Freewheeling Kiwi

07/04/2024

We made it 😁
Everest Base Camp 5364m above sea level. An EPIC day after an EPIC week. Thank you everyone for your interest, encouragement, support and love, it’s all massively appreciated. There’ll be reels again once we get lower down the mountains.

Once back in Kathmandu, we’re headed to Annapurna Base Camp, yes, the fun never stops 😀

Would you like to join me on the next trip? Save the date; 2nd November. Direct message me, I will get back to you again once coverage improves. Thanks those of you who’ve already messaged 💚

05/04/2024

Save the date 2 November. If you’ve been inspired by my current trip, bring your friends and come along on my next Group Trip to Everest Base Camp. Message me now for more details 😀

Freewheeling Kiwi Group Trips brings likeminded people together to explore incredible destinations while engaging with and caring for our natural world.

All Trips are hosted by our Freewheeling Kiwi founder, Sharon Evans, and are for those of you who would love the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, learn new skills, gain confidence and most importantly, make lifelong friends!

The next Everest Base Camp Group Trip is 2 November 2024. Message me for more details, this is going to be EPIC !

02/04/2024

What We’re Wearing
On our current Malaysia and Nepal trip Andrew and I are wearing Merrell clothes, shoes + sandals. As well, Marmot have kindly provided my black hiking pants seen in some of these pics. Those who followed our Te Araroa walk will remember my gorgeous pink Marmot rain jacket and our tent.
Both Merrell and Marmot have offered a 15% discount to you! Use the following code at Checkout to buy any of their fabulous gear.

FREEWHEELINGKIWIFRIENDS

FREEWHEELINGKIWI15

02/03/2024

Super excited to share we’ll be travelling to Kuala Lumpur on our way to and from Nepal. If you’re living in Malaysia now, what’s your recommendations for accommodation and sightseeing? It’s decades since I’ve visited the city and apparently there’s been some changes 🤩🇺🇸

19/02/2024

Two photos taken 133 days apart, 4 / 5 pairs of shoes and 3029 Te Araroa trail km later.

Thank you to those who stayed home to feed and farm the animals, to look after logistics and resupply boxes, to those who came to see us along the trail providing laughter and food, to those who provided generous hospitality, a warm bed or place to pitch our tent as we travelled south and to all of you for your kind words of love, encouragement and support.

Thank you to Te Araroa Organisation for maintaining the spirit of our trail and so much more, to the Trail Angels for your unwavering support, and the hikers past, we stand on your shoulders and hikers present, well done to you all.

But mainly, thank you to Andrew for daring to step so boldly outside your comfort zone and walk alongside me the length of our country 💚💚

19/02/2024

It’s nearly March 😁

Who’d like to join me trekking to Everest Base Camp in late March 2024! With plenty of thinking time while walking 3000km on Te Araroa I’ve now confirmed the next adventure 😁

https://www.freewheelingkiwi.com/group-trips/nepal

12/02/2024

Enjoying a rare afternoon of sunshine, relaxation and reading while walking 3000km on Te Araroa

10/12/2023

Who’d like to join me trekking to Everest Base Camp in late March 2024! With plenty of thinking time while walking 3000km on Te Araroa I’ve now confirmed the next adventure 😁😁😁
https://www.freewheelingkiwi.com/group-trips/nepal

28/09/2023

NEW VIDEO OUT NOW! In this video I’ll share with you what I’m taking to walk Te Araroa, New Zealand’s Long Trail, 3000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff. This walk will take 110 to 130 days and I’ll be carrying everything I need in my backpack aside from restocking food along the way.

In this video I’ll share with you what I’m taking to walk Te Araroa, New Zealand’s Long Trail, 3000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff. This walk will take 110 to ...

25/09/2023

I clearly missed the memo about packing ultralight 😀

Join Sharon Evans - Freewheeling Kiwi on Patreon to get access to this post and more benefits.

03/09/2023

Episode 1 has been released! Fantastic to see the start of this fabulous new series. Congratulations for creating this wonderful show featuring 10 solo adventurers from all around the world , , , , , , , , and . Can't wait to see the next Episode 😀😀😀

Join ten brave solo adventurers from around the world in their quest to rediscover peace and harmony in solitude. Watch the Official Trailer: https://youtu.b...

24/08/2023

New Video Out Now! Captured this magical rainbow in a waterfall deep in the Gondwanaland Rainforest 🌲 🦜 🌳

Join me as I explore the beautiful Gondwana Rainforest finding hidden waterfalls and secret trails. 🌎 Natural Bridge, Springbrook National Park, Murwillumba...

14/08/2023

It’s long been a dream of mine to provide you with more than simply inspiration so I’m hugely excited to share with you news of our very first GROUP TRIP. Read all about it in the Freewheeling Kiwi Adventure Newsletter 😁

It’s long been a dream of mine to provide you with more than simply inspiration so I’m hugely excited to share with you news of our very first GROUP TRIP which I’ll be personally hosting in March 2024.

11/08/2023

NEW VIDEO OUT NOW! What’s your favourite hiker lingo or is it all just gobbledygook? Watch the video to find out mine 😀

Have you ever joined a new group and wondered if they were speaking a different language, some of it sounds sort of familiar but there seems to be acronyms a...

07/08/2023

“And remember, no matter where you go, there you are” Confucius

02/08/2023

This is my first update from behind the scenes and covers a number of exciting initiatives. If you’d like to know more, consider becoming a Patron 💚

Official Post from Sharon Evans - Freewheeling Kiwi

02/08/2023

Have you ever wondered how to keep electronics charged while hiking? Aside from a really long extension cord 😉

In this video I’ll share with you what I’ve learnt about keeping my electronics and phone charged while hiking and as preparation to hike Te Araroa, New Zealand’s Long Trail. These principles apply the same if it’s an overnight hike, a multi day hike or a thru hike like New Zealand’s 3,000 kilometre Te Araroa trail which I’ll be hiking this coming season. The main electronics I typically take and which need charging are my phone, headlamp and camera.

I’ve chosen one of my favourite desert hikes as the video backdrop, this is the Tongariro Northern Circuit which I hiked over four particularly hot and windy days.

How to keep electronics charged while hiking the Te Araroa end to end thru hike. In this video I’ll share with you what I’ve learnt about keeping my electron...

26/07/2023

WOW! What a wonderful experience to be invited to represent New Zealand 🇳🇿 in SOLO the Series. Watch the official trailer below and share in the comments how many time you spot NZ 😀

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW! Subscribe to receive the official launch announcement of Solo the Series episodes.Cherished fans, daring explorers, and brave solo adve...

24/07/2023

In this video, I’lll share with you what I’ve learnt about how best to navigate New Zealand’s Long Trail, Te Araroa including which websites and Apps will be most useful along with where to go for more information before starting and while on the trail.

This is all information I’ve gathered as part of my own preparation for walking the 3,000 kilometre trail this season.

In this video, I’lll share with you what I’ve learnt about how best to navigate New Zealand’s Long Trail, Te Araroa including which websites and Apps will be...

17/07/2023

Out Now! Check out the latest newsletter with some exciting news 😁

Preparations are well under way for my first thru hike, Te Araroa, a four month wander the length of New Zealand. In this letter, I give some detail on the logistics of food resupply as well as plans to canoe part of the walk - is that even allowed?

17/07/2023

Out Now! 🔗Link to loads of exciting updates in the Freewheeling Kiwi Newsletter 🥾🏕️🏔️🌲

15/07/2023

New Video Out Now!

I’m going on a walk soon, it’s a long walk, actually, it’s a very long walk, about three thousand kilometres and is known as a thru hike and this will be my very first thru hike.

Te Araroa is considered by some as one of the toughest thru hikes in the world due to it’s varied terrain and the weather that you’re likely to encounter along the way. Added to that are several hundred river crossings, lots of mud, days between resupply points - the longest being eight or nine days, numerous mountain passes, sandflies, wasps, miles of road walking, poorly maintained tracks and, yes I could go on.

So why? Why would I leave a perfectly comfortable lifestyle to endure all of that? Why when there’s easier thru hikes in other countries? What has motivated me to seek out the unknown, when the known is available, to challenge myself in this way?

I’m going on a walk soon, it’s a long walk, actually, it’s a very long walk, about three thousand kilometres and is known as a thru hike and this will be my ...

08/07/2023

New Video Out Now!
My best day hike gear list 🥾🥾 for Tongariro Crossing and more. All the essentials you need for your own big day out!
Heading out for a day hike can be a great experience on its own as well as good training if you are planning an overnight or multi night trip as you start to get used to carrying a load and packing and unpacking and using your equipment.

As a teenager and right before my first backpacking trip, I remember seeing people with backpacks and being intensely curious as to what they took on their travels.I was about to head away overseas and was still trying to figure it all out for myself. At that time i didn’t know anyone who was a backpacker and there wasn’t the easy access to online information like there is now.

For me, it was a case of very much experimental trial and error and I remember my goal being to keep the weight under 20 kilos so I’d not have to pay excess weight when flying! I shudder now at the thought of carrying that kind of weight but back then it was normal for me!

It’s not necessary to go out and buy special equipment just because you want to go on a day hike, use whatever you already have at home or can borrow off a friend.

My best day hike gear list 🥾🥾 for Tongariro Crossing and more. All the essentials you need for your own big day out! Heading out for a day hike can be a gr...

01/07/2023

Today I’ve a BIG Announcement

I’m shortly to embark on my most epic adventure ever!

In Spring 2023 I will embark on my most ambitious adventure yet
Te Araroa - New Zealand’s Trail
A continuous 3,000 kilometre (1,864 mile) walking track from Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island in New Zealand.

I anticipate it will take around 110 to 130 days which means an average of about twenty five kilometres a day.. every day!
For comparison, the longest hike I’ve done up until now was in Fiordland on the Routeburn and Greenstone Tracks and that trip took five days and was about one hundred and five kilometres. As you can see, this is a massive step up and one I’m hugely excited about.

Preparations are well underway which include sorting the logistics, training, organising gear and all sorts of other planning, I’ve still got to find a tent! There’s so much to organise and one of my biggest projects presently is preparing all the food as I’ll be relying on bounce or re-supply boxes the whole way.

In the winter months before I start the Trail, I’ll create a series of videos on these topics so watch out for them, they’ll be particularly useful if you’re planning something similar.

Once on Trail, I’ll be sharing daily updates on all my social media channels and on completion, there’ll be a feature documentary posted to YouTube.

While on trail, I hope to meet as many people as possible, especially followers and supporters of the Freewheeling Kiwi so please do send me a direct message or email if you live along or near to the trail as I’d love to meet you.

If you know of or are a business and would like to support the trip in some way, please do get in touch ahead of time as I’m sure we can figure out someway to work together.

In the meantime, take care, lots of love Sharon 😀

30/06/2023

New Video Out Now!
Best winter campfire cooking 🔥🏕️

Join me beside the lake on a winter evening while I set up a tarp for shelter then cook a meal on an open sided fire pit. The forecast was for rain and wind which kindly stayed away making a lovely evening on the lakeside. Cooking good camp food on the fire; beef steak, potatoes cooked in foil in the embers and mixed veggies - mushrooms, onion and capsicum. Campfire food is the best. Dessert was a steamed pudding.
🌳🔥🏕️ 🔥🌳

Join me beside the lake on a winter evening while I set up a tarp for shelter then cook a meal on an open sided fire pit. Cooking good camp food on the fire;...

27/06/2023

When we create the conditions for clarity in our lives, we also create the conditions for calm in our minds.
🌲 💚🙏💚 🌲

27/06/2023

New Video OUT NOW
Rainy hiking - how to stay dry

Before you start grumbling about the forecast, it’s worth remembering that our beautiful forests, rivers and waterfalls are all made possible by the relentless pitter patter of a billion raindrops.

In this video, I’ll cover the preparation basics that you need to start doing today so that rainy weather hiking is a joy, rather than job.

🌿 Before you start grumbling about the forecast, it’s worth remembering that our beautiful forests, rivers and waterfalls are all made possible by the relen...

11/06/2023

Seek the treasure you value most dearly; if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.

Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei.

31/05/2023

“We have to get used to the idea that at the most important crossroads in our life there are no signs.” Ernest Hemingway