Hi all
Kia Ora!
As many of you may know, I'm trying to walk the length of the North Island section of the Te Araroa Trail, here in New Zealand. Don't ask why? I can't figure it out either ;)
The whole of the trail cover 3,000 km (1,865miles), starting at Cape Reinga in the far north of North Island, and travels all the way down to Bluff at the bottom of South Island. The section I'm doing, on North Island, covers about 1,700 km (1055 miles) Phew!
I decided to take it on for a couple of reasons. The first is I'm doing it to raise money for Child Cancer, having had a brush with cancer myself a few years ago. I do feel for these poor children and their families, having to go through such emotional and physical pain.
Secondly, I'm also doing it because, at 75-years-old, I am still reasonably fit and can still walk! Some of my friends are now unable to do something like this, because of age or have other serious issues. Some have sadly passed away.
I met a walker years ago when I was walking the Pennine Way in England and Scotland, 700 km (430 miles). He was getting on in years and was really suffering from seriously damaged knees. He was travelling with his two teenage grandchildren and although he fell way behind us, walking at his own pace, he always caught up with us at the end of each day. His knees were terribly swollen with arthritis and he was in a lot of discomfort and pain. However, the next day he would carry on, determined not to give up. A real inspiration to all of us. I spoke to him one evening and asked him why he was putting himself through this difficult journey, and so determined to finish it. His answer hit me and has always stuck in my mind. He said, "I don't want to be sitting in a bathchair, years from now, in an old people's home, dribbling and smelling of wee, looking back on my life and thinking, 'I wished I had tried that. Even If I didn't finish it at least I gave it my best shot'. So I'm giving it a bash now while I still can, and I'm determined not to give up!" Since that day, I too try to never give up, no matter how hard it gets. I might have to do it slow but at my own pace. So I hope I can still carry on walking, for as long as I can.
So, I decided to do the Te Araroa. I must say I was terribly naive setting out, as most of the long-distance walking I have ever done in my life has been in England and Scotland, where, pretty much, it's from village to village, or in my case pub to pub! Definitely NOT HERE though!! Here it is a totally different ball game. Backcountry and mountain walking, often for days on end, mean that you have to carry everything with you, with a lot of gear to keep you safe and be able to complete your journey.
My first five days were relatively benign. Heading North out of Island Bay in Wellington, and walking through the city and it's suburbs for days, then getting into the very challenging Tararua Mountain Range. I was lucky to be able to share the first two days of this section with my wife lovely Judy and our two sons, Jack and Tim. Judy walked with me on the third day, after that I struck out on my own.
On day six, I began my walk in earnest. I donned my large backpack, loaded with 6 days supplies, heading east, inland from the coast, and up into the Tararuas. To say these next days were a challenge would be a serious understatement. They were unlike any walk I have ever experienced before, and I had to dig really deep. Once in the mountains, there was no turning back for me, or ringing for an Uber taxi to take you home! I was determined to carry on.
On the second day, I met a lovely couple also walking the Tararuas, Nigel and Wendy. They were both seasoned walkers in New Zealand and were wonderful company. Wendy had begun to walk the whole of the Te Araroa Trail 10 years ago and did sections at a time. She told me that she'd been putting off the Tararua Range for ages, as it was meant to be the toughest section along the whole TA. I soon realised that I'd really jumped in at the deep end! I thought it was a bit hard!! We walked together, at the same pace for 5 days, and I learned a great deal about tramping in New Zealand from them both, for which I was very grateful.
The weather was very kind to us, with just one glitch where we had to stay an extra night in one of the huts. The weather had closed in with strong, gusty wind and rain, and the clouds had come down to hide the trail. It would have been too dangerous to carry on as a lot of the track was on exposed ridgelines and we could have been blown off them quite easily. This hut, the Dacophyllum, only slept two, so it was very cosy!
We eventually got out of the mountains, at Poads Road, and I said my goodbyes to Nigel and Wendy who had finished their journey there. I'd really enjoyed their company a lot.
I had close friends in Palmerston North, Malcolm and Alison, near the trail, and their son, Joe, kindly picked me up and they let me stay with them for a few days. I needed a break to recover a bit. One of my knees was seriously injured and swollen. The steep terrain in the mountains was very hard on them both, particularly going downhill. Wendy had suffered the same fate with one of her knees too, but she was very determined not to let it get her down. Total respect!. So we both hobbled along together!
I also had to replace the tent poles of my brand new tent, as one of them had malfunctioned. (They failed again on the next leg of my journey too). I was also able to restock with supplies, as I had to go back into the Tararuas for another 3 days tramping to finally get through them.
The last three days were very painful, but I did get out safely and back to stay with Malcolm and Alison again, which was great. I realised that I really couldn't seriously go on any further. My knee was causing me too much pain and I didn't want to give myself permanent damage. So I got a bus back home to get it sorted out. An x-ray showed I hadn't permanently damaged it, which was good, and with physiotherapy, it greatly improved after 3-4 weeks.
Meanwhile, I had got a full refund for the tent I'd bought and purchased another new one. I'm waiting for it to be delivered so that I can carry on with my safari north again. Only 1,450 km to go!!??
Well, that's my story so far. Thanks for your generous support fro my charity - Child Cancer.
Cheers, Duncan
