Made it!
3 April 2024
On 3 March I arrived at Meretoto / Ship Cove at the northern point of Te Waipounamu South Island, and the end of my Te Araroa.
(Because of high river flows, I had earlier postponed the sections between Greyney's Shelter and Windy Point - I completed these parts between 18 - 25 March.)
The 1,300km journey comprised of 53 walking days and 4.5 cycling days.
The longest walking day was 14 hours but quite a few days consisted of more than 10 hours of walking. On several days I managed to do almost 30km.
Sometimes I managed less than 1km per hour! The shortest non-zero day was 4km in 6 hours to go over Goat Pass. 2km in 2 hours in the morning to go up, 2km in 4 hours in the afternoon to go down.
I learnt that even with ultra light gear I didn't walk faster than the first time with heavier loads, but it was over 20 days faster than the first time.
When doing my first Te Araroa, I learnt it's not meant to be enjoyed, it is to be endured. So when people ask what are my favourite parts, I usually reply with my most hated tracks:
1) The Motatapu (Goat) Track
2) Mt Linton
3) Timaru Creek Track
4) Ashburton River North Branch
No's 1 and 3 because of the steep and difficult terrain. No:2 because of the human factor. And No:4 requires wading across the river 49 times!
