North Island Done
14 January 2026
Kia Ora from windy Wellington.
We finished the North Island on the 13th of January!!
3 days after Palmerston North we began the Tararua Range. And wow did this section live up to its reputation.
We had 5 days of relentless mud, slick roots, knife-edge ridgelines, some really steep climbs, endless descents, howling wind, and cloud that swallowed the tops whole. Slips and falls.
We climbed through beautiful beech forest - known as “the goblin forest”. We broke through cloud on high peaks for breathtaking views stretching from Kapiti Island to the South Island, Ruapehu and Taranaki, and then plunged back down into moss-covered valleys and cold rivers.
Standing at the bottom of the south island, with tired legs, it hit us just how far we’ve come. 1740.6 km to be precise. 86 days including rest days. An epic adventure. So many amazing people. From the very top of the country, across beaches, down rivers, through forests, up mountains, farms, volcanoes… and finally through the toughest mountains of them all so far.
North Island: done.
Grateful. Humbled. A little broken. And really proud.
We’re also incredibly grateful for the support behind us off-trail. Thanks to your generosity, our walk for Totara Hospice has now reached over 93% of our $10,000 fundraising goal. Knowing we’re so close gives every hard kilometre even more meaning.
South Island — we’re coming and we can’t wait!
Ngā mihi nui,
Aldo & Mark – Te Araroa for Totara Hospice
