The 19-year-old orienteer was in Dunedin at the weekend for the Taitonga (Southern) Regional Championships.
She has already been selected for the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) in Plzen, Czech Republic, in July, and used her time at the weekend to prepare for it by participating in the senior men’s grade.
"The terrain for the course was quite hilly and is varied; so it’s quite relevant preparation for JWOC", Miss Stewart said.
"It was definitely a good experience comparing the courses and the choices of the men. It was a longer course than what I was used to."
She got a taste for orienteering when she was very young.
"When I was in primary school, my older sister started getting into it and I ended up tagging along as I was too young to be left alone.
"Then my parents got into it and I started orienteering in year 7; so it’s always been a family thing."
While being a good navigator was helpful for any successful orienteer, Miss Stewart said there were a "whole range" of skills required.
"You need to be patient with your navigation; but there’s a physical side of it — you have to go up and down a lot of hills.
"It’s a cool sport in that all ages and abilities can get involved. You can run it, you can walk it, you can do what you want."
The competition in Plzen will be the second time she has represented New Zealand in Europe. She competed in Baia Mare, Romania, last year.
"Everything about it is different. You can definitely get lost — the forest can be so different over there.
"I got quite lost for part of last year’s competition, but it’s all part of the experience."
She advised any budding orienteer to practise their navigation skills and map-reading.
Meanwhile, more than 180 people participated in the Taitonga (Southern) Regional Championships at the weekend, which wrapped up with a course at the Otago Peninsula.
Co-organiser Antonia Wood said it had a "real family atmosphere" with participants ranging in age from 5 to "some in their 70s".
