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July 26, 2026 - Marlborough Book Festival •

Northbound

Naomi shares stories about the challenges and joys of walking Te Araroa. Over nine months, she traversed mountains, rivers, cities and plains through all seasons and weathers, fulfilling a 20-year dream. Along the way, Naomi endured the physical challenges of the trail, but enjoyed moments of connection, solitude, and unexpected happiness. Naomi reflects on what it means to step away from everyday life and commit to a demanding and deeply rewarding project and the quiet transformations that happen when you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Past Events

Jun 5-8, 2026 - Maruia River Retreat •

Creative Writing & Reading Retreat (Winter Edition)

Our summer retreat was so popular we're holding another! This winter, step into a storybook setting with New Zealand best-selling author, Naomi Arnold, as she leads her second Creative Writing & Reading Masterclass at Maruia River Retreat. Creative writing workshops will help you work on writing that feels alive, and gentle mindfulness exercises will help you come up with a plan to tackle any personal and professional barriers to your writing. You’ll leave with a big dose of passion and momentum. In between, hot soaks, sauna, gentle yoga, forest bathing, and guided walks will weave wellness into each moment, while top-class nourishing meals warm the soul. It’s a retreat where writing and nature meets, leaving you refreshed, invigorated, and a little more inspired.
Sat 9 May, 2026 - Featherston Booktown •

Storytelling Under the Stars

Join New Zealand authors Naomi Arnold and Annette Lees for an intimate conversation about walking in the dark and encountering nature beneath the night sky. Like meeting in a back-country hut after a long day's tramp, they'll share stories of wonder, memory, and the magic the dark reveals. Settle in with a hot chocolate, as if you've just arrived at the hut, and listen in. Suitable for ages 13+

Presented in collaboration with Wairarapa Dark Sky.
Fri Jan 30 to Mon 2 Feb, 2026 - Maruia River Retreat •

[SOLD OUT] Summer Creative Writing and Reading Retreat with Naomi Arnold

This summer, step into a storybook setting with New Zealand best-selling author, Naomi Arnold, as she leads the first Creative Writing & Reading Retreat at Maruia River Retreat. Think “Nature Book Club”. Gentle yoga, forest bathing, and guided walks weave wellness into each moment, while nourishing meals warm the soul. It’s a retreat where books and nature meet, leaving you refreshed, inspired, and a little more in love with summer.

The 3-night Retreat Package includes:

3-night Private villa solo or twin-share accommodation with river, mountain and forest views
All meals
Daily yoga classes with Cristina
Creative writing workshops, daily reading workshops, activities and sessions with Naomi Arnold (total of 10-12 hours)
Guided nature walks in 500-acres of native beech forest
Forest bathing in the outdoor Stoked Hot Tub, Infrared Chroma-therapy and Finnish Sauna
Use of all wellness facilities
Optional extra: spa and massage treatments
Sun 2 November 2025 - Tauranga Arts Festival •

Northbound: Naomi Arnold

Award-winning journalist Naomi Arnold’s account of spending nearly nine months walking the length of New Zealand on Te Araroa is riveting, at times heart-stopping and many times joyful. In this magnificent memoir, Arnold traverses mountains, rivers, cities and plains from summer to spring; walks through days of thick mud, blazing sun and lightning storms, and into cold, starlit nights. Join Naomi Arnold as she shares her tales from Te Araroa.
Sun 2 November 2025 - Tauranga Arts Festival •

Descending Fire: Remembering Sherryl Jordan

Rocco, The Wednesday Wizard, The Juniper Game, Winter of Fire, Tanith… Tauranga resident Sherryl Jordan wrote some of Aotearoa’s most beloved novels for children and young adults. Join Jordan fans Claire Mabey, Naomi Arnold and Debbie McCauley for a conversation about Jordan’s memoir, Descending Fire, and Jordan’s novels and their impact. The session will  include images from Te Ao Mārama Tauranga City Libraries Sherryl Jordan archive, including images of Jordan’s art.
Sat 25 October 2025 - Nelson Arts Festival •

Inside the Media

Two of Aotearoa’s most highly regarded journalists, who worked together as part of Stuff’s #MeToo team, speak candidly about the shifting landscape of journalism in an age of misinformation, outrage, and fragile business models. Led by fellow journalist Naomi Arnold, this timely conversation considers the inherent structural challenges in the media, the role of advocacy in journalism, and how we can establish which media to trust.
Fri 12 September 2025 - Story Worlds New Plymouth •

Kōrero Matua: Te Tā i te Ara: Te Ahu Whakateraki i te taha o Naomi Arnold

Step into the wild with Naomi Arnold, critically acclaimed author and award-winning journalist, as she shares stories from her latest book, Northbound—a lyrical and honest account of walking Te Araroa, New Zealand’s longest trail, from Bluff to Cape Reinga. Over nine months on foot, Naomi traverses both physical landscapes and emotional terrain, weaving reflections on nature, science, solitude, and the art of storytelling....
Sat 30 August 2025 - WORD Christchurch •

Epic Adventures

Award-winning journalists Kate Evans and Naomi Arnold share how one big passion can unlock a world of adventure. Evans delves into the global history and cultural meaning of the love-it-or-hate-it feijoa in her hit book Feijoa. Arnold details her epic nine-month journey of self-discovery walking Aotearoa’s Te Araroa trail in Northbound. Hear how intense focus leads to profound connections, in this conversation between the two friends who are now working together on a travel book.
Thu 28 August, 2025 •

Te Ara Ātea, Rolleston

What does it take to walk from one end of New Zealand to the other, alone? Award-winning journalist Naomi Arnold did exactly this, traversing mountains, rivers, cities, and plains from summer to spring, walking on through days of thick mud, blazing sun, lightning storms and cold, starlit nights. Join us as Naomi shares tales and inspiration from her journey and her latest book Northbound: Four seasons of solitude on Te Araroa. Hear tales of the colourful locals and travellers who delighted her and of the joys and pains found in the wilderness, solitude, friendship and love. All ages welcome.
Bookings required.
Sun 22 June 2025 - Wānaka Mountain Book & Film Festival •

Words & Wine

Experience the grit and vulnerability of nine months alone on the trail as Naomi Arnold walks the length of Aotearoa in Northbound, navigating both Te Araroa’s challenges and the landscapes of grief and resilience. Confront the disorienting reality of being adrift at sea with musician and voyager Andrew Fagan in Swirly World: Lost at Sea, a raw and reflective account of unexpected isolation and surprising self-discovery. Witness the inspiring story of world-class climber Beth Rodden in A Light Through the Cracks, confronting trauma and finding solace and strength in the mountains. Journey back in time to grasp the formidable obstacles – both societal and environmental – faced by the audacious team to make the first all-women’s ascent of Denali in Thirty Below with Cassidy Randall (beaming in from USA!). Finally, immerse yourself in the wild beauty and ecological significance of a unique wilderness with Dave Hansford’s Kahurangi, an exploration of its diverse landscapes, rich history, and vital conservation efforts – with a special toast in memory of fellow outdoor author-photographer Shaun Barnett’s (A) Wild Life.
Fri 18 May 2025 - Auckland Writers Festival •

Masterclass: Writing the World

Journalist and author Naomi Arnold’s first-ever published magazine story was a Listener travel piece on Thailand and she has made writing about people and place her career ever since. Join the award-winning freelance travel, science and nature writer for a masterclass in crafting compelling travel narratives. Learn tips on research and capturing and conveying place, character and experience to bring your adventures to life, whether for publication, family or personal reflection. There will also be a discussion about the freelance publishing landscape today – bring along your burning questions.
Fri 16 May 2025 - Auckland Writers Festival •

Notes From a Small Island

From Bluff at the bottom of the South Island, to Cape Reinga at the North Island’s very top,award-winning journalist Naomi Arnold (Northbound) spent nearly nine months walking the motu-spanning Te Araroa. NZ Columnist of the Year Joe Bennett’s early 2000s hitchhiking adventures became the funny and internationally best-selling A Land of Two Halves: An Accidental Tour of New Zealand, a journey he recently opted to revisit – now as “a pensioner with an iffy prostate” – to see how the country has changed. They join Liv Sisson to recount the twists and turns of their respective adventures, and reflect on what insights the journeys gave them to Aotearoa New Zealand today.