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Road Trip: The Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon
This post is the first part of a two month road trip I took around The States. September 2017 I got the family discount, even though I wasn’t exactly family. Ross and I had known each other since we were ten, having moved to Big Bear the same year, and given each other shit for our entire acquaintance…so in a way we were absolutely family. I hadn’t been to the Grand Canyon since I was three and didn’t have the keenest memory of the experience. In fact, I remembered absolutely nothing other than a story mum told about how I nearly gave her a heart attack by climbing up the…
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Te Araroa: Motatapu Track
02.03.2020 Day 126 (25km) It was another flip-flop morning. There was the temptation to stay an extra day, but I knew one day would turn into two, because the weather forecast predicted lots of rain for Tuesday. So after dragging my feet for the better part of the morning, I set out to walk along the lake from Wanaka to Glendhu. It was a lovely day with cloud spotted skies and passive breezes. A small crowd was gathered around the Instagram famous Wanaka Tree. I snapped a few pictures as I passed, not bothering to take a selfie or ask anyone to do the honors. (Crazy thing, about a week…
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Te Araroa: Wanaka
27.02.2020 Day 122 (24km) I’m never climbing anothing mountain in my life! That was the reoccurring thought that ran through my brain several times as I fought to remain upright against the wind on the thin ridges. I love heights; I think they’re amazing and the views are often unmatchable, but the second my footing feels insecure or there is an increased chance of falling, I’m an utter wreck. Coming down from Pakituhi Hut would have been spectacular were it not for the wind. The sky was clear and the sapphire blue Lake Hawea shone in the sunlight like a jewel fixed in a ring of commanding mountains. I hardly…
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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 Whanganui River Journey
03.12.2019 Day 44 (5km) Due to a very rainy and miserable weather forecast, I spent today changing all my plans. I didn’t see the point in hiking through thick mud and climbing a mountain I’ve been dying to see, only to not be able to see it. So, I elected to do the canoeing portion of the TA first, then backtrack to do the Tongariro crossing. I did make a point of walking to the canoe hire, which is part of the trail, so it wasn’t a complete rest day. Day’s Highlights: Awesome hitch back to the Holiday Park 04.12.2019 Day 45 (33km kayak) Today was an absolute blast! In…
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Te Araroa: The Timber Trail
29.11.2019 Day 40 (32km) I finished putting up my tent just before the rain came. The flat patch of grass hidden amongst the pines in the timber yard would have fit more than one, but it appeared I would be the sole occupant for the night. It was only five, but already I wanted to lay down and close my eyes. I was getting used to 30km days, but the way had been uneven, always threatening to roll an ankle. From Te Kuiti, the TA hugged the side of a river, travelling up and down through the hills. It wasn’t long before the dew soaked through my shoes and I…
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Te Araroa: Mud and Mental Breaks
23.11.2019 Day 34 (23km) My trekking pole sunk in past the first joint and would have kept going if I hadn’t jerked it back. Knee deep mud, one misstep and I would get stuck, lose a shoe, or both. The climb up Pirongia was a peaceful forest track, with a relatively gradual climb, and a few steep bits that forced me to toss my poles ahead and scramble up with my hands. I was at ease, entirely in my element, alone in the forest. It was only after the hut at the summit that things got a bit muddy. At first there was a beautiful wooden boardwalk that kept me…
Insights and Stories Through the Eyes of a Wanderer
