Background

Team Adventure Aotearoa is a group of three close friends who share a passion for New Zealand’s great outdoors and who each have family history and an affinity with the South Canterbury area of New Zealand. The proposed Journey is a three week continuously self propelled circumnavigation; encompassing an area of significance; and covering a wide range of terrain. In keeping with their philosophies, the team will have transition and logistics support from their families in the area and will camp in tents and remove all waste; leaving no trace of their passing. From Caroline Bay on the Pacific Ocean, the team will sea kayak for two days to the Waitaki River; mountain bike for five days inland before an eleven day mountaineering section along the main divide, including a summit of New Zealand’s highest peak Aoraki / Mount Cook. A two day raft down the Rangitata River back to the Pacific Ocean will be followed by the last leg – a one day kayak to complete the circuit back to Caroline Bay. In essence this adventure is about three friends planning and realizing their goal of a completing a unique and original adventure in an area which they love.

Profiles of Team Adventure Aotearoa

Eryn Cutler

Eryn grew up in South Canterbury attending Pre-school, Primary and Secondary School in Pleasant Point. Eryn has a strong connection with the local area, stemming from a family passion for the outdoors – his father Steve one of Outdoor Education's Pioneers in the South Canterbury area. After school Eryn completed a BSc and MSc at Otago University. His Masters Research project involved a 6 week climate and snow investigation based at the head of the Tasman Glacier in the Mount Cook National Park. During this time Eryn and his research team (which included Hamish) learnt a great deal from local guides, climbed many nearby peaks and solidified glacier travel, ski touring and mountaineering skills to a grade 3+ level. Qualified in ski instruction, avalanche safety and kayak instruction Eryn brings valuable white water and snow safety experience to the team. These skills have seen Eryn spend many summers and winter seasons abroad instructing and guiding in the outdoors. Eryn now lives in Wellington where as well as concentrating on Team Adventure Aotearoa escapades, he works as an outdoor risk management assessor and is the director of a global travel adventure company – http://www.educatingadventures.com/.

Hamish Blakemore

Hamish is a 4th generation South Cantabrian who grew up on the family farm up the Opihi Valley just outside of Pleasant Point. Like Eryn, Hamish attended Pre-School, Primary and Secondary School in Pleasant Point. Hamish's family involvement in numerous community projects, both locally and regionally, has meant Hamish has developed a positive affinity for South Canterbury's unique landscape and its community spirit. In 1996 Hamish undertook Geological studies at the University of Otago, graduating in 2000 with a BSc, DipGrad and PGDipSci. In 2005 Hamish returned to Otago University and completed an MSc. During this time Hamish was fortunate enough to be invited on an Antarctic research project where he spent 7 weeks conducting geophysical experiments on the Ross and McMurdo ice sheets. Between stints at Otago University Hamish worked as an offshore Geophysicist based in Singapore, a Seismologist situated in Melbourne and is currently employed as an exploration Geologist working in the Amazonian jungle of Suriname but based in Dunedin. Hamish’s strength in the outdoors lies in the disciplines of rock climbing and mountaineering. Hamish has spent numerous weekends’ rock climbing at crags around Dunedin, Wanaka and at Twin Streams. He has also holidayed at popular multi-pitch rock climbing crags within Thailand (Tonsai) and Australia (Grampians and Mt Arapiles). The majority of Hamish's mountaineering experience is coupled with Eryn's, although other trips have included attempts on the west and southwest faces of Mt Aspiring (with Paul), and winter ice climbing trips into Bush Stream. Hamish has the ability to lead grade 22 naturally protected rock climbs, climb grade 4 waterfall ice, and lead grade 3+/4 Alpine routes. This experience will make Hamish an invaluable member of the team throughout the mountaineering section of the circumnavigation.

Paul Pringle

Paul’s parents and grandparents spent the majority of their lives in South Canterbury and his paternal Grandfather still resides in the wallaby town of Waimate. Paul grew up in Otago and Canterbury but has had a close affinity with South Canterbury through his parents, grandparents and the majority of his holidays being spent camping on the shores of Lake Aviemore. Five years at Otago University saw Paul obtain a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce (Management) before he began working for four years as an employment lawyer with law firm Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. Following two years abroad traveling and working, Paul has returned to Wellington to work as an employment lawyer and HR Consultant, currently at the Department of Corrections. Paul brings solid outdoor experience to the team; having worked as a sea kayak guide and ski instructor in California and in Wanaka. Paul is also a solid class 4+ whitewater paddler having descended the likes of the Rangitata Gorge and Whataroa River. Confidence on rock and alpine has seen ascents of Mont Blanc in France; solid attempts on Aspiring, De La Bech and others around Mt Cook; and multi-pitch rock routes of Grade 19/20 at Twin Stream and Arapiles in Australia. Paul is also no stranger to competitive endurance events and an “ever the optimist” attitude has seen successful appearances in the likes of Arrow 24, Day/Night mountainbike races and the Coast to Coast.

Fox Trip

Objective: Skills, Salami, Summits, Ski touring & Snapshots
Location: Pioneer Hut, Fox Glacier neve
Dates: 6th – 13th October

Description: Day 1 was spent roping up for glacier travel in the fox heli-services car park and sipping a few anticipatory coffees while we waited for a weather window… This eventually came and allowed us a picture perfect late afternoon heli landing close to the door of Pioneer Hut. Unfortunately the door was covered by meters of snow from a recent storm, so the shovels came out and we dug our way into our mountain abode, the gasping and sweating was soon replaced by our whooping and laugher as we laid down a few evening ski tracks on our back yard ski run. After a day of orientation, scoping, skinning and some work on pitching and belay placements we got in an early morning start and picked our way up the North West side of Mt Haidinger. This ended up being a very long day with the summit rocks gained after 3:00pm. The evening sunset views gave way to a calm clear evening of plodding our way back down to the head of the Fox neve. The next day we somewhat thankfully justified a hut day to allow the weather and our bodies to recuperate. The following day our next alpine start saw us moving across the crest of the neve to the South West face of Mt Haast. We pitched our way up a grade 3+ snow & ice gut towards the summit, until we were turned back by showers of frozen tennis balls and low visibility. The following day we packed up and skied toward the Fritz Range and down the Fox towards the glistening Tasman Sea . It wasn’t long before thick clouds prohibited us from seeing each other, let alone the appropriate way through the crevasse fields. Path finding was assisted by a group of friendly folk from Centennial Hut heading towards Chancellor Hut – where we all spent a night in nervous anticipation of heli-able weather the next day – which we were conveniently graced with after breakfast! All in all a very successful trip with objectives achieved and the team bonding well.

Eryn

Map of the Proposed Journey

Sponsors

South Canterbury – Why a Circumnavigation?

The idea to circumnavigate South Canterbury was born while the three of us were stuck inside Kelman hut at the head of the Tasman Glacier in November 2004. Through discussion and development the idea began to carry increasing significance for each individual and the team as a whole. With time the idea has been molded into an achievable concept – A Circumnavigation of our home province.

We believe the significance of this journey can be highlighted under the following headings.

Family, history and connectedness
We (Team Adventure Aotearoa) all hail from South Canterbury and have affinities with the area as both a place of family history and as a recreational playground. To circle the area we all have such strong ties and vivid memories of is symbolic of the importance this area has for us and the regard and respect we hold for it – both historically and geographically.

South Canterbury is an area we all grew up in and hope to continue enjoying with friends and family of today and tomorrow. Without the passion and assistance of people in South Canterbury making available the outdoors for us, we would never have become involved or have been able to undertake this particular adventure. We want to encourage people all over New Zealand to become involved in their own natural outdoor environment in their own provinces: we see no better place to start than by leading by example with our own.

A maiden voyage of sustained multi-discipline adventure
This is the first sustained adventure of this caliber that we have undertaken. We view the South Canterbury Circumnavigation as both a culmination of skills and experience attained as a team; and a launching pad for future similar endeavors both within New Zealand and Abroad.

The nature of approach we are able to take into this adventure fits deeply with our values and underlies why we have chosen it. It is the ability for us to bond as friends in a challenging outdoor environment – utilizing physical, psychological and social skills to overcome challenges as a team, without external competition, but with the requirement for realistic time frames.

A unique and impressive place
South Canterbury is a rectangular shaped province situated in the middle of the South Island. It is bordered to the east by the Pacific Ocean and on the west by the main divide of the Southern Alps. To the North boundary runs the Rangitata River and to the South the Waitaki river and hydro system.

In our minds, no other district in the world encompasses such varied terrain – two vast Southern oceans that lock in New Zealand’s highest Peak; Braided and Gorged Rivers; arid desert; Lakes and lowland hills; and vital farming and Hydroelectric Dam systems.

Such terrain not only offers an extraordinary vista; but also the opportunity to utilize some of our favourite outdoor disciplines – kayaking, mountainbiking, climbing and whitewater rafting.

Media Release

Kiwis, Get Out! Hardcore Mountain Men Urge New Zealanders to Explore Their Homeland

http://nz.travel.yahoo.com/071213/11/3aou.html

Timaru Herald Article (2) 21 Jan

This link goes to the front page Timaru Herald article from Monday 21 Jan 2008... http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaruherald/4365722a6010.html