ADVENTURE JOURNAL

  One of New Zealand’s best kept secrets, certainly outside of Aotearoa, are the Great Rides – 22 off-road cycle trails through some of the world’s most stunning scenery.  They all connect via road routes so it’s possible to cycle from Cape Reina, the northern tip of the country, to Bluff, the most southerly point.  What makes the rides so special is the fact that, despite varied and rugged terrain, they are accessible to all ages and abilities particularly with the growing popularity of e-bikes. As winter descends and the avalanche risk rises, late autumn is the last chance to...

Q and A with our newest Explorer – Martina Wegman, Slalom Canoeist     Tell us about your connection with Edmund Hillary and his legacy?   Edmund Hillary was a name that I grew up hearing about in Holland – the Kiwi that conquered Mt Everest. When I moved to New Zealand in 2010, I have discovered there is so much more to it. The Edmund Hillary legacy is much more than just climbing a mountain. It’s a story about how important it is to use your resources as opportunities to do amazing things in the world. In New Zealand...

    With an average of more than 200 days of constant rainfall per year, Fiordland is one of the wettest places on earth. So naturally, we thought it would be the best place to put the new Edmund Hillary Vinson jacket to the test – and that’s all the excuse we need to head out on a lengthy adventure. On December 3 2020, I set out with my brother, Alexander Hillary, Phoebe Anderson and Myles Anderson to immerse ourselves in the bush for seven days. The Dusky Track is notorious for being the muddiest, wettest and probably one of...

  It is impossible to emulate all the challenges of High-Altitude Himalayan Mountaineering, particularly back home in the city of Melbourne, Australia. But when it comes to preparing for Himalayan expeditions, with a bit of lateral thinking, you can train the various components that you will endure in the thin air of the Himalayas.   Aerobic fitness is an obvious one. Our Dad use to enhance his aerobic fitness training by dragging a car tyre whilst on his morning jog. He combined this with pushing one of his kids around in the pram. Very soon Dad learnt to ignore the...

 Working in the Edmund Hillary store in central Auckland is a real experience. People are really interested in the brand; how it came to be, what it represents. Nearly every person has a personal story with Ed, whether they met him in passing or if he was a close family friend that came around for dinners.  People feel a connection with Ed, his passions, his kindness, and they feel that connection with the style and the quality of the clothes, it’s what makes the brand so unique. Shopping at Edmund Hillary is less about the retail and more about the...

The Himalayas isn't just a destination for those seeking an adrenaline rush. Away from the relentless struggle of high altitude mountaineering as well as the chaos that accompanies modern mountaineering tourism, you can always find a taste of normality across the Khumbu. Coffee shops and bakeries provide a welcome treat for trekkers and climbers; espressos, cappuccinos and yak butter croissants fill the air across the Mount Everest trail. In this image, I am enjoying an espresso in a little coffee shop in a town called Khumjung, sitting at 3,800 meters. Behind me is Khumjung school, which was built by my...

Following a reconnaissance expedition to the Mount Everest region in 1950s, my grandfather famously said "I will come again and conquer you because as a mountain you can't grow, but as a human I can".

Well, nearly seventy years on, my brother and I will need to adopt this mindset.

Alexander and I have just spent nine days in Queenstown, using this time to do more climbing training and push ourselves out of our comfort zone before heading back to the Himalayas. Doing a climbing trip together is more than just a team-bonding experience, it's also about becoming more mature climbers; learning to make the decisions around weather and climbing conditions. Here we are atop Single Cone Peak, which is one of the three peaks along the Grand Traverse of the Remarkables. George Hillary Photography by Alexander Hillary