Youth Award Grant Coastlines, Kayaks, and Shooting Stars: A Duke of Ed Gold Expedition
Eight students from Hamilton Christian School were awarded an FMC Youth Award Grant: a cash grant to go towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition.
Trip Reports
Expedition Scholarship The Olivine Ice Plateau – Where Very Few Do Go
“Itching for an adventure, five girls started a venture. Off to the Olivine Ice Plateau, where very few do go. But the weather would not play, so they decided to go anyway. They made new plans, they rationed their cans, until they made it to the land of snow. They had their fun, but their time was not done, I wonder what is next to come.”
Expedition Scholarship Solo Mission through Great Barrier Island
Five days. Solo. South to north across Great Barrier Island: through dense bush, up rugged ridgelines, and over its highest peaks. Liam shares his FMC Youth Expedition, an unforgettable tramp across one of New Zealand's most underrated wild places.
Youth Award Grant 55 kilometres through the Paparoa Range
By Natalie Bealing 8 December, 2025 | Youth Award Grant - Fielding High School students hit the West Coast's Paparoa Range for a four-day, 55-kilometre hike. The Paparoa Track is set in the Paparoa Ranges along the West Coast south of Westport. Our group consisted of [...]
Youth Award Grant Conquering Challenges through Tongariro National Park
By Micah Boyd, Jasmine Boyd, Rosie James, Evan Faithful, Amelie Nekrosius 1 January, 2026 | OTNZ Waikato/Whakatane High Schoolers set out on a challenging adventure through Tongariro for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. Our team of 6 set out for a 3-day hike in the [...]
Youth Award Grant Peaks, Pressure, and Partnership: A South Island Tramping Journey
By Denika Clooney, Lilly Andrews, Joshua Scheeper, and Chanelle Groenewald 11 December, 2025 | Youth Award Grant - Otamatea High School students learn the importance of leadership during their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. Lilly In the early morning of the 11th of December, our qualifying [...]
Youth Award Grant 3 days in the Kaimanawa Range
By Sam Bell Youth Award Grant - Five Hamilton Christian School students head to the Kaimanawa Range for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. Read on to hear how their epic adventure unfolded... On September 19 2025, we headed off on our final Duke of Edinburgh [...]
Expedition Scholarship A Kid’s Adventure on the Greenstone-Caples Track
"My advice for any other kids thinking about doing a big tramp: 'Don’t let a bird steal your bag!' Aria Willson, aged ten, learns just how far she can walk after spending her FMC Youth Expedition Scholarship on a six-day tramp with her mum.
Youth Award Grant Lake Waikaremoana Gold
Go for Gold! Seven students from Pukekohe High School eagerly embark on their last Qualifying Journey for their Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. Five days trekking around Lake Waikaremoana, the group experiences the joys of hut life and the sense of accomplishment that only a hard day's tramp can bring.
Youth Award Grant ‘Round Ruapehu
Faced with breathing difficulties, 85 kilometre per hour wind gusts and a reroute due to heavy rains, five students successfully navigate five days of challenges to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Qualifying Journey.
Abel Tasman Family Kayaking
Written by his two daughters, Andy Carruthers and family share their exploration of Abel Tasman National Park by kayak. With a backcountry bathroom ranking system, an attempt to sleep under the stars, and a serious debate about wekas, each family member reveals what excites them most about their trip.
Moonlight Trek Tongariro by Full Moon
How do you avoid the crowds on one of the world's busiest tramps? For Andy Carruthers and members of the NZ Alpine Club, Wellington, trekking across the Tongariro Crossing by moonlight grants not only solitude, but breathtaking views.
Youth Award Grant To Cross or Not To Cross
Ten teenagers set out for a three-day mission in Hakatere Conservation Park after receiving a FMC Youth Award Grant. With a challenging river crossing and inclement weather, these students apply their backcountry training to safely complete their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Qualifying Adventurous Journey.
Youth Award Grant Sharing the Load
A group of five students share the role of team leader during their DOE Adventurous Journey along the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds. By stepping up to support each other during the tramp's most difficult moments, they persevere together through the mental and physical challenges of the terrain.
Love our Huts Story The Elusive Ivory Lake Hut
After nearly five years of striving to reach Ivory Lake Hut from multiple directions, she proves elusive for a tramping party of four. During one final push from the north, she grants entry and they experience a hard-won backcountry trip after three failed attempts and never giving up. Failure has its own rewards and for these keen trampers, their arrival is well worth the wait.
Youth Award Grant Operation Great Barrier
"Our journey to Great Barrier Island wasn't just about completing a hike and getting through the long days of walking – it was about pushing our limits, working as a team, and making memories that will stay with us forever." For their DOE Gold Qualifying Journey, six students from Orewa College navigate the steep descents of the old Kauri Tramline Track and scale hundreds of stairs to reach the summit of Mount Hobson.
An Alternative Approach Doing the S-K Another Way
The S-K is an epic 80 kilometre north-to-south Tararua journey, traditionally completed in 48 hours or less. For Mark Wilcox and his wife, Sarah, the S-K route looks appealing but without the restrictive timeframe. So together, they decide to achieve a tops S-K their way – totaling 41 hours of tramping over seven days without injury and whilst still remaining friends.
A Dog's Tale Crossing the Bridge
What happens when a party of three suddenly becomes a party of four? A tramping weekend takes an unexpected turn for Chris and a group of trampers when a mysterious dog appears on the trail. Upon realising they’ve found someone’s missing dog, Chris bravely faces his childhood fear of dogs and the team figures out how to safely return the canine home.
Tararua Ranges Tops Feast
Beautifully captured by photographer Peter Laurenson, an extended version of the Tararua Ranges' northern crossing brings a tops feast for Peter and his mate, Simon, and just the right amount of challenge for these two keen trampers.
Team Poem Everest Base Camp
Andy Carruthers and a group of friends embark on a trek to Everest Base Camp, capturing the spirit of their climb through poetry and film.
Mt Aspiring Tititea Matterhorn of the South
With recommendations from Alastair McDowell after his record-breaking climb of Mt Aspiring Tititea, Andy Carruthers and crew plan their own summit of this incredible maunga. Four days in Mt Aspiring National Park not only offer the team breathtaking views and a birthday bubbles celebration at the summit, but also key takeaways into how they could minimise 'the scary moments' and maximise safety and comfort the next time around.
Youth Award Grant Just the Beginning
With an icy winter trek along the Kepler Track, five students from Otamatea High School are up for a challenge on their final DOE Gold Adventurous Journey. Embracing freezing temperatures, a cold plunge and learning techniques to escape when lost in a cave, one student declares: "This will definitely NOT be my last outdoor adventure!”
Youth Award Grant The Bond of Tramping
A tight-knit group of seven students and three dedicated teachers began tramping together four years ago. With support from the FMC Youth Award Grant, Briar Higgie and Kaelyn Swanson strengthen bonds with their tramping mates, not allowing sleepless nights from hut snoring or sandflies to dampen their epic tramp along the stunning Heaphy Track.
Traversing the Tararuas Wild Women on the Tops
FMC Expedition Scholarship winners, Isla and Louise, traverse the Tararuas in a celebration of women in the backcountry. Through both film and print, they explore the limiting perceptions of wāhine outdoors, the gender disparity in gear construction and the realities of backcountry menstruation, all whilst embracing the joys of being female and their inner playfulness as wild women on the tops.
