Daredevil adventurer Jamie Fitzgerald has traversed the country’s wildest landscapes and put himself through potentially deadly tests of enduranceon more occasions than he can remember.
But when he’s not hanging off a cliff, charging down a river or scaling colossal heights, Jamie retreats to the sanctuary – and safety – of his Wellington home, where his wife Kate and daughters Charlie (5) and Ruby (4) keep him grounded.
Jamie (34) co-hosts TV One’s Intrepid NZ with fellow action man Kevin Biggar, recreating historical stories of survival across New Zealand’s dynamic landscapes. The programme follows their popular TV series First Crossings.
“For long stretches of time, Kevin and I are cold, wet and hungry,” reveals Jamie, reflecting on his trials with Intrepid NZ.
“We have to pinch ourselves, though. Kevin and I get to sit on a gorgeous ridgeline where few have been before and watch the sunset. We are so lucky.”
Jamie at the South Pole, showing the effects of ice burn from his 52-day expedition with Kevin.
The adversity they face is not for the faint-hearted, and Jamie and Kevin, who in 2007 became the first Kiwis to reach the South Pole unsupported on foot after a 52-day expedition, tackle it with gusto.
The practical duo formed their solid friendship when Jamie received a last-minute invitation to team up with Kevin in his Trans-Atlantic rowing race in 2003. The pair broke the world record for their 5000km journey in a tiny boat, safely arriving in Barbados 40 days after setting off from the Canary Islands.
Kate (37) was on dry land to meet Jamie, and has been there for him during all of his following epic feats. The couple – both former national rowing champions – met 15 years ago and celebrate seven years of marriage next year.
“I signed up for Jamie’s antics a long time ago,” laughs Kate. “He’s the spark plug and I’m our stabiliser. He does the nuttier stuff while I keep everything ticking over. I always know Jamie will come home. He’s like a rubber ball – he bounces through and comes back okay. Jamie takes us on his journey with him, so I have very few worries or concerns,” she says.
Adventurer Jamie admits there’s no place like home.
But he doesn’t always tell Kate how bad things are.
“When he was filming First Crossings, he had a near drowning in the Buller River. He called me to say it was ‘a bit of a hairy day’, but when I saw the episode, I knew it was much more than that!”
After his trying expeditions, Jamie, who runs a management consultancy business, Inspiring Performance, with Kate, takes time to adjust to normal life.
“He tries to fit into a routine but doesn’t do so well. It’s hard when Jamie goes away, but it’s been like this since the girls were born,” says Kate, who often turns to Kevin’s wife Magdalena to compare notes.
Jamie and Kevin on the Buller River with a mokai – a Maori canoe they made for the First Crossings journey.
“We joke that we are the ‘Lonely Wives Club’,” explains Kate. “We text each other to say we survived another week!”
Kate admits she doesn’t enjoy waving her husband goodbye. “He always comes back battered, bruised, broken and sleep-deprived.”
Last summer, Jamie and Kevin were away for three months, making short visits back home in between.
“I came back to get the washing done,” Jamie laughs, “and have a few decent meals! Kate’s fantastic at keeping the house in order.
” It could be easy to focus on my wonderful lifestyle of travel, fresh air and mountain tops but Kate keeps me really grounded. I know I’m never far from home.”
“I think about early pioneers like Captain Cook, who left his children at home and never saw them again. I can’t get my head around that.”
In 2011, Jamie recalls, he was away for a long time working on a project and called to speak to Charlotte. “She said, ‘Hi, Daddy. Do you want to come and stay at our house tonight?’ It broke my heart.”
Hang in there, Jamie! Filming for First Crossings in Fiordland, the distance between Jamie and the lake beneath him was more than 1000m.
Even though the explorer was raised on a sheep station in Gisborne, he says the biggest challenge of his experiences is being isolated.
“Some parts of the country are more remote than Antarctica! Our satellite phone or mountain radio doesn’t even get coverage,” says Jamie, who likes to call home as much as possible.
“Peace of mind means a lot to us. Kate always explains to the kids where I will be each day. The girls enjoy hearing about my adventures, which make for bedtime stories too!”
Jamie with his fellow Intrepid NZ co-host, Kevin Biggar.
And Jamie admits he may have another mountain to climb with his youngest child already demonstrating his fearless spirit.
“Charlie is full of energy and very conscientious. Ruby’s a little dynamite – strong-willed and boisterous. But I don’t want to dilute that energy, as she might need it for rowing or climbing!”
And while Kate hasn’t yet joined Jamie on his expeditions, she hopes he will show her the ropes now that the girls are old enough to go tramping and camping. “I don’t know if they completely understand the scale of what Jamie can do.
He has adventures with them already, though – going to the playground is classified as one! There’s no holding him back.”
