What happens when three mates trade comfort for chaos, pack their kayaks, and vanish into one of the wildest corners of the planet? You get 100 Days in Fiordland — a raw, high-stakes odyssey that smashes together sea kayaking, whitewater first descents, and the primal art of living off the land.
This isn’t just another adventure film. It’s survival, discovery, and camaraderie, forged in a place so remote that even New Zealanders call it “the last frontier.”
The Spark: Curiosity Meets Obsession
It started in Milford Sound, where Ethan and Daymo were guiding sea kayaking trips. Each day, surrounded by towering cliffs and torrents of whitewater, the question gnawed: If this place is this good, what’s hiding in the rest of Fiordland?
The answer: an unexplored paradise for paddlers — and a nightmare for the unprepared. With towering seas, relentless rain, and fiords that don’t forgive mistakes, this wasn’t a trip for the faint-hearted. But for three friends obsessed with rivers, wilderness, and adventure? It was irresistible.
Survival Mode: 100 Days Cut Off
Forget resupply runs and cosy huts. Between food drops, survival meant hunting, fishing, and stretching flour into fry bread over a smoky campfire. “It was nice to take things back to basics,” they admit — though paddling a 100kg kayak into uncharted rapids on half-rations is a different kind of basic.
The Fiordland weather loomed as the biggest risk. Storms roll in without warning, and once you’re between fiords, there’s no safe landing until you commit. Picking their window meant life or death. Add in the hazards of dropping into untouched whitewater miles from civilisation, and the expedition balanced on a knife’s edge.
Filming in the Fury
Shooting the film wasn’t just an afterthought — it was part of the mission. But when your cameras are soaked, lenses fogged, and the rain never quits, storytelling becomes survival in itself. With no funding and only personal gear at risk, every frame captured was a gamble.
And yet, that rawness is what makes 100 Days in Fiordland electrifying. You can feel the damp, hear the roar of waves smashing against rock, and taste the smoke of their makeshift fry bread.
More Than Just Athletes
This isn’t a polished Red Bull crew with endless sponsorships. These are just three mates on a mish, proving that you don’t need to be an elite athlete to chase the unknown. Their message is clear: if you’ve got the itch, go scratch it. Grab a camera, hit record, and write your own story.
Catch It on the Big Screen
100 Days in Fiordland is making its big debut as part of the Adventure Reels Film Tour, launching for the very first time this October. Taking over from where Banff’s Radical Reels Tour left off, you can expect an adrenaline-packed line-up of the world’s wildest human-powered journeys, with Fiordland as a centrepiece that’ll leave you itching for your own expedition.
Don’t miss the chance to see it on the big screen — where the waves crash louder, the rapids rage harder, and the wilderness feels closer than ever.
This October, the adventure begins. Will you be there?
Grab your tickets now to avoid disappointment HERE
All images are credited to Dan Sutherland- Videographer, photographer and adventurer
