31 January 2026
Great Southern Land
Kei Te Taiao. Back Roads.
WRITER: As told to Anna Brankin (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe)
photographer: FRANCINE BOER
Kylie Krippner of Wings & Water in Te Anau and Nikki Ladd of Shark Experience in Motupōhue Bluff take us for a wild ride through Murihiku Southland.
With thanks to Great South | Southland & Fiordland for supporting the production of this story.
Top Image. “One thing I learned was that mountaineering and flying are both disciplines that you need to be one hundred per cent committed to,” Kylie says. “I tried to juggle and do both, and quickly realised that I wasn’t managing it, so I decided to do the flying thing, and I hung my ice tools up.”
From mountain climbing to flying floatplanes – with a South Pole adventure along the way – Kylie Krippner has managed to stay grounded while living a life on the edge.
It’s no surprise that Kylie Krippner, 51, has found herself living in Te Anau, running Wings & Water – a floatplane business that operates on the edge of Fiordland National Park. She has always gravitated towards wild, elemental landscapes, beginning with her childhood on a farm in Little River, Canterbury, then to years spent guiding, climbing, and flying among some of the world’s greatest mountains. “Growing up, my sister and I were always told to get outside and come back for teatime,” Kylie says. “There was an independence there, and the love for the outdoors just came naturally.”
That life – one full of travel and adventure – began with Kylie’s first job out of high school, waitressing at the Hermitage Hotel in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. “That’s where my sense of adventure really began. I was hanging out with mountain guides and helicopter pilots, and after work we’d go rock climbing at the Sebastopol Bluffs or trail running or biking,” she says. “Originally the intention was to save up and go overseas, but I ended up starting a degree in outdoor recreation at Aoraki Polytechnic – which I left in the second year to open a little boating company called Glacier Explorers, taking tourists around the icebergs on Tasman Lake and visiting Tasman Glacier.”
She did that for thirteen years before selling the business to the hotel. It was the perfect gig for Kylie, combining her fascination with glaciers with plenty of opportunities to travel during the off-season. “The lake would freeze solid in winter so we’d close, and I’d get as far away as possible. I did some guiding in Greenland – tramping and trekking expeditions – and it was such a privilege to be able to experience an amazing landscape like that,” she says. “But climbing was my real addiction. I’d always find some mountains between here and Greenland, and I’d stop on the way home to do that. That’s what blew my hair back.”
Above. “Flying in the mountains isn’t something you ever master. Every day is different, every landing is a new puzzle.”
Kylie might have continued this lifestyle indefinitely if it weren’t for the reality check that she wouldn’t be young forever. “I was only about twenty-six when I noticed my knees getting sore after some of these trips, so I thought, ‘Oh jeez – I might have to think about what I’m going to do when I’m old.’” She thought about glaciology, but ended up deciding to pursue a career as a pilot. “At the time I thought that would be a better financial decision, but I know better now,” she laughs. “I’d had my private pilot’s licence for about five years, and just flew for fun, until a friend pointed out that if I didn’t sit my commercial licence soon, I’d have to resit all my exams. I thought I’d bloody better get on with it.”
Breaking into aviation wasn’t easy, even with the commercial pilot’s licence under her belt. “By then I was thirty-five or thirty-six, competing with guys in their twenties who were looking for their first jobs,” she says. “It’s a tough industry. It’s low-paid, and you’re only needed when you’re needed. But I just kept going.” Eventually, she got her first flying role with Southern Alps Air, flying between Wānaka and Milford Sound. “I just loved that. The problem was, it was dead quiet in winter. So I bought a little company called U Fly, teaching people to fly in microlights – at least then I could fly all year.”
Wilder adventures still followed – with Kylie becoming, in 2009, the first New Zealand woman to ski to the South Pole. “I was offered the opportunity to join an all-women’s team, skiing from the edge of the Antarctic to the South Pole. It was to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth and the team was made up of women from all these different countries. We skied 900 kilometres in thirty-eight days across this extremely surreal landscape. It was the highlight of my life, really.”
“I get to take people out and show them a part of the planet that not many people get to see. It’s astoundingly beautiful out there – remote, mysterious, dramatic. I feel privileged every time I get out there.” – Kylie
Above. “The community is amazing,” says Kylie. “Everyone is down-to-earth. It’s a real mix of people, and whether you’re in conservation, tourism or farming, everyone gets everyone. We’re all perched on the edge of Fiordland National Park and we’re all invested in it. We all just want the best for the town, and most people don’t want it to become another Wānaka or Queenstown. Southlanders are pretty practical, functional people.”
Kylie met her husband, Ivan, a fellow pilot, at Wānaka Airport and they both knew relatively quickly that they’d found their match. “He’s a bit of a rough diamond. We wanted a family, but I was in my late thirties so I wasn’t sure if it would happen for us. The biological clock was ticking but I’d tried to make peace with the fact that we might be one of those couples with a lot of pets. And then I got pregnant with Elly-May, who’s eleven now.” It was shortly after the birth of their second daughter, Indiana, now nine, that Wings & Water came up for sale in Te Anau. “We came down and checked it out. It was pouring with rain and I just said, ‘Yes, this is great.’ We were green as green, we had fresh floatplane ratings and were juggling two young kids. But it’s been just over ten years now and we absolutely love it. I get to take people out and show them a part of the planet that not many people get to see. It’s astoundingly beautiful out there – remote, mysterious, dramatic. I feel privileged every time I get out there.”
Each winter, Kylie spends a couple of months flying in Broome, Western Australia, keeping her skills sharp. “It’s really tough leaving the family, but I want the girls to see me doing something I love,” she says. “They’ve learned to cook, to help each other, to be resilient. That’s what I want for them – big dreams, big goals, and the courage to chase them.” For Kylie, Te Anau offers the best of both worlds – wild landscapes and a grounded, supportive community. “There’s a real sense of care here – for each other, and for the place itself. It’s a brilliant corner of the world to call home.”
Above. “We allow you to be in a safe environment, in a cage, in eight metres of water,” says Nikki. “It’s safe for the customer and it’s low impact on the shark as well.”
Falling in love led Nikki Ladd to make a life in Bluff, where she discovered another passion – the great white sharks of Foveaux Strait.
Every morning for six months of the year, Nikki Ladd, 52, arrives at the Shark Experience shop on Motupōhue Bluff’s main street, ready to welcome the day’s customers. She’s been doing this for nearly a decade, and she still gets the same rush. “I feed off the customers’ energy,” she explains. “They’re tense. They’re nervous. Their anxiety is sky-high, much like their expectations. My job is to turn that nervous energy into joy.” It’s the beginning of a ritual that has become the centre of her life – introducing people to an ocean, a species, and a place she’s come to fiercely protect.
Having grown up in Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi the Bay of Islands, Nikki’s path to Bluff was unconventional. She was living in Australia, working in police communications, when, as her 40th birthday approached, she decided she wanted to do something different. “I’ve always been someone who gets behind a cause, and who gives a lot of energy to everything I do,” she says. “That’s how I ended up walking the length of New Zealand to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis research.” Despite fracturing her foot and having to push on by bike, and navigating track closures in the wake of the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016, Nikki eventually arrived in Bluff on a cold, rainy day in January 2017. A chance meeting in the pub led to romance, and she made the life-changing decision to stay.
Above. “The thing people don’t appreciate about Bluff is the architecture. We’ve got all these beautiful Art Deco buildings and they’re pretty amazing.”
“I also fell in love with Motupōhue Hill, and fell in love with our beautiful fauna and flora – both on the ocean and the land,” she says. Before settling in Bluff, Nikki had worked as a guide on the Story Bridge Adventure Climb in Brisbane, and in various roles across policing and community work. An ability to reinvent herself and a willingness to try new things proved crucial when it came to immersing herself in Shark Experience, the business run by her partner Mike Haines (Ngāti Kahungunu). This tourism venture does pretty much what it says on the tin – getting customers up close to great white sharks in Te Ara-a-Kiwa Foveaux Strait.
“I’m very much of the land, so it wasn’t a natural fit to begin with. I thought to myself, ‘The only way I’m going to understand this man’s passion for this is by being on that boat every day,’” Nikki says. “So that’s what I did. The joy in that man’s heart when he’s out there on the moana – it was infectious. But what I really wasn’t expecting was the sense of connection I would start to feel with the sharks – these incredibly smart fish with amazing memories.”
The business itself operates on principles far removed from typical adventure tourism. “In fact, we’re not really adventure tourism at all – we don’t fall under that category. We’re not even really diving. It’s like birdwatching, but it’s sharks instead of birds and you’re under the water,” she describes. The goal of these encounters is never spectacle – it’s connection. “We go out and it might be three seconds, or it might be thirty minutes, but we introduce someone to a childhood dream and we get a platform to tell them how exceptionally important that species is in our ocean. Apex predators have a huge job – they keep our oceans clean, they keep balance in our marine ecosystems, and they are pretty damn cute.”
Above. Mural Calling the Bluff by Deow Owen, painted as part of Bluff’s South Sea Spray Motupōhue Festival.
As a Māori-owned business, Shark Experience is committed to incorporating te reo Māori and tikanga into its day-to-day operations – something that Nikki is immensely proud of. “I was a tourist for much of my life, and the best experiences I ever had happened when I was engaging with the people of the land that I was visiting,” she says. “Up until this year, our team have mostly been Tangata Whenua, and this season we hope to see more of our rangatahi join. For our visitors, hearing our crew use te reo Māori, and speak about their connection to this place – ‘that’s our hill, that’s where we come from, my family has lived here for however-many generations’ – it transforms the experience from simple tourism into something deeper. Each one of our team – whether it’s Terry (Ngāi Tahu), who at seventy-five has spent more time on the sea than all of us together, or Miss C (Ngāi Tahu), whose whānau have travelled these waters for generations – they are just ‘of here’ and their connection to ocean is so evident. Each of them is so passionate about sharks in our place, here in Te Ara-a-Kiwa. Being with people that connect to the whenua, their way of thinking about the land first, or the ocean first, is the difference. I work for a family who wants to look after the moana and raise awareness of a beautiful taonga species.”
What fuels her – and keeps her committed, despite the environmental and business challenges and the seasonal nature of the work – are the transformations she witnesses. “So many people have an experience like ours on their bucket list,” she says. “We see grown men cry because they got to make their dreams come true.”
Above left. The Southern Isle, described by Nikki as “one of our most important team members,” in dry dock. “She has been waiting since 2019 for a refit,” says Nikki, “and she has patiently waited for us to recover from the pandemic to finally get that for her. Built by Gough Brothers, for Herbie Hanson of Rakiura, specifically for the Strait, she can ‘handle the jandal.’”
Above right. The Blue Mistress, a new boat for Shark Experience, currently being refitted, which will carry eighteen divers and up to fifteen sightseers. “Great whites don’t have black eyes – they are a deep blue. They are famous for being solitary, but I only see them when they are in loose packs or socialising, so that’s my norm. They are smart, but mostly I love the big gals, who are sassy, have very clear individual personalities and behaviours… and they use the boys to get what they want.”
“For our visitors, hearing our crew use te reo Māori, and speak about their connection to this place – ‘that’s our hill, that’s where we come from, my family has lived here for however-many generations’ – it transforms the experience from simple tourism into something deeper.” – Nikki
Beyond the boat and the shop, Nikki’s commitment to her community is woven throughout her life. She’s helped replant native forest on Bluff’s hillside, working with students and locals to create something lasting. “I get the privilege of helping and making sure their children remember that they planted a tree there,” she reflects. “I see these trees and they’re thriving and they’re so much taller than I ever estimated they would be.” During the Covid pandemic, when so much came to a halt, she joined an informal community phone tree to check on older residents. “We also worked different jobs – Mike drove concrete trucks, and I worked at the crematorium for a while – and every day we’d come home and help people with their groceries and their firewood,” she explains. In Bluff, Nikki has found a place where adventure and community aren’t separate pursuits – they’re one and the same. “I’m surrounded by the most exceptional people,” Nikki reflects on her adopted home. “The first week I was here, an old fella knocked at the door and offered me tomatoes – he had too many. I realised the whole street was swapping food, and I thought, ‘I’m so going to live here.’”
Top left. Black Dog Bar. Top right. Miles Better Pies. Middle left. SOLD Coffee and Gifts. Middle right. Bluff Kitchen. Above. Bluff Distillery.
Kylie and Nikki’s recommendations
EAT
If I am feeling like a drink, seeing the locals, and indulging in some snacky eats, then I head to the Black Dog Bar – it’s particularly busy on Friday night. I usually order bar snacks, although there is a delicious Moroccan lamb on the dinner menu. They also brew local beer here. – Kylie, Te Anau
blackdogbar.co.nz
When I am very busy at work, it is a short stroll to Miles Better Pies on the main street. I love a good mince and cheese pie. Sometimes when I know I am flying out to Dusky Sound, or to drop off people to a boat in Fiordland, I take a few hot pies with me, and deliver pies to them. – Kylie, Te Anau
milesbetterpies
The menu at Hayz at The Anchorage is seasonal and the chef, Haylee Simeon, tries to source food locally – the pāua, the tītī, the seaweed, the horopito – and that’s the best way to offer hospitality through food. It’s part of our culture to feed our visitors. – Nikki, Bluff
hayzattheanchorage.com
Jill and the ladies at SOLD Coffee and Gifts make the best cheese scones in the South Island. They do all the old-fashioned slices, like Louise cake. – Nikki, Bluff
SOLD Coffee and Gifts
Adrian Hopkinson, known as Bori, and his Bluff Kitchen kai cart serve the best blue cod you have ever tasted. Never underestimate the power of a kai cart. – Nikki, Bluff
Bluff Kitchen
STAY
My pick of accommodation is a backcountry hut. I love taking the kids up to Freeman Burn Hut at Lake Manapōuri – it’s rustic, tucked against the Southern Alps, and you have to take all your own gear. – Kylie, Te Anau
Try an Airbnb. Really? Yep! The best way to experience Bluff is to live like a Bluffy – even for a day. Diving for pāua at your doorstep, and sitting back with a beer, watching ships go by, can be done from a few wee historic cottages along the waterfront. – Nikki, Bluff Stay with Kerri and her whānau at Rua for some true Kiwi hospitality. – Nikki, Bluff
ruaatbluff.co.nz
DO
Get yourself into the wild – on foot, by boat or by floatplane. There are too many stunning places to choose from – all epic, but be prepared for the one billion sandflies that will also be staying there! You can even walk from Te Anau and begin the Kepler Track. Tramp to Gertrude Saddle – the epitome of breathtaking. Climb Mount Titiroa – it’s cheaper than going to the moon – and probably looks similar. – Kylie, Te Anau Bluff Hill Motupōhue Walkways are free, simple and amazing. You get to smell the real bush and to feel the real bush. There’s nothing more beautiful than walking this hill in the rain. – Nikki, Bluff
bluff.co.nz/walking-tracks
The team at Foveaux Pāua Tours are so passionate about their fish. They take you through the history of all the freezing works and then you get to see some baby pāua. – Nikki, Bluff
foveauxpaua.co.nz
The Bluff Distillery has international-award-winning and frickin’ lovely gin. – Nikki, Bluff
bluffdistillery.com
Glossary. Horopito, native herb, peppery shrub. Kai, food. Moana, ocean. Pāua, abalone. Rangatahi, youth. Tangata Whenua, Indigenous People. Taonga, protected. Te reo Māori, the Māori language. Tikanga, correct protocols and customs. Tītī, muttonbird, sooty shearwater. Whānau, family. Whenua, land.
Murihiku Southland’s remote charm is more accessible than people think – with Waihōpai Invercargill as the region’s main hub, it’s the perfect launchpad for exploring the southern edge of Aotearoa. For more information, visit southlandnz.com.
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This story appeared in the Raumati Summer 2025/26 Edition of Shepherdess.
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