Kalapa, Kauri and Kathmandu ๐๏ธ
Kalapa, Kauri and Kathmandu ๐๏ธ
Hello friends,
We finally slept under a roof (and other news from the trail)
May in Aotearoa is the turn into winter. The mornings are sharp, the light is lower, and the land is doing what it does this time of year โ drawing inward, going quiet, preparing.
I have been on site at Shambhala pretty much solidly since Christmas. Through summer, through autumn, through a cyclone warning that sent us packing temporarily, the tent has been our base camp. Fitting really, given where we spend our time in the Himalayas.
Last week, we finally moved the furniture into the cabin and slept under our own roof for the first time.
We've named her Kalapa. In Tibetan tradition, Kalapa is the innermost sanctuary at the heart of Shambhala, the still point at the centre of everything. It felt like exactly the right name for the place we've been quietly building toward.
There is something about finally coming home, really home, just as winter arrives that feels right. Kalapa is warm. The canvas is packed away. And I am ready for what comes next.
Which, as it turns out, is quite a lot. Read on. ๐ฟ
โ Sharon ๐
๐ฅถ After the swim. Hoffman's Pool, Kauaeranga Valley. I hate cold water, I got in anyway, 10/10 would recommend.
๐ฅพ ADVENTURE CORNER
Stories and tips from the trail to inspire your own journeys.
๐ฑ 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. 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.
I've written about Prashant, about a fiercely competitive game of Jenga at a Phangboche teahouse, and about what I wish every trekker knew before they arrived in Nepal. It's one of my favourite things I've written in a while.
Sharon and Prashant at Everest Base Camp, 5,364m. The man who calls me Mum. ๐๏ธ
๐๏ธ NEPAL TREKS โ TREK PREP UPDATE
Both 2026 departures are filling up and spots are limited.
Annapurna Base Camp โ 28 October 2026 Everest Base Camp โ 9 November 2026
If Nepal has been sitting in the back of your mind, now is the time to do something about it. And the best first step is Trek Prep.
Trek Prep is my 1:1 coaching package for people preparing for a Himalayan trek. Three sessions covering your physical preparation, gear, altitude strategy and the mental side of what you're taking on. You leave knowing exactly what to do between now and departure.
Something I want to share with you this month, because it matters to me. Booking a Nepal trek through an overseas website is easy. But easy isn't always better. When you trek with me you're not a booking reference. You're someone I've spoken to, prepared, met at the airport, walked with, and looked after every step of the way.
I've written about exactly how that works, from the first Zoom call to the birthday cake we carried to Everest Base Camp for a trekker celebrating his 50th.
๐ Read: Why Trekking With Me Is Nothing Like Booking Online
Sailesh and his 50th birthday cake at Everest Base Camp, 5,364m. Baked in Lobuche, carried to the top of the world. He said it was the best birthday of his life. ๐๐๏ธ
๐ฟ RESET AND RECHARGE WALKS
๐ณ The Founding Walk โ Kauaeranga Valley
Last month four of us gathered in the Kauaeranga Valley in the Coromandel for the very first Freewheeling Kiwi Reset and Recharge Walk. Irene, Karen, Lietta and Sharon. We came from across the North Island. We walked without hurry through ancient native bush, stood beneath a 900 year old Kauri tree, and finished with a freezing swim in the Kauaeranga River and hot tea on the bank.
We arrived as strangers. We left as friends. Two of the group are coming to Nepal later this year. A third is already planning Everest Base Camp 2027. Karen left asking when the next walk is.
The answer is June.
๐ Read the full story of the founding walk
The founding four. Irene, Karen, Lietta and Sharon at the Edwardโs Lookout, Kauaeranga Valley. The walk that started it all. ๐ฟ
Next Walk โ Matariki Winter Walk, Waiorongomai Valley ๐
Our next Reset and Recharge Walk is timed with Matariki, the Mฤori New Year, a season that has always been about reflection, remembrance, and looking ahead.
We'll be walking in the Waiorongomai Valley near Te Aroha, a beautiful, historic valley with a rich gold mining past and stunning native forest. Small group, intentional, unhurried. No fitness level required. Just a willingness to slow down and be somewhere beautiful with good company.
Spaces are very limited.
๐ฑ Until Next Month
Winter is here. Kalapa is warm. And somewhere out there, the mountains are waiting.
Take good care of yourselves out there.
Sharon ๐
๐ฌ Catch up on past newsletters below
We finally slept under our own roof at Shambhala, and named her Kalapa. This month: a message from Nepal about a newborn daughter, the founding Reset and Recharge Walk, the Matariki winter walk, Trek Prep updates, and why trekking with me is nothing like booking online.