Wildboy: To the Edge and Back

by Brando Yelavich

Brando 'Wildboy' Yelavich stunned us all when he circumnavigated the entire coast of New Zealand completely on foot over 600 days. But he left out the hardest bit - Stewart Island. Over 31 days, Brando took on one of the hardiest and most unforgiving parts of our wild country. And this time, completely solo. Experiencing epic highs, the lows hit Brando just as hard. A notebook he carried along the way charts the brutality of the island's landscape. Caught in a biting wind, with hail and snow swirling around, one entry 'Just in case this is the last thing I ever write, I want everybody to know how much I love them. This is my last hurrah - I enjoyed it all so much.' To the Edge and Back is an exhilarating, nail-biting account of the Brando's solo exploration of the Deep South. An adventure tale of grit and determination, practical survival guide and inspirational story about chasing your dreams, it's the perfect read for any armchair adrenalin junky.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure

181 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2017

Reviews

[Carl Sagstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to thumb through it, as it happened I couldn’t put it down!
Having done the Northwest Circuit it was encouraging to see his honest portrayal and periods of discouragement, I felt my own tantrums were validated! My Mum gave I to me for Christmas, hoping I would change my mind and not do it...luckily I didn’t read it until now!
It’s an easy read and he includes lots of advice on issues such as dealing with sea lions, gun restrictions and hypothermia. Also plenty of tips on feeding oneself in the middle of BFN.
I love his general life philosophy and definitions of “fun”.
I would recommend this book to anyone about to embark on a wilderness adventure, on Rakiura or somewhere else.
I can’t wait to read his first book.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an easy read, although part of me wishes I had had a map of Stewart Island open while reading, to keep tabs on where Brando was up to at various points!
Loved his conclusions about NEEDING the bush to re-set. And about making sure you are doing things you love. It really ties in with other stuff I've been studying recently.
I'm looking forward to his next adventure book (which I saw mentioned on his instagram live feed tonight), aimed at kids. We're taking our nearly 5yo to do the Rakiura Great Walk next year (his first multi-night tramp) and I'm definitely keen to see what that book offers in terms of inspiring him to get out there.

[Ryan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a guy that travels the whole New Zealand and goes on big adventures. My favourite part of the story is all the parts where he gathers his own food, like hunting or diving for paua or spearfishing. My favourite character is Brando (The main character and author). A lesson I learnt is to go outside more often.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I learnt a fair bit about Stewart Island.
I could relate to some of the life lessons he talked about, regarding self discovery.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic, but considering who wildboy is. It has been written well. The story flows nicely and I learnt things.

[Ned Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book would highly recommend it!. It really relates to me because of him self-having dyslexia and finding the bush his happy place which I can relate to him. I think Brando is an inspiration to NZ people being the first person to walk around NZ,
I learnt many new tricks from his story, for example how to start a fire with flint and steel and also how to fish for eels.
this new knowledge would be good for the next time I'm in the bush!