Page 80 - Forbes India (December 2015)

Life recLiner

here are lands that are world class multi-day hiking trails while providing access to remote areas
meant to be explored on are well supported by a reliable of the country,” says Tashi. So you
your feet. New Zealand network of necessary support- are not bothered with problems like
T is one of them. With an providers and trek-operators. sleeping in the rain, being too cold
immensely diverse topography, it “The unique selling point of at night, or having to carry all kinds
can spoil you for choice. Whether trekking in New Zealand is the of expensive equipment. This makes
it is one of the Great Walks, an epic massive network of huts, called baches it possible for many more people to
multi-trek around the country, [pronounced batches], throughout experience New Zealand’s incredible
or just a walk around the scenic the country that offer people a backyard. “It is also extremely safe
countryside, there is something for comfortable and dry place to sleep and hassle free,” says Nungshi,
anyone who loves the outdoors.
It is no surprise then that Tashi The Milford Track
and Nungshi Malik, the 24-year-olds through Fiordland,
from Dehradun who made history from lake Te anau
to Milford Sound
last December by being the first
siblings and twins to scale the Seven
Summits—the highest peaks in each
of the seven continents—have made
it their home since February this
year. Studying for a postgraduate
degree in sports and exercise at the
Southern Institute of Technology in
Invercargill, they have been living at
the southern-most tip of the country.
“Is there anywhere else more
beautiful than New Zealand to get
back to nature? Not likely,” says
Tashi with a wide grin. “Having
stepped on the highest point of every
continent, we find New Zealand as
one of the best trekking destinations
in the world. In fact, New Zealand
is best explored along its walking
and hiking trails to really absorb its
mesmerising natural landscape.”
There are walking options that
suit all levels of fitness and trekking
experience. The thousands of
kilometres of tracks traverse varied
landscapes such as national parks,
native forests, stunning coastal
regions, beautiful lakes, mountain
tops and bottomless valleys (see
The Maliks’ Favourite Great Walks).
What comes in handy is that these

“New Zealand is best
explored along its
walking and hiking
trails to really ab-
sorb its mesmerising
natural landscape.”

80 | FORBES INDIA DECEMBER 11, 2015