Hey! You found me!
Serious question: did you bring chocolate?
You’re obviously a curious sleuth to have clicked something titled “About Me”.
So, what would you like to know? If you want to work with me – check out this page, otherwise read on intrepid explorer!
I’m a Kiwi lass who likes tramping / hiking and LOVES chocolate. (Which you’ve probably already noticed by now, if you’ve spent any time on this blog). I spent my childhood running around a sheep farm in the deep south of New Zealand, going on tramping and skiing trips with my family.
I have a pretty horrendous memory (part of the reason I created this blog). So all I remember of those early trips are the fun memories and stories; sitting in a backcountry hut listening to rain on the old tin roof, learning how to play 500 and shuffle cards like a pro, eating chocolate from the scroggin (trail mix) bag & ignoring the nuts, pizza-ing down way too steep ski runs, and surprising adults when there was a little kid behind that massive pack.
I probably did more tramping in my childhood than I’ve done as an adult, although I’m trying to rectify that now. I’ve certainly turned into that old person whose mouth falls open as a pack with small 5-year-old legs appears around the corner. (I think the worst case of this was this crazy kid on the climb up to French Ridge Hut).
After I left home, I didn’t prioritise tramping as much. I moved to France to complete another year of high school … because I just couldn’t get enough of high school. Great life decision right there (sarcasm aside, it was actually great – merci à ma famille d’accueil!). When I returned to NZ I studied French at university. I loved it, but there aren’t so many jobs that need a fluent French speaker in New Zealand. Mais serieux, j’ai vraiment besoin de practiquer mon français. Donc si tu es dans le sud – contacte moi!
I worked many random jobs, some which flew me to Fiji to swim with manta rays and Bondi to learn to surf (pastoral care for exchange students). And some which had me cleaning up vomit and worse at 3am in the morning (hospitality). It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Then I went back to do post-graduate study. Like I said, great life decisions all round.
I’m a registered Speech Language Therapist / Pathologist, working in a hospital helping patients with their communication or swallowing issues. I love adventures, reading Brandon Sanderson books, taking photos and eating chocolate.
In 2022, Matt and I decided to start a family. Our first pregnancy didn’t go as planned, you can read about that here (trigger warning for miscarriage). But in 2023, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! We’ve decided to keep her name and face off of the internet as much as we can, although I have many adventures planned for our family, so stay tuned. You can read about my top tips for tramping while pregnant here. And after many requests, my birth story can be found here (it’s a positive one).
I started this blog in early 2018, kind of thinking that I would lose interest after a few months and stop. But as I sit writing this it’s five years later and I’m still loving the whole process.
So that’s me!
But seriously, you didn’t bring any chocolate?
Still curious? Let me take you on an adventure! Check out some of my favourite trips using the links below – and don’t forget to leave me a comment or send me a message!
Catch you on the trails / slopes!
