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.
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.
Tarawera Falls to Lake Tarawera
Some walks unfold exactly as they should. The journey from Tarawera Falls to Lake Tarawera follows the river through native bush, past cascading water and quiet forest corridors, before opening out to the stillness of the lake.
It’s a steady, unhurried day where the scenery gently shifts and each section invites you to slow down and notice more.
Reaching the lake feels less like an endpoint and more like a pause — a place to sit, eat, breathe, and let the day settle.
With the return journey tracing the same path, there’s time to reflect, to walk with intention, and to enjoy the rare gift of a hike where nothing goes wrong — just movement, presence, and the quiet satisfaction of being there.
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.