Hayter left the army in 1947, but returned to his regiment during the early years of the Malayan Emergency, and later became the chief instructor at the Jungle Warfare School.[3] In December 1949, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services in Malaya.[5] He later wrote of his experiences in the army in the book The Second Step, which was published in 1962.[3]
In 1950, Hayter resigned his commission, and travelled to England where bought a 32-foot yawl called Sheila II. After learning the basics of celestial navigation by correspondence, he sailed to New Zealand via Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, India, Malaya and Australia, finally arriving in Westport in 1956.[1] In doing so, he became the first person to sail solo from the United Kingdom to New Zealand. He recounted the story of his journey in the book Sheila in the Wind, published in 1959.[3]
Hayter returned to Britain in 1961 and purchased the Norwegian-built 25-foot sloop Valkyr, which he sailed solo to New Zealand via the Canary Islands and the Panama Canal. He wrote of his experiences in Business in Great Waters, published in 1965.[3]
After his return to New Zealand, Hayter became the sailing instructor at the newly opened Cobham Outward Bound School at Anakiwa.[3]
In 1964, Hayter was appointed to head the New Zealand Antarctic expedition for a year at Scott Base, where he wintered over. Once again, he wrote a book, The Year of the Quiet Sun (published 1968), about his experience.[1][3] Subsequently, he was awarded the Polar Medal in 1969.[6]
