Kowai Bush and the Mears Track

Visiting patches of remnant lowland beech forest near Christchurch was also a trip into my family's past, present and future.

I've written the story on Kuno, an app/website which is all about the wonders of nature in the best place in the universe - planet Earth.

Helen Cushing 7/9/24 Helen Cushing 7/9/24

Cycling Sea to Summit around Christchurch

This article is on a new app/website called Kuno. Kuno is all about connecting people with “the best thing that’s ever happened in the universe - planet Earth.” It’s crammed with outdoor adventure guides, nature writing, nature science, photography and inspiration.

As a contributor I’m free to produce content about anything relevant to the mission of realigning our relationship with nature to one of belonging.

I wrote this one after a recent trip to Aotearoa New Zealand, my birthplace.

Helen Cushing 19/3/24 Helen Cushing 19/3/24

Valley of the Giants: Exploring Tasmania’s Styx River

Published in the Australian Geographic in October, 2001.

The tallest flowering plants in the world (Eucalyptus regnans) grow in Tasmania’s Styx Valley. In 2001 they were being mercilessly logged. A famly liloing trip down the Styx River added the taste of adventure needed to place a story in the Australian Geographi to draw attention to the plight of our mighty old growth forests. Parts of the Styx forest were eventually incorporated into the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, but sadly, logging (and protest) is happening as I write this post in 2024.

Helen Cushing 28/2/24 Helen Cushing 28/2/24

Yuraygir National Park

Published by Out There magazine in Autumn, 1994. Out There was an adventure travel glossy edited by Lincoln Hall for the iconic outdoor equipment company, Paddy Pallin.

On the mid-north coast of NSW is a slither of national park running along a heavenly stretch of coastline, including the estuary of the Sandon River. A friend had built a wooden sailing dinghy. Three young families loaded up the kids and camping gear and set off to launch the new boat. Those were the days.

Helen Cushing 7/2/24 Helen Cushing 7/2/24

Guides Like Us

Published in Out There magazine, Autumn, 1994. It’s a reflection on my first ever trip as a tour guide. Oh dear… but we had a lot of fun.

It was late afternoon, high summer. I gazed out the van window at the Tasmanian midlands, as dry and still as a lizard in the sun.