Previous WINNERS
2008 - Circumnavigation of Stewart Island
 MAT ST. MARTIN & JAKE CANDY
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF STEWART ISLAND
IN HANDMADE DOUBLE KAYAK
EXPEDITION JULY 2009
Success!!! more... 2007 - Circumnavigation of South Canterbury
 ERYN CUTLER, HAMISH BLAKEMORE, PAUL PRINGLE
EXPEDITION DECEMBER 2007
A World first self-propelled circumnavigation of South Canterbury via Sea Kayak (100kms), Mountain Bike (250kms) Mountaineering (100km) and Rafting (110km) taking 24 days and including a Grand Traverse of Mount Cook. more... 2007 - 'Melford Rangers" on the Heaphy Track
 MICHELLE ROBERTSON, KATRINA OFFENBACH, NICOLE BROOKE, KATE MCINTOSH AND DAILE BIBERSTEIN
EXPEDITION APRIL 2008
The journey started on Good Friday 21st March for our keen group of 5 Melford Rangers, Awapuni District. Michelle Robertson, Katrina Offenbach, Nicole Brooke, Kate McIntosh and Daile Biberstein, all aged 16, had been waiting for this adventure to begin for over 6 weeks. Finally the day had arrived for us to set off on our final Young New Zealander’s Challenge Tramp, and possibly the most memorable of the 8 tramps we have completed together as a group, each of us gaining experience and “life skills” along the way. more... 2007 - Kahurangi four Corners
 MILES MASON & TOMMY FERGUSSON
EXPEDITION FEBRUARY 2008
We won! After apprehensively waiting a week for confirmation, a call to Mark Jones of Adventure Philosophy confirmed our hopes; winning the Tertiary section of the Adventure Philosophy Gore-Tex Good For Life scholarship and $2000 supplied by Gore-Tex as well as $330 of equipment from each of Bivouac Outdoor and MSR. Two months of planning later and we are at the start of the Kaituna track, almost at the very top of the west coast by Westhaven/Whanganui Inlet. 300km lay ahead of us, including three more corners of Kahurangi National Park – Mt. Owen, the tallest point at 1875m – Nettlebed Cave, the deepest point at 889m below the top entrance and Owen River Valley Rd, the southern border of the park. more... 2006 - Tom Williams
TOM WILLIAMS
EXPEDITION DECEMBER 2006
It all started on a grey, windy morning at lands end in Bluff. The next 23 days would see me biking 1,292 kilometres along with some tramping thrown in for good measure ending at farewell spit sometime in the New Year. more... 2006 - Femme Frenzy
 MEGAN LOWEN, BRIDGET KEEGAN
EXPEDITION JANUARY 2007
Taranaki to Taupo began on a glorious day on the 3rd of January 2007. After a road trip from the deep south we had an incredible cruise across the Cook strait thanks to sponsorship from the Interislander ferry. We caused a bit of havoc on deck trying out our great new jackets on behalf of Gore-tex® Fabrics sponsorship and had a fantastic time watching the scenery. We made our way to Taranaki bubbling with enthusiasm that finally we were actually doing our mission! more... 2005 - Coasting solo
 LOUIS BROWN
EXPEDITION JULY 2006
On foot from the North-Western corner of the South Island, Louis Brown left Pakawau, July 8 trekking solo 200 kilometres arriving at Tauranga Bay, south of Westport Westport July 25. Awarded the Adventure Philosophy ‘Goretex Good for Life scholarship’, for clothing and camping equipment to live-out his intention while braving the elements and the rugged coastal terrain. Imagine retracing the footsteps of those who travelled along this coast, for the rich story it can tell. Imagine blowing off the dust of history and tramping gear alike and bringing these forward to the now. more... 2005 - Serpentine Range Expedition
 FRANCESCA ELDRIDGE & GLENN PENNYCOOK
EXPEDITION MARCH 2006
We stood in the foyer of DOC's Te Anau office, eyeing the long range forecast, hmmm-ing and chewing our lips.
"Man, I remember from when I guided on the Hollyford, the forecasts were hardly ever accurate....about 80% of what was forecast never seemed to happen. Or at least it wasn't as bad as they said it would be."
"Yeah, and today was meant to be crap, but it's beautiful. If we go by this forecast and hang out in Te Anau for the next coupla days, we could just end up wasting good weather." more... 2005 - Black Sands to White Sands Expedition
 PHIL BAKER & KELSEY SERJEANT
EXPEDITION APRIL 2006
The plan was simple. A twelve day, 500km traverse across the South Island, tramping, mountain biking, sea and white water kayaking, through three National Parks. Matt Skellern our support driver would meet us at each of six transition points. An added motivation for the adventure was to raise money for Books in Homes, a programme of the Alan Duff Charitable Trust, set up to put reading books in the homes of kiwi kids from low decile schools. more... 2004 - Babes in Fiordland
 LAUREL GEORGE, NIKI BOULD, LANI EVANS, KIM COUSINS & JILL HAYHURST
EXPEDITION JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2005
The "Babes in Fiordland" had a 300km odyssey in February 2005. They kayaked Lake Te Anau to the Milford Track, ran this and continued to kayak, climb and mountain bike through some of Fiordland’s most spectacular country to raise awareness of Rape Crisis, an organisation that supports survivors of sexual abuse and violence. Highlights included climbing Mitre Peak, a three-star multi-pitch route on Barrier Knob, climbing the spectacular and remote Ravages of Time in the Dart Valley, paddling the Dart River and Whakatipu - 5 women, 4 pursuits, 300 kilometres, 2 weeks, equalled 1 great adventure!. more... 2004 - Down the Yukon
ADRIAN BRAAKSMA & COREY BELT
EXPEDITION JUNE-AUGUST 2005
A journey of self-discovery down one of the greatest rivers in North America. Starting at Whitehorse two Adrian Braaksma and Corey Belt will pit Kiwi ingenuity and a tight budget against the famed Yukon River, canoeing some 3,200km from its source to reach the Bearing Sea. Once there they will either canoe or walk to Emmonak and fly back to Fairbanks. more... 2003 - Project Haemophilia
JACK FINN
EXPEDITION 2004
Jack Finn has a vision to show that living with a medical condition does not need to limit ambition and what people can achieve in life. Jacks journey traversed the country by bike and kayak, under the banner of “Project Haemophilia”. Haemophilia is a bleeding disorder that Jack was born with, and he has to treat himself regularly for this. His journey started in July in the far north by bike at Cape Reinga, finishing two months later at Bluff in the far south – kayaking across Lake Taupo and Cook Strait en route. Jack aims to use this personal challenge to raise awareness of haemophilia. 2003 - In the Footsteps of Nathaniel Chalmers
JULIE GRANT, MICHELLE GRANT, FRANCESCA CUNNINGHAME & MALCOLM RUTHERFORD
EXPEDITION MARCH 2004
Julie Grant (23), Michelle Grant (21), Francesca Cunninghame (23) and Malcolm Rutherford (24) received one of the 2003 ‘Good For Life’ Scholarships. Winning the scholarship entitled us to $1000 cash and gear sponsorship from Macpac, MSR and Tait Communications. Many thanks to all the above for making our trip a reality. Had we not won the scholarship we would have never had the motivation to do what we did! more... 2003 - Milford Sound the Hard Way
KEV O’DONNELL & ADRIAN BRAAKSMA
EXPEDITION 2004
Kev O’Donnell and Adrian Braaksma won an Adventure Philosophy GFL Scholarship for an ambitious plan to climb an enormous wall of granite in Fiordland. Due to its intimidating size and its remoteness, The Kaipo Wall has received little attention, having only two ascents via the same route to date. The following is an edited report of the first stage of their journey. more... 2002 - Bolivia First Descents
 ZAK SHAW & TEAM BOLIVIA
EXPEDITION APRIL 2003
It was a dream come true to be heading off from home in search of new whitewater. Our research suggested steep gradients in the Bolivias Cordillera promised some exciting paddling. After much hard work and belief that our plans would materialise, Team Bolivia was eventually ready. more... |
