great sunset photos, landscapes, and action shots

I'm buying this camera for a friend who is an adventure traveler and minimalist.  He's leaving for a 1+ year round-the-world trip, which will include backpacking, swimming, and possibly some adventure-type sports.  He prefers point-and-shoot simplicity, and doesn't often adjust settings beyond selecting mode, but he's been known to tinker a lot to get the "perfect" sunset picture (those are important to him).  I'd consider a standard point-and-shoot, but he really needs a very rugged, weatherproof camera.