The Tramping Life
Episodes
Thousand Acre Plateau
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Tramping Life, we head into the north-west of Kahurangi National Park to explore the Thousand Acre Plateau — a vast upland la...
Jan Finlayson - Public Access, Stewardship Land, and Grasshoppers
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jan Finlayson has spent a lifetime exploring and advocating for New Zealand’s wild places. In this conversation she reflects on childhood memories o...
Angelus Hut
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we head into Nelson Lakes National Park to one of the country’s most iconic alpine destinations — Angelus Hut.Perched at 1,650 metres beside...
Marios Gavalas - Publishing, Guiding, and Yurts
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Marios Gavalas has spent decades exploring Aotearoa’s mountains, forests and coastlines — and helping others do the same through his books, guidin...
Banks Track
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re heading to Banks Peninsula and one of New Zealand’s most varied multi-day walks — a privately run track that combines coastal scener...
Neil Silverwood - Caving, Paragliding, and Giant Spiders
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Neil Silverwood is a leading photographer, conservationist, and lifelong caver. Neil takes us not only deep underground but also high into the hills, ...
Copland Track & Welcome Flat Hut
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re heading to the West Coast and one of its most popular tramps — an historic track best known for its natural hot pools. This episode ex...
Corina Jordan - Hunting, Conservation, and Coexistence
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
My guest today is Corina Jordan, Chief Executive of the Game Animal Council and Fish & Game New Zealand. We talk about her lifelong love of the ou...
Geoff Spearpoint - A Life Exploring the Backcountry
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Spearpoint is one of New Zealand’s most experienced trampers, writers, and backcountry advocates. For decades he has explored some of the count...
Craig Potton - Photography, Happiness, and Rock Bivvies
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Craig Potton is a photographer, publisher, conservationist, and one of New Zealand’s most thoughtful voices on wild places. Craig’s stories take...
Celia Wade-Brown - Politics, Walking Festivals, and Te Araroa
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Celia Wade-Brown is a Green Party MP, former mayor of Wellington, founder of the Wairarapa Walking Festival, and a lifelong tramper. From childhood wa...
Gerry McSweeney - Conservation, Tourism, and Penguins
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gerry McSweeney is a lifelong tramper, former president of Forest & Bird, and founder of Wilderness Lodges at Lake Moeraki and Arthur’s Pass. Je...
Kemi & Niko - Creativity in Corrugated Iron
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
My guests today are Kemi and Niko, the creative duo behind Kemi Niko & Co. Known for their handcrafted miniature huts, public art projects, and lo...
Alistair Hall - Wilderness Magazine & NZ's Worst Tramp
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alistair Hall has been the editor and publisher of Wilderness Magazine for nearly two decades — and part of its story since the early 1990s. In this...
Victoria & Emilie Bruce - Mother, Daughter, Trailblazers
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria and Emilie Bruce have shared thousands of kilometres of trail — and hundreds of backcountry huts — between them. When Emilie was just sev...
Andrew Buglass - Huts, Solitude, and the Birth of Permolat
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Buglass is the founder of Permolat and the central figure in The Hut Keepers, a new film celebrating the grassroots effort to preserve New Zeal...
Jerry Van Lier - Tales from the Tararuas
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jerry Van Lier is the creator and host of the Tararua Fever podcast, which dives deep into the rugged, rewarding, and sometimes notorious Tararua Rang...
Megan Dimozantos - Advocacy, Adventure, and the Future of Tramping
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Megan Dimozantos is president of the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC), and a passionate advocate for our huts, tracks, and wild places. We talk about he...
Rob Brown - Keeping the Hut Network Alive
13 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
My guest today is Rob Brown, one of the most influential voices in New Zealand tramping. Rob is the manager of the Backcountry Trust, the organisation...
Lou Sanson - From Track Cutter to DOC Boss
13 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lou Sanson, former Director-General of the Department of Conservation, has spent a lifetime in New Zealand’s backcountry. From his childhood on the ...