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“So I found my Everest and became the first person to
circumnavigate NZ’s wild beautiful coastline by foot – over
8000km. It took two years and I proudly now go by ‘wildboy’.”
Brando Yelavich, Author and Adventurer
19
Many familiar with the outgoing charm of our
Kiwi ‘wildboy’ may not be aware of other
obstacles Brando has faced besides his
formidable expeditions.
Diagnosed with aDhD and dyslexia, Brando
found conventional learning quite difficult.
as a result, unable to achieve well at school
or get a decent job, Brando wanted “to wipe
the slate clean and do something great which
helped others. i decided to fundraise for
the ronald McDonald house charity (i have
always loved kids) while circumnavigating the
nZ coastline – living off the land, the sea and
the kindness of others.”
and the adventurer succeeded – and was
the first to do so! Brando then wrote about it,
securing a publishing deal with Penguin nZ
for ‘Wildboy’. he has continued writing on his
social media pages, and has a second book
in the works.
as though circumnavigation of both islands
of nZ wasn’t enough of a challenge, Brando
decided to continued his daring adventures;
expedition stewart island was a go!
this planned 60-day trek was cut short after
a month, however, because of the rough
conditions (and “missing his ngaio”). the
island’s wild weather, the dangers of the
terrain and the weeks of isolation proved too
much. he was “reaching my breaking point
almost every day” and then had an epiphany
atop a mountain peak.
“when i got to the gogs i made the decision
there that, ‘right, from now on, i’m only going
to do things that make me happy’. and the
scrub wasn’t making me happy!”
he filmed much of this adventure using a
goPro camera, receiving sponsorship as an
official content provider for #goProanZ.
Brando recently found a perfect career
path and is enrolled in the one-year nMit
adventure tourism cetification progamme,
which happens to include everything he loves
and is already good at.
when not conquering the challenges nZ
offers, Brando calls hahei home where he
lives with his girlfriend ngaio gregory. he also
lectures about aDhD and dyslexia. he was a
key presenter at a aDhD conference in the
spring, as well as a teDxYouth speaker. (View
it here: Y.)
About Brando
2016 New Zealand book Awards
for children & young Adults Finalist.
Brando Yelavich became the first person to walk the
entire coastline of new Zealand. he chronicled this
solo hike around the country, while raising $32,000
for the ronald McDonald house in the process.
read about Brando’s adventurous ‘around nZ trek’
in his book Wildboy, signed copies available through
his website and many local bookstores including
Beach habitat in hahei and carson’s in thames.
AbOut tHE bOOK: fast going off the rails and
hanging out with the wrong crowd, Brando Yelavich,
Also enjoy Brando’s book
a plucky 20-year-old from auckland’s north shore,
decided he needed a mission. he was going to walk
around new Zealand. Brando reached cape reinga
after a gruelling journey of almost 8000 kilometres,
traversed completely on foot over more than 600
days. it was an outlandish odyssey of physical
and mental fortitude. he slept under the stars and
lived off the land. he almost drowned on several
occasions and experienced near-hypothermia.
But the transformation ran much deeper. Wildboy
is a ripping adventure story with an inspiring life
change at its heart.