Hazel Phillips – författare

One afternoon in Auckland, journalist Hazel Phillips decided to close her laptop and head for the hills. She then spent the next three years living in mountain huts and tramping alone for days at a time, all the while holding down a full-time job.

As she ranged from Arthur’s Pass and the Kaimanawa Forest Park to the Ruahine Range and Fiordland, she had her share of danger and loneliness, but she also grew in confidence and backcountry knowledge. Her story of this solo life is an absorbing blend of adventure and humour, combined with her research into tales from the past of ambition and death in the mountains. She also casts a feminist eye over the challenges women climbers and explorers faced.

Full of pluck, courage and resourcefulness, this book is for all those who long to wade through emerald rivers and breathe the mountain air.

What lies off-track in Tongariro National Park? This engrossing book contains stories of ghosts, fires, avalanches, plane wrecks, sly grogging, secret spots and more from around Ngāuruhoe, Tongariro and Ruapehu — a place of wild and chaotic grandeur.

This well-illustrated and lively exploration of the history of Ruapehu is told by a self-confessed ‘Ruapehu addict’ who has an uncanny talent for persuading a cast of great characters to join her on her explorations and  investigations. With over 200 historic and present-day images and 25 maps, it’s a must-have for all who love skiing, climbing and tramping around this mighty mountain.

From the 1870s, a generation of bold women made mountaineering history around Aoraki Mount Cook. They claimed space in the mountains, defying conventions and forging a legacy that shaped every woman who followed. Then their stories were quietly erased.

Drawing on scattered records, oral histories and forgotten stories, Great Hearts resurrects their extraordinary achievements, blending nonfiction with reimagined fiction in a tribute to their resistance, courage and grit.