Untamed Aotearoa – Details, episodes & analysis

Mark is an outdoor education lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, who has been on some epic journeys over the years. We focus on two of his most memorable solo bush trips in New Zealand. ‘Salt and Pepper Hikoi’ was a 17 day traverse of Te Urewera. His kaupapa was to get all of his calories from the forest, while travelling a long distance through some of the most rugged bush in New Zealand. His most recent adventure was an impressive 40 day traverse of Fiordland.

This episode is sponsored by Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand

Podcast music: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club and other pieces by Evan Phillips

Episode links:

• Mark's Facebook page 'One in the Wilderness' (for more stories from Fiordland)
• Adventurer Mark Jones to traverse rugged Fiordland National Park (Stuff article)
• Adventurer Mark Jones finishes solo trek of Fiordland in 39 days (Stuff article)

Te Uruwera traverse

• Salt and Pepper Hikoi film (36 mins)
• Talking with the forest  (Wilderness Magazine article)

Antarctic sea kayak expeditions

• South by Kayak - Mark's Antarctic circle expedition (New Zealand Geographic article)
• South Georgia - Mark's second Antarctic sea kayak expedition (New Zealand Geographic article)

FMC Wilderness Areas

• For more info on Wilderness Areas in NZ (and the new Wilderness Areas mapping tool)

Dr Laura Young is a talented botanist and conservationist based in Blenheim. We talk about her love for ecology and how her career in conservation has evolved, from rediscovering a giant weevil (previously believed to be extinct) to studying wild Spaniards and kea. Laura has a five year old daughter, Cassie, who often comes with her on field trips. She shares some wonderful tips on balancing field work and outdoor time with being a mum. 

This episode is sponsored by Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand

Podcast music: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club and other pieces by Evan Phillips

Episode links:

• ‘An Advocate for Kea’ - Profile on Wilderlife blog (by FMC)
• Conservation careers profile on Laura. This Google Doc was produced by the Department of Conservation LEOTC Aoraki education programme team as part of their ‘conservation pathways’ learning resource. This was produced with secondary school students in mind.
• Kea Database NZ - a citizen science initiative from the Kea Sightings project. You can share your reports of kea sightings.
• Kea Survey Tool. This project aims to measure spatial patterns in kea abundance, and changes in kea abundance over time.
• Kea Conservation Trust. Kea Conservation Trust works to preserve and protect these unique birds, both in their natural habitat in the wild and in captivity. Laura works part-time for the KCT as an Community Engagement Coordinator.
• KEA Kids News: Kea birds eating roof nails that can kill them. KEA Kids News is designed to get young New Zealanders aged 7 to 11 involved in current affairs.
• Arthur’s Pass Kea dying after eating lead nails - a 4 minute excerpt from Morning Report on Radio New Zealand.
• Kea makes flying visit to Marlborough. Stuff article written by Dr Laura Young

Tui Mārama is an inspiring wāhine from Gisborne who’s doing a lot of amazing mahi for her community.

Less than three years ago, she went hunting for the first time and hasn’t looked back. In this episode Tui talks about how a chance encounter led to her TV show ‘Hunting with Tui’. We talk about her reconnecting to her whakapapa (roots), her perspectives on wairua (spirit) and the link between Whanaungatanga (togetherness) and the outdoors.

She sees the outdoors, especially hunting and gathering, as an opportunity to help build up the mana of people in Aotearoa. Tui grew up in Christchurch, and it wasn’t until she was a young adult that she returned to her mother's whakapapa on the East Cape.

She has worked in both the Navy and the police force, recently transitioning into a role as an iwi representative (working in a partnership between local iwi and the police), focusing on supporting families who are working through the challenges of family harm.

Kapai, Tui. You’re doing some amazing mahi! 

Music: Hope Social Club

Links to check out:

• Hunting with Tui summary (nice summary on You Tube)
• Hunting with Tui on Maori TV
• Hunting with Tui Facebook page
• Hunting with Tui Instagram page

• Music: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club
• Facebook: Untamed Aotearoa Podcast
• Instagram: Untamed Aotearoa Podcast
• Stuff article: Adventurer's long, bumpy road back from concussion
• Brain Injury New Zealand website

Mark’s diverse skill set serendipitously landed him a place on what was dubbed "the most audacious and potentially groundbreaking polar expedition in a generation". He and two teammates used snow-kites to reach the most remote mountain on Earth - The Spectre, in the Gothic Mountains of Antarctica. This expedition is a focus but first we hear about the evolution of Mark’s passion for adventure and gain some wonderful insights into the New Zealand Mountain Film & Book Festival, which he and his wife Jo have been running for 19 years.

This episode is sponsored by Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand

Podcast music: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club and other pieces by Evan Phillips

Tanya first started to run when she was living in a destructive, abusive relationship. But she wasn’t allowed to run with other people and she wasn’t allowed to run on trails. Fast-forward to today and she’s living in Lake Hawea where she finds joy in adventures in the mountains almost every day. In this episode we chat about her journey from running her first road marathon to competing in rugged 100 mile trail races and what other outdoor adventures it’s leading to. Tanya is an advocate for Shine and is committed to raising awareness around domestic violence and recovery for victims reclaiming their lives. 

This episode is sponsored by Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand

Podcast music: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club and other pieces by Evan Phillips

Episode links:

Tanya's personal website

Tanya's public Facebook page

Tanya's Instagram 

Wild Things FB page (awesome trail running community in NZ) 

Shine (making homes violence free in New Zealand)

Are you Okay? (New Zealand family violence support site)

Untamed Aotearoa Instagram

Untamed Aotearoa Facebook 

In this episode we talk about Brian’s evolution as a climber and then as a bikepacker. We also talk about the evolution of mountaineering in New Zealand, including the style of climbing in New Zealand in the late 80s and 90s and the positives of mentorship in the New Zealand Alpine Team. Our conversation turns to the rapidly developing bikepacking scene around the world and in NZ. We chat about pushing the limits in mountaineering compared to bikepacking races. Brian shares some experiences from the Tour Divide race in North America, the Great Southern Brevet in NZ and organising the inaugural Tour Te Waipounamu bikepacking race. 

• Learn more about the Tour Te Waipounamu
• Live tracking map for the Tour Te Waipounamu
• Facebook: Untamed Aotearoa Podcast
• Instagram: Untamed Aotearoa Podcast
• Music: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club

Maddy Whittaker first went tramping during an Outward Bound Course as an 18 year old. It totally changed the course of her life. She joined the Otago University Tramping Club and has spent nearly every spare moment in the outdoors during the past three years. At 20 years old she has just graduated from university and is currently out on a three month traverse of the Southern Alps from Arthurs Pass to Milford Sound. Maddy and a few of her mates have become known as the ‘New Zealand Alpine Kids’ - too young to join the New Zealand Alpine Team but absolutely crushing it in the alpine zone in Aotearoa. 

This episode is sponsored by Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand

EPISODE LINKS:

Maddy's You Tube channel (she loves making videos to convey her trips)

Maddy's personal blog site

Ashley Peters is renowned for her huge smile and infectious love of bikes. I consider her one of the most incredible role models for women in leadership in sport and recreation in New Zealand. Since first learning to mountain bike fifteen years ago, she has set up multiple bike organisations in New Zealand, largely focused on helping others achieve independence. Ash is a PMBIA Mountain Bike 2 instructor and an NZOIA level 2 mountain biking assessor. In this episode we chat about the joys of biking and the positive things we’re seeing in the industry, including the development of New Zealand mountain bike qualifications. We discuss gender equality in sport and recreation, including strategies to increase female participation in outdoor recreation activities. We discuss the differences between competition and recreation and how these different styles play into long-term participation. 

Photo: Laurence Crossman-Emms

Episode links:

• WORD

This short story is written and narrated by Kiwi woman, Hannah Rae. After losing a close friend in an alpine accident and her father within the space of a few weeks, Hannah spiralled into a period of grief. It was during this time that she took on the challenge of her first ultra marathon. This is not just another story about endurance running. It's a heartfelt tale of loss, resilience and personal growth, culminating with an adventure in the Wadi Rum desert.

MUSIC: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club