Less than a year ago while hiking over Gillespie Pass in the searing heat with some girlfriends I realised I had to see more of this country I call home and in particular the North Island. The dream was to do it in a van, pack it with all the gear I needed, including my camera and then proceed to photograph, hike and climb my way around NZ. While this is not a new concept, it was to be an adventure and one that I had to have.

My application for 3 months leave was granted and the search for the perfect van began.

Two months from my departure, while having another adventure climbing on the Remarkables in Queenstown, I fell and broke my ankle. A heli-vac off the mountain left me in cast for 6 weeks, with several months of rehabilitation to follow. My dreams of climbing and hiking my way around NZ were at risk and adaptation was required. If I couldn’t hike and climb all the places I wanted I could still find plenty of shorter walks and places to photograph. I could also always re-organise the trip to do these longer hikes later in the trip when my leg was stronger. All was not lost, except the dream of the van, it proved too difficult to find a suitable one while dealing with a broken leg, so it was substituted for my trusty corolla and macpac tent instead.

The intention is that my roady will kick start a blog of my photos, experiences and musings as I "flip-flop" my way around New Zealand and life.

Enjoy!