Reasons to be grateful!
10 June 2021Part 21: Unfinished business, thanks & statistics!
Unfinished tramping business:
I still have St Arnaud to Lewis Pass section of Te Araroa to complete. This is a 5 night, 6 day section with two 1800m alpine passes to deal with. I'll look at doing it later this year. Any takers?
I also plan to do the Old Ghost Road tramp later this year as well
Things I'm grateful for:
1. Sun rising every morning & the warmth & light it brings
2. Drinking water from a tap - my water came from a stream/river, tarn or water tank
3. Warmth at the flick of a switch - my warmth came from extra clothes when there was no fire or getting to a hut & trying to find dry firewood, chopping it up, building the fire & then stoking it for the rest of the evening
4. Hot water from a kettle - most mornings I had to go outside get water, put it on my gas stove and then wait for 3-5 mins for it to boil
5. This 51 year body being able to get up every day and walk anywhere between 20-40km with a 15kg pack, without any injuries
6. A warm and dry shelter over my head - my tent, backcountry huts and trail angel accommodation have been great. But Comyns Hut was like a corrugated tin fridge, & a night I wished for my own bed!
7. Faster forms of transport - it's amazing how fast a bicycle or car feels compared to the max 6kph of your own two feet!
8. Having company for dinner in the evening - I could walk all day, everyday on my own, but having chats over dinner in the evening is something I really missed.
Thanks to:
1. Hubby John - for holding the fort at home, sorting those 2 boys and packing/sending my resupply parcels to the right places
2. Vodafone - for letting me take 6 months off to follow my dreams
3. Work colleague Yida - for covering my job whilst I was away & giving me a Tekapo Star Gazing voucher to use on the trip north
4. Vodafone Foundation - for supporting my fundraising with their "double your donation" scheme
5. Friends, family, work colleagues, neighbours and rowing whanau - for all the fundraising support. At end May, the GAL page was standing at $8000!!
6. Te Araroa Trust for creating & managing the Trail
Great support from great gear:
1. Aarn Packs - for making bloody awesome packs
2. Leki Poles - for keeping me mostly upright!
3. Injinji Socks & Salomon Speedcross trainers - for just under 3000kms of blister free walking
4. Trackme Hire of Garmin Inreach - for communications when Vodafone wasn't available
5. Montane Trail gaiters - for keeping the stones out of my shoes
6. Recreational Services waterbottle - for being my "go to" waterbottle since Mercer
7. Laszlo headsweat visor - for replacing my washing machine munched 2XU visor & keeping the hair in check
Maasive shoutout to all my trail angels and friends I've stayed with or seen along the way:
• Kerikeri - Fuga Uluviti
• Pataua South - Emma/Andrew Charlesworth & whanau
• One Tree Point - Andy & Justine Amundsen
• Mangawhai Heads - Janine Sullivan & whanau
• Te Rauamoa, near Pirongia - Jo & Tony
• Te Kuiti - Sue Sands (owner of Creative Spaces)
• Owhango - Bray Family bach
• Bulls - Jo & Mike Gallen
• Fielding - John & Rhonda Stroud
• Turitea, near Palmerston North - Lucy & Roger Keedle
• Paraparaumu - Karen & Ian Miller
• Fairfield, Lower Hutt - Roger Collinge
• Wellington Botanic Gardens - Callum Ferguson
• Berhampore, Wellington - Lise Mackie
Best Pies:
• Better by Miles Pies, Te Anau
• Arrowtown Bakery, Arrowtown
• Fairlie Pies, Fairlie (tried in Tekapo)
• Burleigh Bakery, Blenheim
Favourite Tracks:
• Govan Valley - between Matakana Valley & Dome Valley
• Tongariro Crossing
• Lower Silica Rapids to Whakapapaiti Valley/Mangahuia, near National Park
• Burttons Track & Makahika/Mangahao Tracks, near Levin
• Starveall Hut to Slaty Hut, Richmond Ranges
• Slaty Hut to Rintoul Hut, Richmond Ranges
• Lake Sumner Forest between Hurunui #3 Hut & Kiwi Hope Lodge (wonderful birdlife)
• Motutapu Track, between Arrowtown & Wanaka
Statistics:
• Longest kilometre day walking = 40km, Owhango to Tongariro Holiday Park
• Longest hour day walking = 12hrs, Nichols Hut to Parawai Lodge (only 23km!)
• Longest time between haircuts = 108 days (15th Feb to 3rd Jun)
• Weight lost = 5.2kg
• Average pack weight without water 14.5kg
• Shoes worn = 5 pairs (extra pair due to dog chewed insoles in Wanaka!)
