Hi I'm Chris

I grew up super isolated 2 long days hike (50km) from the nearest road in the wilds of South Westland, New Zealand at a place called Gorge River. We live off the land and try to be as sustainable as possible. To do this we grow a huge vegetable garden, catch fish, and hunt deer in the wilderness surrounding our home.

As children, we didn’t have a TV, computer, or cellphones. Instead my sister Robin and made our own fun and learned a unique range of skills from living in one of the roughest and wildest places in the world. We both did our schooling at home and would leave twice a year with our family to visit the “city”. Sometimes we would visit family in Auckland and even as far away as Brisbane, Australia.

The skills I had gained from living at Gorge River gave me a huge head start and along the way, I easily picked up the skills I had missed out on from growing up in isolation.

Since 2011 I have been on the road and have been incredibly lucky to experience more things than most people do in a lifetime. I have worked through a long dark winter with husky dogs in Tromso, Norway, taught extreme survival skills at -40°C in Antarctica I have also sailed across the Arctic on a yacht and had so many other crazy adventures.

As I travel I make videos for my YouTube channel. This way other people can join my adventures not just around the globe but also whenever I return home to Gorge River

Order my Autobiography

The story of how an extraordinary childhood shaped an extraordinary life.

On the West Coast of the South Island, past deep fiords and snow-capped mountains, Chris Long grew up two days’ hike from the nearest road. He was born into the country’s most isolated family, his parents committed to freedom from capitalist society and connection to the natural world.

In this inspiring memoir, Chris describes a childhood with nature on his doorstep – helping his father catch crayfish and his mother grow vegetables, playing with toys crafted from driftwood and jade, and learning to live in the wild – until, in his teenage years, he began to wonder: could he survive in the wider world?

By the son of the authors of A Life on Gorge River and A Wife on Gorge River, The Boy from Gorge River is an enthralling account of chasing adventure while forever staying true to where you come from.