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For our tiny, off-grid cabin in New Zealand, finding the right location to start building was paramount and as someone who feels the cold, maximising sunlight was a top priority.

Over the past year while camped out in our tent, we’ve carefully observed how the sun moves across our property "Shambhala" throughout the seasons and in that time, we’ve learnt a great deal.

The Larapinta Trail is an incredible adventure and one that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend!

But it’s also rugged, remote and fire prone, especially in the hotter months from October through to March.

So as to take advantage of the cooler day time temperatures, we hiked the Larapinta Trail during June which is wintertime in Australia.

Fortunately we had no exposure to active bushfires though the threat of them in this area is not to be underestimated.

There were many days on trail when we navigated through areas that had previously been burnt out and the thought of watching a fast approaching, out of control bushfire does not bear thinking about.

I stood forlornly on the trail as my body trembled with the intensity of my shivering and my teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Tears created by the sub zero temperatures mixed freely with the sleet and snot smeared across my face. I could hardly see through my glasses not that there was anything to see other than the horizontal rain swirling manically about us.

Andrew handed me an OSM bar, with his frozen fingers he couldn’t open the wrapping and thought somehow that I’d be able to. While I fumbled with the wrapping, we attempted to communicate above the howling wind.

Finally getting the bar opened I offered him the larger half, we were clearly living the Te Araroa dream!

With many thousands of followers across the world, many of you identify me as Sharon, the Freewheeling Kiwi however I led a very different life prior to being the adventurous, outdoors person that you follow today. 

In this deeply personal blog I share with you some of the circumstances that led me to change careers in midlife, why I quit corporate life altogether and the epiphany that morphed into the Freewheeling Kiwi.

I know how difficult it is to welcome change but having successfully navigated some of life’s largest transitions, sometimes, the grass really is greener on the other side. 

By sharing my story, I hope to provide you with the courage and inspiration to embrace the inevitable changes in your own life.