In her spare time she works at Further Faster, which provides opportunities to hone her gear list. She’s just done an eight-day haerenga (journey) over Nōti Taramakau/Harper Pass with her degree programme and here she unpacks her kit for Wilderness readers.

Pack

My total pack capacity is 72l. It’s a 60l Aarn Effortless Rhythm pack with two 6l Body Balance Pockets. I was surprised at how comfortably I carried up to 20kg during our haerenga. The pack and the balance pockets all come with pack liners – super handy!

Tent 

I use a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2. It’s five years old and still going strong. I love that I can pitch it without the inner for summer trips (can you tell I come from an area of Aotearoa where sandflies aren’t an issue?).

Nalgene bottle

It’s sometimes said that you’re not a true outdoor educator unless you own a Nalgene covered in stickers. These are great for hot water bottles on cold nights, too. 

Footwear

Either trail runners or Salewa Raven 3 GTX boots. The boots come out during colder months or when snow is likely. I wore them for my eight-day haerenga. These are super comfy and my favourite-ever pair of boots. 

Rain jacket

I have a midweight three-layer Montane Alpine Resolve jacket that holds up its waterproofing under a pack. Re-waterproofing uses a lot of water and chemicals, so for me, from a sustainability point of view, a three-layer jacket is the way to go.

Bum mat

I have a small offcut of cheap yoga mat that comes on every mission. It’s key to keeping my bum dry and insulated during breaks and sessions.

Kitchen

I cook fresh food for the first three nights of any trip, so my MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe is ideal. I can cook from scratch or boil water for dehy meals. I love Local Dehy, especially the Mexican chilli beans. Lunches are cold-soaked couscous with pesto and sundried tomatoes. 

I can’t live without coffee, so my Aeropress Go is the one item I will not leave behind. My go-to chocolate is Whittaker’s Oat Milk block.

Sleep system

I was born, raised and cut my teeth as an outdoor instructor in Tāmaki Makaurau, so moving to Te Waipounamu proved to be a temperature shock. I swapped my quilt (plus two sets of thermals and a thermal liner) for a Sea to Summit Flame IV sleeping bag. This bag packs down pretty small and has a three-quarter zip, so with a silk liner it functions nicely as a quilt in warmer spaces. 

I also use a Therm-A-Rest Neoair Xlite mat. 

I had the best tramping sleep ever with this kit on the veranda of Locke Stream Hut.

Clothing

All my upper layers are from the Montane range – Dart Thermo baselayers and T-shirts and a men’s Allez Micro Hoodie. They’re treated with Polygiene, so smell less after prolonged use. I hike in quick-dry leggings and shorts, unless it snows. Instead of overtrousers, I use lightweight insulated Black Diamond Dawn Patrol Hybrid pants, DWR treated to keep me dry.