New Boots In New Zealand

When Gillian Orrell abandoned corporate life in London to tramp New Zealand’s nine Great Walks, she had little idea of what to expect. But uncertainty and inexperience soon gave way to the challenge of the walks themselves, as she embarked on the greatest adventure of her life.


Fighting snowstorms, blisters and the attentions of unwanted tramping companions, she determined to enjoy whatever fate might throw her way. The hazards were soon outweighed by the natural splendour of New Zealand’s great outdoors, as she trekked over mountains, through rivers, along beaches, past glaciers, into craters, around lakes, beside active volcanoes and through some of the oldest forests in the world.


NEW BOOTS IN NEW ZEALAND is a day-by-day account of all nine Great Walks, from the majesty of the famous Milford Track to the unexpected variety of the Heaphy and the beguiling mystery of the Whanganui River Journey. Full of humour and joie de vivre, it is a hugely enjoyable armchair read as well as an essential source of information for anyone intending to walk in New Zealand.


Gillian Orrell was educated at Oxford University, before working for nine years as a Chartered Accountant and Management Consultant in London. She then took sabbatical leave to pursue writing as a career. In her spare time, Gillian plays the piano and also writes – and occasionally performs – comic songs. She lives in Hexham in the north of England, close to some of Britain’s greatest walks.