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Te Araroa: Nelson Lakes
31.01.2020 Day 95 (29km) Today was possibly one of my favorite days on the TA thus far. We strolled out of St Arnaud around 8:30 in the morning and followed the trail as it meandered past the lake and up the river. The path was never steep nor difficult, just a lovely walk in the forest. Initially, the tranquil waves of the lake provided the melody of motion. This was eventually replaced by the constant sigh of the river. We stopped on a grassy bank to sun ourselves as the wind kept most of the sandflies at bay. Then later we dropped our packs and took a short detour down…
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Te Araroa: The Richmond Ranges (Part II)
27.01.2020 Day 91 (14km) I don’t know if I’ve ever been so terrified in my life. An orange pole stuck out of the ground behind a pile of boulders, marking the summit of Little Mt Rintoul. From where I was standing it seemed clear that the trail wrapped around to the left and met the marker on the other side. Looking back, I think I might have been meant to clamber up over the hill instead. The trail to the left took me out onto a tight ledge with at least a 500 meter sheer drop. Panic welled in my chest as the wind nagged at my pack. I had…
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Te Araroa: Pelorus River and Richmond Ranges (Part I)
23.01.2020 Day 87 (0km) How on Earth do I have so much food!? I stayed in Nelson today to resupply and hang out with a few hiker friends, although I had initially intended to head back to trail. The next section is supposed to be a doozy, requiring extra food in case of weather delays. I decided to try those Backcountry freeze dried meals because they are light and have a decent amount of calories. Silly me, I didn’t realize just how much space they occupy. It’s ridiculous, I’m going to look like I’m being eaten by my pack because it is so enormous. I honestly think I let what…
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Te Araroa: Able Tasman
20.01.2020 Day 84 (23km) Well, I’m off the TA again, making up kilometers I skipped on the road sections. My side trip of choice, Able Tasman, a beautiful National Park along the northwest coast of South Island. Sarah and I took an early morning shuttle from Nelson so we could catch the earliest water taxi of the day. They loaded us into the boat at the tour company, then towed it down to the water using a tractor. Since the tides go out by a few kilometers each day, sometimes they have to drive the boats quite far to launch them. We stopped at some iconic rock formations along the…
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Te Araroa: The Queen Charlotte Track
14.01.2020 Day 78 (0km) It was a beautiful day to take the ferry across to Picton. Birds raced the ship through the harbour and out towards the straight. It still amazes me how clean the water is in this part of the world. Back home, leaving LA, the water is always murky green or brown; but here it’s clear sapphire. I spent most of the voyage chatting with another TA hiker while sitting in the sun at the back of the boat. Occasionally, we moved to one of the upper decks to enjoy the views, especially when we hit the sounds of the South Island. Sarah and I spent the…
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Te Araroa: North Island Home Stretch
02.01.2020 Day 74 (22km) I’m lying on an old cot in an empty church, as rain patters down on the roof. There are seven TA hikers using this place as a refuge tonight. Since the Christian School closed, the owners decided to start using the space as a shelter for hikers. After six days in the bush, mostly covered in mud, I can’t decide which was better: the hot scone with jam and cream at the cafe or the hot shower at the church. Compared to the Tararuas, today’s hike was a breeze: an 800m climb up a fairly well maintained forest track, then down root stairs and through forestry…
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Te Araroa: The Tararuas
30.12.2019 Day 71 (15km) I was soaking wet, tired, and hungry, but the second I smelled the fire coming from the hut, I pushed myself into overdrive. It was my first day in the Tararuas and they had met my expectations: difficult and muddy. Within the past two weeks two people I knew personally, had been seriously injured in the mountain range. So, I was absolutely content to take things slowly on the slippery, wet slopes. Rain was my constant companion as I navigated through roots, scampered up rock walls, and climbed up into a bursting green forest, shrouded in mist. Sweat dripped down my face in rivers, and despite…
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Te Araroa: Whoa, I’m Halfway There
28.12.2019 Day 69 (34km) I have officially hit the halfway point of the TA! Although, I’m about 70km short due to road skipping. I’m not concerned, cause there are plenty of side trips I plan to do to make up those kilometers. I will arrive in Bluff with 3,000km. The bulk of today was road walking, though there was a nice river section coming out of Palmy, and then we strolled through farm and timberland, where I only saw two or three cars. Carolyn and I hiked through the sun and shade, past rivers and along bike tracks. When we arrived at camp, a Maori hut in the middle of…
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Te Araroa: A Hiker Christmas
23.12.2019 Day 64 (19km) After yesterday, I wasn’t sure I could handle another hike. Yet, like I’ve done multiple times over the past couple months, I got up, put on my rotten, damp clothes, and started walking. I was going to be meeting up with my friend Will to hike part of the Around the Mountain track. He had already completed most of it, but had to miss a section due to weather. Initially, I had planned to do the entire circuit, but the forecast had turned on me. There was something quite unappealing about hiking alone, on Christmas Day, in the pouring rain. The track was well maintained out…
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Te Araroa: Tongariro Crossing
19.12.2019 Day 60 (33km) Although the majority of the day was along a road, it was definitely a very special and worthwhile strip of road. For starters, there was a dancing ostrich…I mean come on, who doesn’t like dancing animals? As soon as it saw us coming, it rushed to the fenceline, throwing its wings up in its wake. Trev, Robyn, and I snapped photos and videos while it continued to strut and toss its feathers up. Little did we know, our animal encounters had just begun. Farther along, where the sealed road turned to gravel, we got roped into assisting a farmer with herding his sheep 3km down the…
Insights and Stories Through the Eyes of a Wanderer
