Dunc Wilson's Waka and Waewae Fundraiser

Kia ora, e te whānau! I have made it to the southernmost point of the North Island! But, there's a but.

After battling the Tararuas, mucking up the Tararuas, paddling the Ruamahanga River to Lake Ferry with a deflating raft, falling ill, missing a bit and then rushing through Aorangi Range in two days flat, it's fair to say my ending of the little island did not go smoothly. But, fear not: nothing about this journey has gone smoothly - except perhaps the paddling!

Turning to the pivot and patch-up skills I learnt throughout 2022, I hatched a plan. In that weird gap between Christmas and New Year, I returned to Wairarapa. From there, I de-mucked up my Tararua ending, filled in a missing walk from a Lake Ferry to Aorangi and then trotted the final 4km to the Cape Palliser lighthouse! My first time there since 2015 and The Big Loop.

My repair job worked, as did my raft repair job, which sadly, due to water flows this time of year, only got about 400 metres of use in this revisit. The southern end of the North Island is complete. However, the entire motu is not. Can you spot what remains to be travelled? Take a look at my map and see: https://goo.gl/maps/8QCCt6E6y1pWiD657

Thanks as always for all the tremendous support and all the donations that have rolled in too. You're all so so special! Dx