Dancing with the Machine: Adventures of a rebel

Extraordinary escapades from a late-life adventurer

‘Jo Morgan is a woman for our times. Fearless, determined, resourceful. An inspiring story of courage, vividly told with wry humour. A thoroughly engaging read.’ JUDY BAILEY

Mountaineer, adventurer, avid motorcyclist and constant traveller, Jo Morgan has lived an extraordinary life.

The youngest of eight children, Jo was brought up largely by her mum after her father died when she was only one, and she has always had an adventurous side. As soon as she turned 15, Jo got her driver licence and bought her first motorbike: the start of a lifelong love affair.

After meeting her future husband, Gareth Morgan, Jo got married and had a baby. Instead of settling down, though, the couple bought a passenger bus to live in with their children, setting the scene for a life less ordinary.

Jo, along with Gareth and friends, has driven a motorbike through more than 110 countries and visited nearly 140 countries in total.

But she would leave her greatest adventures till later in life when she took up climbing in her late fifties. She set herself a goal of summiting all 24 of New Zealand’s 3000-metre-plus mountain peaks, with the help of her guide and friend Wolfgang, nicknamed The Machine. They would ascend all but two of them before tragedy struck, killing both Wolfgang and his colleague Martin.

In Dancing with the Machine, Jo recounts the remarkable, often hair-raising and occasionally tragic story of her unconventional life.