi & Karina Bacha, at 21, were amongst the youngest in the field. It was Gisele's first year as captain and I asked her before the race if it meant big changes for her.

She remembers last year&8217s event when her and her teammate became extremely ill.

"John Knight (team captain) had to get us out of there, from a place where navigation was critical, we were weak but still had to walk out of there. If I think about this it scares me a little. I hope nothing happens, but I&8217m responsible for navigation, if something happens I have to get them out of there. The captains have this responsibility but my team is very united, we&8217re jumping on the same boat and if the boat sinks we go down together. They knows the risks but I still feel responsible for everyone."

"Do you think this feeling of responsibility will influence your physical performance?"

"No, it&8217s just that I&8217m feeling a bit anxious now. I want to see everything well prepared so the race flows well. Once the race gets going and I see things running smoothly I&8217ll be able to relax and enjoy it".

After the first section, a smooth sea kayak in brilliant conditions, EMA light cruised in 32nd place. Their spirits were high and after 56 mins they were on their bikes heading for the steep Takaka Hill on onwards to the Cobb Reservoir. The expected cycle time was 6 hrs.

Leading that first bike section was the local Nelson team, Star and Garter. Made up of international multisport celebrities, Steve Gurney and Kathy Lynch, and two up and coming stars Nathan Faave and Aaron Prince, the team looked like winners right from the start. Watching them cycle up the steep and windy Cobb road made it look as if the &8216not so experienced&8217 were going to have a hard ride. Cathy pushed the boys all the way, riding out in front and occasionally dropping back to give the youngest, Aaron, a bit of a push up the hill.

When we saw EMA light again it was dark and cold. Karina was slightly ahead of the others pushing her bike. The mood had definitely changed.

Looking a bit despondent, Karina was upset by the number of stops the team had been making. It was already apparent that Joao was not physically prepared for the adventure. Her philosophy was that it was better to keep moving slowly than not to move at all. The mammoth ride took them 11hrs 10mins.

Meanwhile the all male EMA Brazil overtook EMA Light and took the liberty of a short nap at the transition point. The two Braziilian teams walked out together into the blackness of night for the first mountain trek section of the race.

Navigation became more difficult in the dark but the biggest problem seemed to be the slippery descent into the Ellis basin. This Mountain trek section saw a number of people pull out of the race. Alistar Cross from the Horley&8217s team slipped, dislocated his shoulder and was helicoptered out to the nearest hospital. The rest of the team carried on but pulled out at the next transition point.

At the Ellis basin hut, Nomad team member Steve Putnam suffered abdominal pain and vomiting making the second helicopter evacuation of the race. The third and final helicopter rescue was for Alan Bishop of team Hastings who was suffering from fever and cold.

Knee injuries, exhaustion and dehydration saw seven others pull out. Some teams chose to carry on unranked without their 4th members, intent on finishing the race. Others pulled out completely.

EMA light complete the first mountain trek safely in 20 hours and 53mins. Nobody said it would be easy. Joao Lisboa decides to drop out coming to the conclusion that the required fitness level is well above his. The younger girls are disappointed it&8217s been a long way to come and a lot of money. Motivation levels plummet. They have the choice to carry on and finish the race but Karina has also strained a tendon in her leg. Gisele, Nora & Ceasar (a support crewmember) get on their bikes and carry on but Nora soon turns back, enthusiasm at an all time low. Gisele, intent on finishing, carries on with Ceasar and the highspirited Team Alien.

Karina and Nora get a ride to the next transition in their support crew vehicle. Now they want to get back in the race, but it&8217s too late, they had already decided to pull out. Team EMA light is unable to carry on much to Gisele&8217s disappointment. A story that highlights the need to know your team member&8217s abilities, the importance of team communication and the teams united goal, to finish the race.

For many teams finishing means everything. Take EMA Brazil whose marathon 142hr 44min effort saw them cross the finish line in ranked position for a shortened course. The boys missed the cut off times for the rafting section and second mountain trekking section but still got to have the enormous satisfaction of finishing an extremely tough race. In the words of Alexandre Freitas, EMA organiser in Brazil, "An awesome race, it&8217s given me lots of new ideas for next year&8217s Expedicao Mata Atlantica in Brazil".

Team Cromwell&8217s finish was miraculous in itself as team member Jim Cotter suffered a serious injury when he slipped on the treacherous Ellis basin downhill and was stabbed in the calve muscle by a sharp broken stick. Luckily Brazilian doctor, Clemar, was there to clean and stitch up the deep wound at one of the transition points. The team came in second in a time of 88hrs and 20mins.

Clemar&8217s skills also came in handy when Aidan from the Fairydown/Long team who had competed in the EMA earlier this year, discovered the ingrown hair on his leg was in fact a little worm he&8217d picked up during the race in Brazil. A gory operation revealed a 7mm long healthy larva in his thigh. The Brazilian larva was high on the list of competition gossip, of which there was plenty.

Third place was the most exciting position of the competition to follow changing at least every transition point as teams pulled out, caught up or fell back. Finally the position went to Team Ice Breaker who came in just 1 hr and 24mins after Team Cromwell.

Team Untouchedworld.com deserves a special mention as the only all woman team in the event and the only all woman team in the history of the Southern Traverse to have completed a full unshortened course. The came in 18th of the full course ranked teams in 142 hrs 14 min.

First time competitors Team Alleged Athletes finished just ahead of the girls. Their support crew deserved &8216support crew of the race&8217 for their imaginative attire, good kiwi tucker and most important of all their support. Support crews are often underrated but any team will tell you that they are not a team without their support who nurture them, care for them and keep them up when spirits are low. And this support crew had support to share. In a touching moment as they cheered on the girls from Untouchedworld.com, a tearyeyed mum blubbered, "It just makes me so happy to see others supporting our girls".

Another interesting aspect of the New Zealand race is the family connections. Aaron Prince, one of the winners, had his Mum racing against him in another team. Most of the Team Untouchedworld.com support crew were in actual fact Mums and Dads of the girls. Kate Callaghan had her son supporting her throughout the event while Dad was off in another race. Many of the other competitors had partners in the support crew and the Americans team NOC/Perception were in fact two couples. Many Kiwis grow up in the great outdoors, cycling, running, skiing and kayaking. It seems to be in their blood, part of the Kiwi lifestyle.

Race director Geoff Hunt, the man behind the race, is responsible for the birth of the race 9 years ago. He nursed his baby for 4 years until 1995 when he met Pascale Lorre, which is a story in itself.

Pascale, a French woman, was in fact backpacking around New Zealand in 1994 when she met Geoff. She ended up in Queenstown, got a job cleaning a backpacker&8217s hotel but decided she needed a second income.

"There was an ad Working Dad looking for live in nanny for his two girls", smiles Pascale, "and that was Geoff and his two girls. The rest is history". Pascale laughs, "That&8217s what was really pathetic I fell for the man in Harris Mountain Heli ski guide&8217s uniform. A nice guy with a charming smile. I really fell for it."

With her background in marketing Pascale decided she could help out.

"The first year I felt I&8217d been thrown in the deep end. I didn&8217t really understand the race concept and I was quite frightened by the whole thing. I don&8217t have any sporting background myself. My idea of a sports outing was spending three hours at a caf discussing the world with friends."

"I went from nanny & cook to secretary and marketing manager within about 3 months", she recalls, laughing even more.

I ask her to explain exactly what her part in the race is today.

"That&8217s a good question", she replies.

" We don&8217t have a lot of resources. I spend my whole year working on it. From sponsorship seeking to research, finance, logistics and operational stuff. A bit of everything."

"And Geoff"? I ask.

"Geoff does the course design, works on sponsorship and operations too. He doesn&8217t do the finance though. I&8217m the only one who knows what&8217s going on with the cash." she chuckles.

But it&8217s not all laughs. Pascale helped make the Southern Traverse the success story it is today with a lot of blood and sweat.

"It&8217s been 5 intense years, rewarding in many aspects but I started to slow down this year, it&8217s all I&8217ve done for 5 years. When I started to become involved with Geoff I saw the race as something that needed a lot of attention. I knew we could do something with it and I can see it happening now. At the same time I find it difficult, quite stressful. Too be honest I&8217ve never worked this hard in my life, I&8217ve given everything I have, my money, my passion, everything", she says.

When the Southern Traverse started in 1991 there were 22 fivemember teams. The numbers dropped to 16 the next year and 9 the following. After talking it over with Ron Anderson, who had always been very supportive of Adventure racing, Geoff decided to change the format to 3 member teams, taking into consideration New Zealand&8217s small population.

And Geoff is well known for his tough courses. Pascale adds, "I think he scared off quite a few people in those first years. He&8217s very good at what he&8217s doing and his standards are very high. He designs a course for a race he would like to compete in. He had to stop thinking of the elite, and think about every one".

As a professional racecourse designer Geoff says, "Being an adventure racer, I know just how much teams can take, and I test those limits."

"It was tough on the assistant crew too", says Pascalle. "You had these races where the assistant had to drive for 10 hours while the competitors were doing maybe 30km over a mountain. He didn&8217t have a good reputation with the assistants. It needed a more down to earth approach, a more casual approach."

"Was the race harder then?" I asked.

"No, it was probably easier but at the time it was a new concept in multisport racing. You have a learning curve for the competitors too. You can&8217t come from nowhere to being a first class adventure racer. You have to go through a process of learning. The Kiwis had all the skills but they didn&8217t have the experience, that&8217s something you need to build up."

In it&8217s early days the race lost money. "It wasn&8217t until 1996 we managed to make a small amount of money for our time", says Pascale. "If you think about its nine years as a whole, it&8217s lost money. That makes it kind of hard as we&8217re a high level race in the adventureracing world. It&8217s a combination of fantastic people giving it everything they have because they love it. This is why I think it&8217s so special. We don&8217t have the big corporate money backup, it&8217s a very genuine race."

For Pascale the most enjoyable part of the race is to see everything running smoothly. "This year is the best organisation we&8217ve had", she says proudly.

"My race challenge 5 years ago was to bring the Southern Traverse to another level, I feel like we&8217ve managed to do that. Everything has been a challenge, when I arrived a stranger to New Zealand I had many things to contend with. There was the language, the different people, being 27,000km away from where I come from, not knowing anyone, starting a relationship that involved raising 2 children and then taking over the management of a race which needed lots of attention at the time. That was my race. We&8217ve finally got fantastic media exposure and recognition from the New Zealand business community and from international racers, recognition everywhere".

To Pascale it&8217s everyone involved who makes the Southern traverse work. Many of the assistants work on a voluntary or low paid basis. Some come to help because they are friends of the organisers with a passion for the sport. "It's a great atmosphere"it's like we're a huge big family!" Pascale finishes.
Details & Reservations: Southern Traverse '99
RealAdventures | New Zealand Articles

]]>