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We are New Zealand based adventurers in pursuit of mind-blowing experiences and moments of close escapes. Often to far-flung places, in pursuit of Mother Nature at her worst.
We’ve chased destructive storms, descended into fiery volcanoes and explored remote locations from the Arctic to Antarctica. While Mother Nature is sometimes a very destructive and fearsome force, she puts on the best show on Earth. It’s this connection which we love to explore and share.
The driving force behind Extreme Pursuit
Matt Davison, the driving force behind Extreme Pursuit, loves all things earth sciences, with a special focus on exploring and documenting remote volcanoes across the South Pacific. He stands as one of the world’s most prolific volcano chasers, having ventured to over 200 volcanoes across every continent, including Antarctica. Notably, Matt holds the world record for the “Most number of volcanoes visited in a 24-hour period,” an astounding 53. Matt’s extensive experience goes beyond personal exploration; he’s led numerous expeditions, guiding countless individuals to some of the planet’s most remote and challenging environments. His work and observations have also been used in numerous scientific publications.
In the News
Our adventures and discoveries have garnered international attention, featuring in major publications and broadcast documentaries worldwide. We are also proud to collaborate with industry-leading brands, that provide the vital support needed to power these ambitious expeditions in the field.
Exploring New Zealand’s Wild Side
Beyond his work with volcanoes, Matt has dedicated his life to exploring NZ’s wildest places. These adventures have led to remarkable discoveries and brought to light wonders never before seen in the country. While many of these finds stay secret to protect them, some are documented here.
Caving and Cave Discoveries
Matt’s drive to explore goes deep. He’s a dedicated caver, having discovered and mapped many lava caves in the Auckland Volcanic Field, along with larger limestone caves on New Zealand’s South Island. The New Zealand Speleological Society has formally recognised many of these. You can learn more about his cave discoveries here.
Documenting Geothermal Wonders
Above ground, Matt also has a keen interest in New Zealand’s extraordinary geothermal features. He’s painstakingly documented and mapped hundreds of unique and impressive examples, each with scientific explanations. What makes this work especially notable is that most of these features were previously undocumented, hidden away in very remote and hard-to-reach locations. You can see some of these features here.
Chasing Storms and Earthquakes
Matt’s adventurous spirit also extends to nature’s raw power. He’s an avid storm chaser, having tracked and documented numerous cyclones, major floods, and even earthquakes.
Notable Achievements, World Firsts & Discoveries
- Directed a historic Google-sponsored expedition 500 meters into Marum Crater’s active volcano, capturing its lava lake and bringing one of Earth’s most extreme environments to Google Maps for the first time.
- Guinness World Record holder (pending) for most volcanoes visited in 24 hours. Have explored over 200 volcanoes worldwide.
- Discovered and surveyed over 20 caves, including one of New Zealand’s largest lava caves, New Zealand’s largest ice cave and New Zealand’s only known ignimbrite cave.
- Part of an expedition team that was the first to explore previously uncharted regions of Antarctica.
- One of the first explorers to set foot on Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, Earth’s most recently formed (and subsequently destroyed) volcanic island.
- Led a winter expedition through the Arctic to the remote Beaufort Sea.
- Completed the first-ever foot circumnavigation of Manukau Harbour, traversing more than 400 kilometers of coastline.
- Completed a world-first endurance challenge: visiting all 53 of Auckland’s volcanoes in under 24 hours.
- First to make a full descent to the bottom of Manaro Voui Volcano’s 2018 Cone. One of the first to climb the volcano post the 2018 eruption.
- One of the first to land and climb Ruang Volcano post eruption.
- First to extensively explore (on foot) and document Ambrym volcano following its catastrophic 2018 eruption.
- Chased and documented over 50 extreme weather events, including cyclones Gabrielle, Dovi, Gita, and Cook.
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