Trail Notes, Trip Stories and Honest Advice from the Field
The Freewheeling Kiwi Blog
Sharon Evans is the founder of Freewheeling Kiwi and one of Australasia's leading small group Himalayan trekking specialists
She has walked the full length of Te Araroa — 3,000 kilometres from Cape Reinga to Bluff — and led multiple groups to Everest Base Camp with a 100% summit success rate. She also treks in Australia, Bhutan, the Annapurna region and across New Zealand.
Your First Overnight Walk
Thinking about your first overnight hike in New Zealand, but not quite sure where to start? There's something special about heading out on a walking track knowing you won't be coming home that evening. Yet questions about fitness, what to pack, where to sleep and what happens if the weather turns can easily put a first-timer off. The good news is you don't need to be an experienced tramper or invest in a mountain of gear to get started. You just need to know how to prepare.
In this guide, I share practical advice from thousands of kilometres of walking in New Zealand and beyond, so you can avoid common beginner mistakes, feel more confident about your first trip and spend less time worrying about what might go wrong. From choosing a manageable track and packing the essentials to planning food, staying safe and enjoying life on the trail, you'll find what you need to take that first step towards a multi-day adventure. Because once you've experienced the freedom of an overnight walk, you might just wonder why you didn't try it sooner. 🌿🥾
The Coromandel Walkway
Walking the Coromandel Walkway between Fletcher Bay and Stony Bay is one of my favourite ways to spend a summer day. It's 20 kilometres return, with views of the Pinnacles, Aotea and Repanga, and an old bridle path that early pioneers forged to link the two bays. Allow about seven hours, take your time, and start from Fletcher Bay if you're not up for the whole thing.
There's no booking system and no queue. You just turn up, pick a good weather window, and start walking. Pohutukawa are often in flower in early summer, so it's a lovely time to go. Bring water, decent shoes and a warm layer for the sea breeze, and head out early before the crowds arrive.
What to Pack for a Himalayan Trek
The gear question starts early. Sometimes before the booking is even confirmed. And it should, because getting it wrong is expensive, uncomfortable, and entirely avoidable.
I have trekked to Everest Base Camp and into the Annapurna Base Camp trail and led multiple groups to each. This is what I actually pack, what I leave behind, and where the two treks differ in ways that matter.
Off-Grid - Choosing Our Own Terms
Two years ago, when we became custodians of Shambhala in the Coromandel bush, there was nothing here. No cabin, no road, no water system or electricity, just regenerating native forest and pine trees.
We spent eighteen months calling a tent home while slowly building a cabin, learning to live in the forest and figuring things out as we went. It has been a journey of hard work, improvisation, family support and plenty of lessons along the way.
Now, living in our basic off grid cabin, I'm still learning what it means to build a different kind of life. From navigating the challenges of solar power and connectivity to finding practical solutions when things don't go to plan, the reality is far removed from the romanticised version of off grid living. But this was never about escaping the world. It was about creating a life on our own terms, with more freedom, a closer connection to the land and the space to choose what matters most.
The Waikato River Trails
Some of New Zealand’s most beautiful outdoor experiences are closer to home than we think.
The Waikato River Trails are a perfect example, offering 104 kilometres of walking and cycling through native bush, along quiet stretches of river and past fascinating hydroelectric history. Having ridden the entire trail and walked almost all of it, I’ve come to appreciate the variety of experiences this wonderful network offers, whatever your pace or level of adventure.
One of my favourite sections runs between Arapuni Dam and Jones Landing, where towering cliffs reflect in still water, swans glide past with their cygnets, and kingfishers dart along the riverbanks.
Add the century old Arapuni Swing Bridge and the remarkable history of the dam and powerhouse, and you have a little adventure that doesn't require travelling far from home. Join me as I explore why sometimes the best discoveries are right on our doorstep.
Why Nepal Resilience Matters
On the morning of August 26, 2026, a glacial collapse near the Nepal-China border triggered a catastrophic flash flood down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems. Hundreds are confirmed dead, thousands remain missing.
The guides and porters who make trekking in Nepal possible live in these mountains. They are not abstract. They are real people dealing with real crisis. And if you've trekked in Nepal, if you've sat in a teahouse and listened to your guide's stories, then you know these people matter.
This is the story of what happened, why it matters, and what resilience actually costs when repeated disaster is the cost of staying alive.
Te Araroa - Fear Doesn't Disqualify You
Day 80 on Te Araroa. Eighty days without a rest day, pushing through foot injuries, running a business remotely, creating content, managing comments and brand partnerships while walking the length of Aotearoa.
The Richmond Range ridgeline is where it all caught up with me, not because I couldn't finish the walk, but because the weight of everything else made me stop.
This is the story of what happens when you ask for help, when a stranger named Leah shows up with Christmas cake, and why stepping back sometimes takes more strength than pushing forward.
What to Eat on a Himalayan Trek (And Why It Actually Matters)
Food is always the first thing trekkers stop thinking about and the last thing they should.
At altitude your body is working harder than it ever has, your appetite drops off right when you need fuel most, and the decisions you make at the tea house table matter more than most people realise.
Here's what you need to know before you go.
What My Trekkers Can Expect on the Annapurna Base Camp Trek
People ask me what the Annapurna Base Camp trek is actually like. Not the glossy brochure version. The real version. What are the days like, what will you see, what will you feel, what will surprise you? After leading multiple groups to Himalayan Base Camps, I know exactly what this trek delivers. And it delivers more than most people expect.
Ten days. Kathmandu to Pokhara, rhododendron forest to glacial moraine, tea house dinners to the moment the Annapurna Sanctuary opens up around you at 4,130 metres. Here is the full picture, day by day, based on our group trek departing 28 October 2026.
Reset and Recharge at Lake Ōkataina
There's a particular kind of quiet that settles over a group standing above a lake nobody's spoken about yet. That was Rotongata, sun on the water, no one in any hurry to say something.
The July Reset and Recharge Walk took us into the Ōkataina Trails near Rotorua, through towering kahikatea, twin crater lakes, and a 10 metre waterfall called Te Auheke — tumbling water.
This is the story of that day.
Kathmandu: Don't Just Pass Through
I love Kathmandu and I find it genuinely, unreservedly fun. Most trekkers treat it as a formality, something to land in, sleep off, and get through before the main event begins. That's a mistake.
Kathmandu has been at the crossroads of trade, religion, and culture for over two thousand years and it rewards anyone who gives it proper attention.
Here's what's waiting for you, including why I planned our 2026 departure dates deliberately around Tihar, Nepal's Festival of Lights.
Hiking Fitness for Real People
Think you need to be super fit before you start hiking? Think again. The truth is that hiking fitness isn't built in a gym or achieved overnight. It's built one walk, one hill and one adventure at a time.
Whether you're returning to the trails after a break or taking your first steps into the outdoors, there are simple ways to build strength, endurance and confidence without turning your life upside down.
In this article, I share the lessons I've learned from thousands of kilometres of hiking across New Zealand and beyond, along with practical tips to help you prepare for the trail.
You'll discover how to train for hiking in a way that fits real life, so you can spend less time worrying about whether you're fit enough and more time enjoying the journey. 🌿🥾
Milford Track Training: How Fit Do You Really Need to Be?
One of the most common questions prospective Milford Track walkers ask is, "Am I fit enough?"
The good news is that you don't need to be an athlete to complete New Zealand's most famous Great Walk.
In this practical guide, I share my experience of the track, what level of fitness is really required, how to prepare for Mackinnon Pass, common training mistakes, and why carrying a lighter pack can often make a bigger difference than spending extra hours in the gym.
Milford Track Weather: What to Expect in Every Month of the Great Walk Season
Planning to walk the Milford Track and wondering what weather awaits?
From spring snow on the surrounding peaks to summer sunshine, autumn mist, and Fiordland's famous rain, conditions can vary dramatically throughout the Great Walk season.
In this month by month guide, I'll share what to expect, how the weather shapes the experience, and why a little rain might actually make your Milford Track adventure even more memorable.
Reset and Recharge in the Waiorongomai Valley
Every walk teaches you something. This one taught me that gold miners were tougher than any of us, that a broken gas bottle is character building, and that sometimes the best thing you can do after six hours in the bush is lower yourself into a hot pool and stay there.
The June Reset and Recharge Walk took us into the Waiorongomai Valley near Te Aroha, a place most people have driven past without ever stopping.
What they don't know is what the valley reveals only to those who walk into it — gold mine tunnels, hidden waterfalls, a swingbridge into the dark, and history scattered through the bush like it was left there yesterday.
This is the story of that day.
Milford Track vs Routeburn vs Kepler: Which Great Walk Should You Choose?
Planning a New Zealand Great Walk but unsure which trail deserves a place on your bucket list? The Milford, Routeburn, and Kepler Tracks are three of the country's most iconic multi day hikes, each offering a unique mix of scenery, challenge, and adventure.
From Milford's towering waterfalls and remote Fiordland wilderness to Routeburn's spectacular alpine vistas and Kepler's sweeping ridgeline views, choosing between them isn't always easy.
In this detailed comparison, I'll share my firsthand experiences on all three tracks and compare the scenery, difficulty, logistics, costs, booking challenges, and overall experience to help you decide which Great Walk is the best fit for your next adventure.
What a Zipline Tour Taught Me About Running Adventure Experiences
A zipline tour in Rotorua became an unexpected reminder that great adventure tourism has very little to do with adrenaline alone.
From safety culture and guest experience to trust, storytelling and operational leadership, the parallels between guiding trekkers in the Himalayas and running high quality adventure experiences in New Zealand are surprisingly similar.
Reset and Recharge in the Kauaeranga Valley
Every idea has a beginning. This one had four women, a Coromandel valley, and a very cold river.
Sharon, Lietta, Karen and Irene gathered from across the North Island for the very first Freewheeling Kiwi Reset and Recharge Walk.
They walked without hurry through ancient native forest, stood beneath a 900 year old Kauri tree, and finished with a freezing swim in the Kauaeranga River and hot tea on the bank.
They arrived as strangers. They left as friends. This is the story of that day.
What I Wish Every Trekker Knew Before Coming to Nepal
Last week my phone buzzed with a message from Nepal. It was Prashant, one of our porters, sending me a photo of his newborn daughter Diyaa, his third child. Prashant calls me Mum. So when that photo came through, it felt like getting a picture of your own grandchild.
This is what people don't tell you about trekking in Nepal. Yes, there's the altitude and the training and the gear lists. All of that matters. But underneath all of it is something that will surprise you if you're not expecting it. The people. Not just the people you trek with. The people who make the trek possible.
From First Follow to Base Camp: Why Trekking With Me Is Nothing Like Booking Online
There is no "add to cart" on my website. No instant booking, no automated confirmation email, no PDF itinerary fired into your inbox by a system that doesn't know your name.
What I offer instead is something no overseas booking site can replicate — a real person, a real relationship, and a community that starts long before anyone boards a plane to Kathmandu.
With 93,000 social media followers who already feel like family, and a 100% Himalayan summit success rate, here's what the journey actually looks like when you trek with me.
Sharon Evans is the founder of Freewheeling Kiwi and one of Australasia's leading small group Himalayan trekking specialists
She has walked the full length of Te Araroa — 3,000 kilometres from Cape Reinga to Bluff — and led multiple groups to Everest Base Camp with a 100% summit success rate. She also treks in Australia, Bhutan, the Annapurna region and across New Zealand.