Hi, I’m Michal. I like putting one foot in front of the other until something pretty shows up. I’m into minimalism – both in hiking and in life. I’m a fan of light tramping, environmentally friendly living, compassion, and the Leave No Trace attitude. I’m not a fan of capitalism and consumerism.

I left my home country, the Czech Republic, in 2014 to travel the world. The first place I landed was New Zealand… and it kind of ruined the rest of the plan. Thanks to beautiful nature, friendly people, a sense of safety and isolation (in a good way!), decent work opportunities, and endless outdoor adventures, I haven’t found a reason to leave. I did give Spain, France, Canada, and Scotland a fair trial between 2016–2018, and they were amazing. But by 2019, I knew New Zealand was where I really wanted to live. Since then, I’ve been happily based in Christchurch.

My partner in both tramping and life is Anna. In 2020, our son Elliot joined the team. He’s been tagging along on tramps since he was only a few weeks old. You won’t see his face online though – either because he’s devastatingly handsome, or perhaps because we’d rather let him decide for himself if he wants to a part of this digital madness. Or maybe both?

Since my teenage years, I’ve been releasing all my photos in full resolution under a free licence, so anyone can use them as they please. I share them via Wikimedia Commons – see my profile there. As a result, you may come across my photos in various media and on different websites. Oh, and I’m also a member of the Christchurch Tramping Club and a big fan and an active contributor of Permolat.