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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. 🌿🥾

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.

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.

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.