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When I was contacted by Deputy Editor Matthew Cattin at Wilderness magazine, I was shocked.
I’d been thinking about contacting the magazine since returning from the trail, to see if they’d be interested in receiving a piece from me about my experiences hiking Te Araroa with anxiety and mental health issues.
To my astonishment, Matthew had instead singled me out as a kiwi YouTuber documenting all things hiking and tramping… something he wanted to write an article about.
He was particularly interested in the perspective I was able to bring as a kiwi who was engaging in this new outdoor vlog trend. To my surprise, only myself and one other channel fit his brief.
What made us stand out was that we were each dedicated to showcasing the New Zealand tramping environment, and (for me in particular) in upskilling our viewers. It’s certainly something I’ve tried to focus on with the channel, and I was glad to hear that as far as New Zealand is concerned I’ve definitely found a niche.
Read the full interview below.
Leading With a Lens
Taupō filmmaker Michelle Green is ‘one of those last-minute people’.
She got into tramping on a whim, and her YouTube channel Long White Gypsy followed shortly after to document the process.
One year later, she completed the North Island section of the Te Araroa Trail. The spontaneity, she says, is all part of living with anxiety.
“If I try to plan too much I get overwhelmed and get an ‘analysis paralysis’ thing happening,” she says. “I tend to jump in with two feet forward.”
Dealing with anxiety is a recurring feature of Green’s YouTube channel, which also features a section by section series on the Te Araroa Trail, gear reviews, trip planning and local tramps.
She wanted to explore the ins and outs of tramping from a beginner’s perspective, and furthermore, a beginner living with anxiety.
“A solo female hiker might be nervous anyway, but for me that’s exacerbated ten fold so I knew it was going to be a big challenge,” she says.
Stepping into the world of tramping and walking the length of the North Island was at times a confronting experience for Green, but one that led to huge personal growth.
“I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will never cure my anxiety – it won’t happen and it will always be a part of me,” she says.
“With thru-hiking, I put myself in so many situations I didn’t like, but I was able to come out the other side, and know I did it despite my anxiety.”
Green’s openness resonated with her audience immediately.
“Right from early on, I got messages – particularly from women – saying things like ‘I can’t believe you’re out there doing it’,” she says. “People have got in touch to say ‘I got out on my first hike, and I did it because of you’, and for me that’s validation – I’ve achieved my goal.”
Green says filmmaking while tramping can be demanding – particularly on the Te Araroa when at the end of a long day, she would have to spend time putting together her edits.
It has, however, served as a priceless memento of her experience, and changed the way she sees the outdoors.
“I find myself looking for beauty on the trail, and trying to find a different way to tell the story,” she says.
