201: The Rakaia Redemption, Driving a 4WD to a Glacial Lake with Billy Nunweek

Aotearoa Adventures: The New Zealand Travel Podcast · Nov 5, 2026 · 56m

Billy Nunweek is a landscape photographer and filmmaker who four-wheel drives in Caia, his 1994 Land Cruiser Prado. What started in 2022 as a mission to take one photo he was proud of became a five-year project to drive to a glacial lake in the Rakaia Valley that locals said no vehicle had reached. He shares about the 2023 attempt that ended in gale-force winds and a damaged truck, and why he shelved it. Billy talks about the phone call that changed his mind and the run of setbacks before the trip that tested his resilience to breaking point. He reflects on unfinished business and what it…