Adventure Magazine April - May 2020

This is day six of the COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand (I usually would not mention that we were in New Zealand, but as you can see with this digital issue, we have expanded free to the world). The world media seems currently either in team ‘this is terrible’, or they are ‘it's all fine’, stay home and ‘enjoy the time off’. The reality is it is still very early days, and the virus has had an enormous impact on some people already. Lots of people in the travel and adventure industry have lost their jobs, and our heart goes out to them. It is scary not knowing what the future holds. I am not going to rattle on about change, or how bad it will get or even that it will…

Another great cocktail from our friends from Cocktail on the Rock. This one has a bit of a story - We'll let Sue tell you the tale... "That neighbour and good friend of ours (who also happens to be the editor of Adventure) has been put off kayak fishing for life as he was nearly eaten alive by a great white about a week ago – just in the distance from our house (see the full story on page 40). As I’m quite pleased he is still with us, I dedicated this dirty martini to him. The photo shoot with my tasting team (hubby) took place at 8.00am on a Sunday morning to fit in with the tides down at the rock. After shooting it, I left Shark Bite on his…

Sir Ranulph Fiennes has spent his life in pursuit of extreme adventure in some of the most ambitious private expeditions ever undertaken. His achievements are lengthy and in 1984 the Guinness Book of Records named him the “world’s greatest living explorer.” Sir Ranulph was due to be visiting our shores to share his tales of epic adventures and explorations, when Coronovirus hit and the world as we know it was put into a spin. His talk, “An Evening with the World’s Greatest Living Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes” has since been delayed and we will let you know as soon as a new date is scheduled, but it will be a treat for any adventurer or simply anyone looking for a motivational and entertaining night out. So to whet your appetite here's a…

•First to reach both Poles (with Charles Burton). • First to cross Antarctic and Arctic Ocean (with Charles Burton). • First to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis (with Charles Burton).'This 3 year, 52 000 mile odyssey took intricate planning, 1900 sponsors, a 52 person team to handle, complex communications, meticulous planning and iron determination mixed with flexibility. The circumnavigation has never been successfully repeated. Led the first hovercraft expedition up the longest river in the world (the Nile) in 1968/1969. Achieved world record for unsupported northerly polar travel in 1990. Led the team that discovered the lost city of Ubar on the Yemeni border in 1992 (after seven previous search expeditions over a 26 year period). Achieved world first in 1992/1993 by completing the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic Continent (with Mike Stroud).…

In the immediate aftermath of the White Island eruption on December 9th 2019, I was overwhelmed, as was everyone I am sure, by the level of support and compassion shown for those affected by the tragedy that unfolded. Heroic actions by the tour guides and other tourists visiting the island along with the local helicopter pilots were shared around the world and once again our country became united by another tragedy. It didn’t seem to take long before the naysayers were out in full force, criticising every aspect of the devastating event; the way the cruise ship responded, the way the police and rescue crews responded, and then questioning why tourists were even allowed on the island in the first place. I know that if I had been on the cruise ship…

"We Went. It was a once in a lifetime adventure - standing on the crater floor of an active volcano - spewing forth sulfa, steam and other toxic gases - truly the inspiration for the fire and brimstone concept of Hell. Three days later, it erupted killing and burning many. That really shook us up. I doubt they'll ever let tourists visit again." "I don't think there were any passengers that were naïve enough to believe that landing on an active volcano didn't have inherent risks. That was part of the thrill - doing something that others are afraid to witness." “So what happens to White Island now? I doubt that tours will be permitted in the future even for those brave enough or curious enough to want to make them with…