Adventurers seek to entice compatriots

Press, 2 December 1985, Page 4

Adventurers seek to entice compatriots

By

TESSA WARD

Two well known New Zealanders, Graeme Dingle and Graham Mourie, decided about two years ago, to share the joys of outdoor adventure with other New Zealanders.

The accomplished mountaineer and the former All Black captain have since immersed themselves in New Zealand’s most popular outdoor activities, captured them on film, and launched a book to share the fun.

The colourfully illustrated book is called “Graham Mourie and Graeme Dingle, New Zealand Adventures.”

Both adventurers agree that the book is intended to entice New Zealanders into outdoor recreation and help to conserve the country’s environment rather than to make a lot of money. “I have produced a number of books now which, if they were sold to a larger population than New Zea-

land’s, would make me a wealthy man,” said Dingle. “But you can’t have your kayak and eat it, which we are glad about because a small population helps to keep New Zealand the way it is.”

In spite of Dingle’s loathing of the public eye on his escapades, especially during the dangerous ones, he has enjoyed promoting the book in South Island shops. Mourie agreed the the promotion was not an unwelcome ordeal as the book contained a positive message for New Zealanders. The numerous New Zealand adventures included in the cartooned chapters range from ballooning, kayaking, and caving to

deep-sea fishing, jet boating, and tramping. An appendix gives a brief expose on each activity and addresses for readers to get in touch with for more information.

Sir Edmund Hillary, who has written the book’s foreward, also plans to use the film footage taken during the adventures for his television series due to be screened next year. Dingle and Mourie are tentative about future adventure plans but want to keep their options open for new ground to possibly cover together.

For Graeme Dingle the roof of the world (Tibet) beckons. He hopes to find the sky the only limit.