“One of the main things I love about hiking is that anybody can do it,” says Kylie Rae, who founded North Island-based tour operator Nature and Nosh with husband Steve. “All’s you really need is a good pair of boots. Tramping keeps me grounded, and I especially appreciate it during times when I might be a little bit overwhelmed. It’s a great way to clear your head, to boost your mental health—there’s been a lot of research about it, but it’s always been something I’ve known intuitively. We’re so lucky in New Zealand, having so many easily accessible open spaces.”
LAYING DOWN TRACKS
It was while away from Aotearoa—wandering the hills of Chile, their mouths watering at the prospect of the post-hike local dish of chorrillana—that Kylie and Steve came up with the idea of establishing combined multi-day tramping and tastings tours around Waikato and the Coromandel. Rewarding walks are rewarded with the opportunity to sample the likes of local wines, gins, ice creams and cheeses, followed by a hot shower and plush bed in a boutique lodge. All walks are guided, with luggage taken care of—guests just need to bring their day packs and sense of adventure to the trails.
“With the borders being closed, Kiwis have obviously been the only ones on our tours over the last season, and a surprising portion had never done any hiking in their lives. So I’m taking them out on their first day in brand new boots, which is really cool.”
Pre-Covid, most of Kylie’s clients were from overseas, and she admits to being a little nervous when first taking out her countryfolk.
“I thought that they’re going to take a lot more impressing than the international visitors as our clean, green beautiful country sells itself in many ways. But I don’t know why I was so worried, because there are so many spots that Kiwis haven’t explored and they’re really appreciative about having us as guides—not to mention the local boutique gin that always goes down a treat! It’s been really gratifying.”
APPRECIATING AOTEAROA
What has also been gratifying has been the opportunity to bring people together who perhaps wouldn’t usually otherwise get the chance to meet.
“The funny thing is, if you book a hiking trip, I think that at a very basic level, you’re already going to be connected with like-minded people. It has just been really lovely witnessing so many good people connect, exchanging email addresses and phone numbers at the end of the tours.”
Has Covid compounded that back-to-basics mentality?
“I think so. Many of our clients generally have that mindset anyway, an appreciation of the simple things in life, of a slower pace. I think that Covid has broadened that group. Nature is such a wonderful leveller and connector. On the trails, you might have a hunter and a doctor chatting in a deep and meaningful way that you wouldn’t get in a café in the city. When you’re hiking, the words just flow in an almost healing fashion, and you end up talking about things that you wouldn’t normally do with people you’ve only just met.”
You’ve travelled all over, how do the New Zealand trails compare?
“We have ticked a few continents off the list! But we’re so lucky here to have one of the most extensive networks of tracks in the world. Twenty percent of our country is protected conservation land, and people don’t appreciate just who diverse our terrain is, in such a small geographical area.”
Do you have a favourite walk?
“It’s like picking a favourite child! At the moment, my two favourites are the Homunga Bay Track in Waihi, where you have a beautiful, pōhutukawa-clad coastline contrasting with the bush and the blue ocean; and the Tawarau Forest near Waitomo, a track we usually have all to ourselves. Towards the end there are limestone outcrops which are out of this world.”
TOURS FOR ALL
Kylie had an outdoorsy upbringing, and chuckles that her two-year-old is already a bush baby. With that in mind, Nature and Nosh offer private bespoke tours aimed at families with young kids that can be customised to include the likes of treasure hunts.
“We don’t grumpy kids that feel as though they’re getting dragged along and then put off tramping for life!”
She chuckles that although the tours generally attract a good mix of men and women, “100 percent women are the instigators and the planners”.
“The men just traipse along and see the beer and the wine at the end of the day and seem pretty happy!”
But for those that don’t want the blokes cramping their style, a neat offering is the women-only packages that usually attracts either solo hikers or groups who choose it as their annual girls’ getaway.
“It’s also ideal for women only just getting into hiking and lack the confidence to just get out there,” says Kylie. “They like the idea of a women’s group because it’s a safe space where they can connect with other women in the same kind of frame of mind. It’s a whole different experience with lots of giggles, not to mention counselling sessions—but in a good way!
Also, new to Nature and Nosh are corporate packages in partnership with Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Billed as the country’s first ‘boardroom in the bush’, it’s an opportunity for team bonding and leadership exercises, with mindful hiking and food foraging opportunities.
“This is also an opportunity for us to help out with conservation and the incredible work they’re doing there with native species,” says Kylie. “It’s something we’re really excited about.”
