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.
197: Pioneering Women of Aoraki Mount Cook with Hazel Phillips
Hazel Phillips is an author and journalist who grew up scared of the outdoors, until a friend carrying all her own gear on the Milford Track made her think she could do it too. She shares about her new book Great Hearts, the stories of 30 women climbing around Aoraki Mount Cook from 1873 to the first all-women unguided ascent in 1953. Hazel talks about climbing in long skirts and motoring veils, a woman who bluffed her way into a guiding job at the Hermitage, and the small erasures that wrote women out of mountaineering history. She reflects on how many of these women were never going to take no for an answer. Hazel shares advice for women that want to progress past basic snowcraft, and why Ruapehu is the ideal place to start mountaineering.
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 Hazel on Instagram: https://instagram.com/hazelvonwonderpants/ (https://instagram.com/hazelvonwonderpants/)
Buy Great Hearts: https://masseypress.ac.nz/products/great-hearts (https://masseypress.ac.nz/products/great-hearts)
Join Secret Women's Mountain Business on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretladies (https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretladies)
Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ (https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/)
Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ (https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/)
1 Oct 2026
196: Packrafting the Landsborough River from the West Coast with Tom Waters
Tom Waters grew up on a farm near Tekapo and found the outdoors through hunting with his dad, before whitewater kayaking became a healthy obsession. He shares about a packrafting trip to the head of the Landsborough River, approaching from the West Coast via the Karangarua Valley and the Douglas Traverse. Tom talks about crossing a glacier lake at first light to beat an incoming front, ice falls coming off the Douglas Névé on Douglas Pass, and a 14-hour day through a boulder-choked gorge before putting in at Percy Creek. He reflects on why a river carries a different type of risk to walking. Tom shares advice for anyone that wants to start packrafting, from checking flows and sticking to grade one and two, to never paddling alone and knowing when to leash to your boat.
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 Tom on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alpine_dog_/ (https://instagram.com/alpine_dog_/)
Find packrafting trips by grade: https://www.packraftingtrips.nz/ (https://www.packraftingtrips.nz/)
Join PRANZ: https://www.packrafting.org.nz/ (https://www.packrafting.org.nz/)
Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ (https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/)
Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ (https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/)
25 Sept 2026
195: From Everest to NZ Expeditions to Local Microadventures with Tsewang Nuru Sherpa
Tsewang Nuru Sherpa is a freshwater researcher and freelance travel journalist, who grew up in the Everest region of Nepal. He shares how adventure came to him late, because trekking at home was a profession rather than something you did on a weekend. After moving to Christchurch, Tsewang spent weekends with the tramping club discovering trails in Arthur's Pass and around Canterbury. He went on to cycle the South Island section of Tour Aotearoa, and then started Te Araroa later that year. Tsewang has done his fair share of big expeditions, and reflects on why he still enjoys microadventures close to home, including the Christchurch 360 Trail. He also shares his advice for other people that want to get outdoors and how to find local adventures.
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 Tsewang on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tsewang.sherpa/ (https://instagram.com/tsewang.sherpa/)
Follow Aotearoa Adventures on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/ (https://instagram.com/aotearoa_adventures_/)
Follow Abigail on Instagram: https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/ (https://instagram.com/abigailhannnah/)
Who has been a guest on Aotearoa Adventures
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Grace Reeves
Josh Parker
Kristina Montgomerie
Jasmine Trafford
Sarah Morrison
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
106 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 59 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
84
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
85
Contact Aotearoa Adventures
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Aotearoa Adventures
Who hosts Aotearoa Adventures?
Abigail Hannah host the show. Published by Abigail Hannah.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Aotearoa Adventures take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
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