Tushar Sharma left a career in IT to help young people experience nature. The Walk1200km challenge has helped him, too.

Tushar Sharma has a good eye – and not just for photography.

While buying a backpack for his daughter at Walk1200km partner Living Simply in Auckland, Tushar spotted a Walk1200km progress tracker.

That’s how he discovered the challenge, which is a natural fit for him. He has always loved the outdoors and decided in 2018 to step away from his IT career “to do something good for the world”.

He founded a charity, Imagen8, to share his love of nature with younger generations through another passion, photography.

The nature photography workshops the charity runs with schoolchildren in Auckland are about “raising awareness of nature and the importance of nature for our wellbeing”.

Kaitiakitanga, or care for the environment. is part of the teaching, too.

“Photography is the means to get young people out there,” Tushar says. “Not everyone can get out to the Great Walks, but there are trees and walks and lovely bush reserves in Auckland.”

Scoping areas in the city that would be good for the workshops has helped Tushar add to his Walk1200km tally since beginning the challenge in April.

He has also been to Egmont   National Park and the Pouakai Tarns with his wife and two daughters, aged 12 and 14.

The family has done a few Great Walks, always with a camera in tow.

“Sometimes I don’t use it, but then my eye might catch something really beautiful,” Tushar says.