Aotearoa Adventures: The New Zealand Travel Podcast

Deni Estivill left her corporate job in Brisbane and found herself walking the length of Aotearoa SOBO on Te Araroa with only one overnight hike behind her. She shares how climate anxiety pushed her toward the trail, what it was like to start as a complete beginner and how quickly community formed around her. From the canoe section on the Whanganui River to a tough moment on a scree slope in the Richmond Ranges, Deni talks about the people who supported her and the small acts of kindness that shaped her journey. She reflects on the shift she felt after five months outdoors and what it meant to return home with a completely different outlook on life.

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Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Deni on Instagram: instagram.com/esti.den/

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

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Ciska de Jong grew up sailing around places like Waiheke, the Bay of Islands and even remote parts of Fiji, which set the tone for a life built around adventure. After a long solo trip overseas, she moved from Auckland to Tauranga and found a slower rhythm, with more time to chase waterfalls, paddle hidden chasms and explore the Bay of Plenty. Ciska shares how NZ Adventures began with simple weekend missions and turned into a way of helping others discover what is right on their doorstep. She runs through her favourite spots across Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupō and the Coromandel, and reflects on why small adventures matter, how nature shapes her days and what keeps her exploring.

Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure. Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today

• Get my NZ Map & Guide
• Book your 1-on-1 consult and personalised itinerary

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Ciska on Instagram: instagram.com/nz_adventures/

Follow Ciska on Facebook: facebook.com/NZadventures/

www.valuemedia.co.nz/nzadventures

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

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Host Abigail Hannah and Isaac Naylor are kayaking from Cape Reinga to Tauranga in 2026 to raise $20,000 for the ocean and mental health. This sea kayak expedition will take them 800km (or more), exploring one of the most beautiful sections of New Zealand coast - while slowing down, stripping life back to the basics and exploring the coastline. The couple share about where the idea came from, what prep they have done so far, how they are fundraising for the journey and how you can get involved and support the expedition.

Follow @abigailhannnah on Instagram for updates.

Isabell Zitzelsberger moved to Aotearoa in 2012 to be closer to nature. She now spends her weekends exploring the bush and the sea, whether that’s chasing fish, deer stalking in the Kaimai Range or teaching other women to back a trailer with confidence. After years of being the “partner who just goes along,” Isabell realised how many women shared that same story. She decided to change it, founding Wild Chix - a community helping women gain skills and confidence in boating, hunting and fishing. Isabell talks about her journey from learning to tow a boat to catching her first marlin, the lessons she’s learnt in the bush, and why self-reliance outdoors matters so much. She reflects on confidence, safety and finding freedom in New Zealand’s wild places.

Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure. Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today

• Get my NZ Map & Guide
• Book your 1-on-1 consult and personalised itinerary

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Wild Chix on Instagram: instagram.com/wild_chix_nz/

www.wildchix.co.nz

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

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Renee Cadigan shares about how her love for the outdoors has evolved as her boys have grown older. Renee now explores solo, and loves discovering hidden valleys and remote huts close to home on the West Coast. She talks about her latest obsession, the Whitcombe Valley, where countless routes and huts go through rugged terrain and some of her favourite overnights and huts in the area. Then Renee dives deep into hut etiquette, sharing an awful and confronting (gross) backcountry experience at Rapid Creek Hut and what not to do when you are using public spaces like DOC huts. With humour and honesty, Renee offers practical advice on the unspoken rules that keep these special places welcoming for everyone. Renee also shares her love of the West Coast with other Coasters in her series Voices of the Coast.

Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure. Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today

• Get my NZ Map & Guide
• Book your 1-on-1 consult and personalised itinerary

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Renee on Instagram: instagram.com/reneecadigannz/

Follow Renee on TikTok: tiktok.com/@reneecadigannz

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Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

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Kyla and Louis are the kiwi couple behind Out the Gate Off Road and live full-time in their 1988 Mercedes Unimog. With a background in carpentry and a shared love of adventure, they designed and built every detail of their home-on-wheels themselves. They share favourite Northland locations including Ahipara, Karikari Peninsula and Whangarei Heads, tips for travelling with dogs, and how they manage life, work and CrossFit training on the road. Next, Kyla and Louis want to visit the South Island, then Australia, and one day a road trip across the Americas.

Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure. Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today

• Get my NZ Map & Guide
• Book your 1-on-1 consult and personalised itinerary

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Out the Gate on Instagram: instagram.com/outthegateoffroad/

Subscribe on YouTube

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

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Debs Brockelsby is based in Rotorua and deeply passionate about adventures outdoors. After a traumatic brain injury, she realised that life is short - do cool sh*t. Debs shares about quitting her dream job at Cycling NZ, the long journey of recovery, and how mountain biking helped her rebuild confidence and joy. She talks about starting Stoked NZ, a towel poncho business inspired by her love for lake swims and riding in the forest. Debs offers advice for anyone wanting to get into mountain biking, including how to choose your first bike, where to ride, and how to find community. Her story is a reminder to chase adventure and make the most of every day.

Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure. Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today.

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Debs on Instagram: instagram.com/stokednz/

www.stokednz.co.nz

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

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Billy "Wahoo" Meredith set the record for the fastest known self-supported time on Te Araroa in 2025. With a background in thru-hiking and trail running, Billy had set records in the USA on the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails - including completing all three in one year. He shares about the differences between hiking in the USA and tramping in New Zealand - the rugged terrain proving and lack of track markers proving challenging. Billy battled trench foot just 160 km away from Bluff, a mental and physical challenge with the time ticking on setting a record, as well as his visa running out. Other mishaps along the trail included opening a package with two right shoes, shin splints, thick mud and hunger. Billy shares about adapting when plans fall apart, the joy of discovering new landscapes day after day, and why tramping in New Zealand felt more rewarding than anywhere else he has hiked.

Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure. Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today

• Get my NZ Map & Guide
• Book your 1-on-1 consult and personalised itinerary

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Billy on Instagram: instagram.com/billymeredith_/

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

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Jennifer Julian is an outdoor education teacher from Canada now based in Taranaki, raising two daughters aged three and five. With her experiences in mountaineering and LandSAR volunteering, Jenn shares about the Taranaki Three Peaks Traverse, a demanding mission linking Taranaki, Pouakai and Patuha. She reflects on completing this route after have children and the appeal of tough challenges. Alongside personal trips, Jenn founded Trails & Tots, a community to get local families outdoors - through resources, hiking groups and a gear library. She shares about barriers and benefits to getting outdoors and practical tips for tramping with kids.

Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure.

• ⁠Get my NZ Map & Guide⁠
• ⁠Book your 1-on-1 consult and personalised itinerary⁠

Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Jenn on Instagram: instagram.com/trailsandtots/

www.trailsandtots.co.nz

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

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Kaleb Anderson, AKA @adventuringkiwi, is a freelance photographer and videographer. His love for the mountains began with the DoE Award and multi-day hikes in Tongariro. He shares about an adventure to Sladden Glacier in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park with friends, carrying a 22kg pack with alpine gear, skis and supplies for 5 days. They dug out a snow camps and then summitted Mount Sealy and Mount Jeanette, despite setbacks. Kaleb shares advice for transitioning from tramping to alpine, the importance of learning skills. He talks about the challenge and joy of alpine missions, risk, preparation and the importance of good people around you when things go wrong.Discover the best of New Zealand with my NZ Map & Guide, featuring 100+ incredible locations for your next adventure. Use PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off and start planning your dream trip today

• Get my NZ Map & Guide
• Book your 1-on-1 consult and personalised itinerary

Thank you so much for tuning in and coming along for the ride. If you love the show and enjoyed listening, please take the time to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. I would also love to connect with you, so send me a DM on Instagram, leave me a voice message and I can’t wait to see you next time. Until then, keep adventuring :)

Follow Kaleb on Instagram: instagram.com/adventuringkiwi/

Read the Blog: www.abigailhannah.nz

Follow Abigail on Instagram: instagram.com/abigailhannnah/

Follow Abigail on TikTok: tiktok.com/@abigailhannnah/

Get my NZ Map & Guide