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After almost 4 years I met Logan for the first time again. It’s really crazy how time flies. Back then we walked a part of Te Araroa on the South Island together. My first impression and initiator for the love of hiking. Before that, I had never heard of anyone hiking entire countries. Let alone that there is a whole community. Here on the trail it is not uncommon to have walked one of the better known major trails, the PCT, the AT and also variants of the Camino de Santiago.

Now I myself have already walked more than half of the total 3000 kilometers, and that in just 2 months. What seemed like an infinitely long distance a few months ago, is now quite normal, my everyday life. Maybe even too normal, so that I can’t even imagine having a normal everyday life anymore, having to get up at a certain time to go to work and do errands. Who would want to do that voluntarily every day?

The 25 kilometers that I hike on average every day, I now often manage with ease before the lunch break, depending of course on how the terrain turns out.

So far I have managed without any major injuries. Sure my feet hurt from exhaustion once in a while in the evening or a little toe encapsulates itself in a blister, but otherwise I start every morning at full speed and spend the day hiking and soaking up the breathtaking nature.

If you usually follow a sedentary routine, I’m sure it’s hard to imagine moving that much and then not waking up with sore muscles or aches every day. But isn’t that exactly what our ancestors did to survive? I can only confirm that our bodies are more than made for it. So far, I haven’t heard too many stories about hikers having to abort either. There have been a few dropouts due to injury. Mostly, though, with a return to the trail.

A weekend with Logan

So far, due to the weather, it has not worked out for Logan to accompany me on my hike. Since I am now in the immediate vicinity of Wellington, Logan came the two hours north to look at the surroundings of Wanganui together. He picked me up in what is now, for the 16th time, the most beautiful little town, Feilding. The story goes apparently so that there is a competition in which every year again and again Feilding as the only city participates and also always wins. Also a way to draw attention to themselves.

After checking into our colonial style hotel we went sightseeing. One of the landmarks of Wanganui is the elevator that gives access to the residential area on the hill. This counts here actually as a public means of transport. At the top, a good view from Sauron’s Tower awaited us.

The next day we went to visit a beach and a nature reserve. Perfect to take a little walk and catch up with each other after four years.

Taking it slow

I have more than enough time to get to Wellington in time before my ferry to the South Island. Ten days for less than 200 km. So I take it easy for a change. I make longer and look for a nice place to camp earlier

I enjoy it a bath in the river or sea to take and afterwards nap in the sun. With my upper body exposed, I let the sun beat down on the parts that usually look more like a computer tan, for a change. I take the time to reflect a bit about the day, how did I feel, how did my feelings change during the day. If I was in a bad mood in the morning, it has improved with every step.

In general, I would really like to understand better where certain feelings come from, how they are caused and how I can react to them. Since I’m not as distracted here as I would be at home, I have a lot more room to be aware of my feelings and examine them better. Something I never took enough time for before and now I like to do. I take the liberty of really getting to the bottom of my own feelings, without always pushing everything that bubbles up to the side.

Walking is certainly something that helps to lift my mood, even in bad weather, but of course especially when the sun gives me further impetus

Haphazard

It seems excessive to me how much time other hikers put into planning their days or stages. I leave it at knowing roughly where I will spend the coming night and for how many days I need to have food with me. Of course you can exchange, but I have the feeling that this often only leads to unnecessary stress for something that in the end you have only limited control. Who knows exactly how a stage will be, or how the weather will play into your cards in a couple of days. I like my approach of going more with the flow. Not reflecting on a problem before it even exists.

If I had let myself in on the conversations of what the upcoming leg would be like, I would have had to take food for at least seven days. At least two of that to get from Palmerston North to the Tararuas and then another five to make it over the mountain range. For us, it was clear that we didn’t feel like carrying that much food and we’d rather make another trip to the supermarket in Levin. Of course, it takes time to hitchhike into town and back in later. But in this case, with enough time up our sleeve, it was a compromise we were happy to make.

I don’t follow the weather forecast at all. So far it has always worked out well, just to listen a little bit to what is told about difficult passages and where one should better watch out. The daily weather report wouldn’t affect my actions anyway. In fact, I’m hardly itching to walk through the rain for a day. I take each day as it presents itself to me.

However, when other hikers discuss protruding routes too much, I sometimes get the feeling that I should be more concerned, it just stresses me out. I often don’t even know when people ask me where I’m going to spend the night, or if I’m going to walk to campsite something or other, that these options even exist. I usually just sleep where it is nice. Even if that is sometimes of strange looks, which could betray me, if I put up my tent once somewhere, where it is not seen under circumstances gladly.

Bad news clouds the mind. Since I am not a believer, I have resolved not to let it affect me so much either. Ignorance for the win.

A little bit we have then, nevertheless, directed ourselves after the weather. The Tararuas, a mountain range north of Wellington, is one of the most difficult sections on the North Island. With heavy storms and visibility reported to be closer to zero meters, Josie and I decided to skip this part and come back when the weather was better. After all, we had already missed more than enough good views and there was time to spare.

Theo, a young man who bagged us hitchhiking, completely blew my mind once again. He saw us standing on the side of the road, but didn’t react directly. I see him walking towards us and wondering where we were going – coincidentally, to the same place as him. He took the trouble to stop and walk all the way back to come and pick us up from the curb.

I always bring up the subject of friendliness during conversations. I guess there seems to be something about us hikers that we are offered so much help. We seem to radiate a certain neediness and harmlessness. With a big backpack on our backs, we hardly seem to be a criminal and a good story is guaranteed .

Wellington is one of the greenest cities I know. So green, that even some trails go through the middle of the city. I had, after my experiences with other big cities, rather expected to walk endlessly along streets with hectic traffic. I was proven wrong. Most of the way into town was a trail that wound through the mountainous city and eventually ended at the ocean.

So it’s done. I have arrived at the southernmost tip of the North Island. If only I don’t have to go back a bit to catch up on what I’ve been putting off. I hope that I will be blessed with better weather in the coming days. If not, a few days without gale force winds on the mountain top will have to do. Let’s hope that the changeable weather here moves in the right direction. According to reports, the most difficult days so far on the trail.

While waiting in Wellington, I organized a few more things for the South Island. In the following weeks there will be a few sections where there is no or only a very limited possibility to get food. The task was to figure out which sections these are, how many days of food are needed, and where I can send packages of food. I decided on three places to send a package of food to for 4 or 6 days each.