Walking Te Araroa for Westlake Boys High School Rowing

Part 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!)