Tramping with kids: Inspiring children to safely explore New Zealand's great outdoors
A new book has been launched to encourage the younger generation to safely head out into the wild. A new book, Mia & Leo Go Wild, has been launched to encourage and inspire the younger generation to safely explore the backcountry of New Zealand's great outdoors. It was written by award-winning author Gillian Candler and illustrated by Gavin Mouldey. The book follows the outdoor adventure that awaits Mia and her younger brother Leo in their first family overnight tramp to Whiowhio Hut, from the planning to the obstacles they face along the way. Author Nathan Watson from NZ Mountain Safety Council had been reading the book, In the Bush with his sons and contacted author Candler to discuss the idea of a children’s book about tramping. Stuff Travel asked author Candlers about her inspiration for the book and how she worked with the Mountain Safety council to get the right information across.
Publicado : Hace 2 años por Alan Granville en Travel Lifestyle
A new book has been launched to encourage and inspire the younger generation to safely head out into Aotearoa’s great outdoors.
In conjunction with the NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC), Mia & Leo Go Wild has been written by award-winning author Gillian Candler, with illustrations by Gavin Mouldey.
It follows the outdoor adventure that awaits Mia and her younger brother Leo in their first family overnight tramp to Whiowhio Hut, from the planning to the obstacles they face along the way.
MSC Chief Executive Mike Daisley said the book aims to give children the basic knowledge they need to explore the backcountry safely.
“The book is a great tool to help children get involved and own the planning of their adventures,” said Daisley.
“We know thousands of families love to get outdoors every year, and when you're adventuring with children it adds a whole new safety dimension. We want Kiwis to be safe in the outdoors and it is exciting to hear the stories of people planning their first overnight tramp or taking the kids out to explore new places. We hope this book sparks some fun adventures for whānau.”
Stuff Travel asked author Gillian Candler about her inspiration for the book.
Can you tell us how you got involved in the book?
Nathan Watson from NZ Mountain Safety Council had been reading my book, In the Bush with his sons and contacted me to discuss the idea of a children’s book about tramping. As a keen tramper I was hugely enthusiastic! I really liked the idea of both encouraging families to give tramping a go while also making sure that they knew how to do that safely.
Where did the inspiration behind the story and the characters come from?
My inspiration comes from many different places, from my grandchildren to my tramping buddies and my own experiences. The two children in the story have quite different personalities which reflect two different pulls I feel when I’m tramping - the desire to stop and look at every awesome insect, bird and flower on the way and also the desire to stride strongly on, getting to the destination in good time so I can put down my pack and immerse myself in the wilderness.
In early drafts I considered having the family cope with a disaster, but while surviving disasters might make good dinner party stories, it’s the memory of tramps that have gone well that lures me back into the outdoors. Children (and adults) who have happy experiences in the outdoors are more likely to want to return there. So I settled on the family having a successful trip and helping out others on the way instead.
How closely did you work with the Mountain Safety Council to get the right information across?
To start with we had some fun meetings in which we regaled each other with tramping stories and what we might have done differently. So it was easy to see we were on the same page when it came to safety messages. There was a lot of double-checking too, of items like the packing list.
And how was it working with illustrator Gavin Mouldey?
Working with Gavin was amazing. He brought a really fresh perspective to the project with his illustration style. I enjoyed the opportunity to see how he could turn some of the characters' motivations into images, and had fun turning some text into speech bubbles.
How difficult is it to balance getting information across while also being entertaining to read?
My background is in educational publishing, so I don’t find this difficult. I hope my readers will agree with me that we’ve got the balance right.
You’ve been a long-time fan of the outdoors. Where did your love start?
It started when I was about the same age as Mia and Leo. I have a very strong memory of my Dad taking my brother and I for a walk in the stunning bluebell woods in England where I was born. I was enraptured from then on. Shortly after that, we moved to New Zealand so it didn’t take much to transfer my interest to the outdoors to Aotearoa New Zealand.
Where is your favourite place in NZ to tramp?
That’s a hard question to answer. There are so many favourites for different reasons. There are places I’ve had incredible wildlife encounters. I saw my first whio in a river by the Heaphy Track, I encountered tokoeka kiwi on the North West Circuit of Rakiura and much closer to home I found a rare forest ringlet butterfly on a day tramp in the Remutaka Forest Park.
Also, close to home some other treasures such as the Akatarawa giant rātā, tiny orchids and colourful fungi, can be found. I’d have to say for day tramps you can’t beat the Wellington region. We are so lucky to have so many GWRC and DOC forest parks. I try to get out there every Wednesday with my tramping group.
Finally, what is the overall message you’d like people who read the book to take away from it?
I’d love the book to inspire children to get into the outdoors and discover the wild for themselves. I figure that if they do this and love it, they’re more likely to want to protect our wilderness and amazing biodiversity. I’d also like parents to feel that going tramping as a family is possible or to be confident about their child joining in a school or tramp club.
Mia & Leo Go Wild can be found in local book stores.
Temas: New Zealand, Outdoors