Welcome to my website! I keep a log here of the races and general adventures I have been getting up to. I started this blog as a way of recording my travels in the world of Orienteering both in New Zealand and Overseas. As it turns out I got a bit distracted along the way, firstly adding in some Running, then some Cycling and a bit of Kayaking, gradually expanding my skills, I ventured into the world of Multisport and Adventure Racing!

The long story….

I have been involved in sports and the outdoors right from an early age, probably having something to do with parents that were into Climbing, Skiing and all sorts of other adventures and being based in Wanaka might have helped to! I have always liked looking at maps and just like any Kiwi kid, dreamed of playing for the All Blacks, and for the Black Caps. One day at Primary School in Wanaka I was introduced to Orienteering which stole my sporting focus for a number of years.

I never made it to the top in Cricket or Rugby, instead I made my way through the ranks in Orienteering and had the privilege of Racing for NZ at the highest levels Internationally, competing at in Several “Test Matches”, World Cups, World Champs and the World Games.

In my quest to improve my Orienteering, running became a strong suit of mine which opened another door. Steady improvements saw me race Nationally for Canterbury, and then Internationally for NZ at a couple of World Mountain Running Championships.

The story then continues… after chasing Summers in a world of orienteering for a number of years, I was looking to tick off some other goals such as the Coast to Coast and getting into some Adventure Racing. With the my background in Navigation, it wasn’t too hard to make my way in this new world, a lot of learning ensued, it was a lot harder than it looked. Now a few years down the track and I’ve finished in the top 10 in the Coast to Coast (longest day) and in the top 5 at Godzone, an AR World Champs in Wyoming and a couple of Races in China Under my belt!

When I went and picked out my path through life, I didn’t exactly chase dollar signs. Besides a little bit of sponsorship here and there I’ve had to pay my own way a lot of the time, which has meant a strong work/life balance! So after gaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Canterbury, I was employed as a Mechanical Test Engineer at Tait Communications, and more recently I have moved on to Enphase Energy in Christchurch, NZ.

Classic Kepler photo