Dec 4, 2019

Mitch Hutchings:

 

Mitch lives for exploring the outdoors and immersing himself in different cultures. When he's not guiding our lovely clients around New Zealand, he is planning his next overseas trip to learn and meet people from all walks of life. 

 

Mitch Photo Banner 2

What do you get up to when you are not guiding?

I spend most of my spare time chasing adventures and if not on an adventure, then planning the next one! I am heading to South America this winter to have a crack at a few hikes and experience the Latin way of life, very excited! But wherever I am, you'll find me telling stories and having a good laugh.

 

As a guide what’s a top tip you’d pass on to our hikers?

My top tip would be to enjoy yourself. Forget about your smartphone for a while, breathe in our fresh air, enjoy the sunshine (but not too much) and make sure you take plenty of swims, no matter how cold!

 

Mitch Photo Banner

 

Sharing a laugh is such a benefit of group travel, share with us one of your funny moments on a trip? 

Last spring I took my cousin Ash on a weekend away to the Pureora Forest Park in central North Island. This was her first multi-day hiking trip and she was super excited to get one under her belt. On the first night we stayed in a small but comfortable hut called the 'Bog Inn' seen in my photo. Day two we set off early because we knew it was going to be a big day. And oh man was it, up-down and up-down we went meandering our way through the most beautiful podocarp forest I've laid my eyes on. As the hours past, both Ash and I were getting battered and bruised. By late afternoon Ash was having a really hard time and was almost ready to set up camp on the spot. Then, out of the blue we bump into a guy with no pack on wandering through the bush. Ash yells out "the hut's near isn't it?!" and runs over to hug this poor guy. One of the funniest things I've seen in the bush and a great memory.

 

What is one of the things you love most about your job?

I love that I have the best 'office' in the world. I get to share what I know about the beautiful country we call Aotearoa with interesting people every day and I get to do this in remote areas across the country. It's hard to beat that!

 

Favourite place to hike and why?

Such a hard decision because there's so many amazing places in NZ. But if I had to narrow it down, it would have to be in the Richmond Ranges to the east of Nelson and down into the Nelson Lakes National Park. Beautiful clear rivers, countless mountains, challenging terrain and loads of huts - does it get much better than that?


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