Wow, what an amazing adventure - I have just made it to Bluff, completing my journey on the 3000km Te Araroa Trail! I can pretty confidently say that walking the length of New Zealand is the hardest thing I have ever done, yet it is probably also the most rewarding. Walking consistently for 5 months is obviously a huge physical challenge, but what I found to be an even bigger mental challenge. There have been many times along the way where I truly wondered why I had thought this was a good idea, but if there’s one thing this experience has taught me, it’s that if you push through these feelings, you can achieve anything. A huge thank you to everyone who has been following my adventure and supporting me to make this dream come true. To everyone I met along the way, thank you for making this a life changing experience I will never forget. You guys are amazing and have consistently inspired me to keep going. I hope our paths will cross again in the future! Would I do it again? No. Is it one of the best things I have ever done? Definitely.
Some stats from the trail:
3026.4km
146 days (115 walking days)
29 November 2022 - 23 April 2023
76,809m altitude gained
2 pairs of shoes (Salomon XA Pro 3D V8)
Longest day - 44.8km (14 April - Mavora Campsite to Princhester Road)
Most active energy burnt - 14,566kj (2 February - Moturimu Whare to Gladstone Road)
Most altitude gain in a day - 1,939m (19 January - Tongariro Crossing + Mt Tongariro + Mt Ngauruhoe)
I would just like to say a huge thank you again to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. You have made this dream come true and I am so grateful for this. I will continue to post videos about my experience on the Te Araroa trail in the future, as well as my future adventures, wherever they may be!