We have passed it – the 1000 km mark!
- Days 33-37
- This section: 154 km
- Total: 1051 km
We crossed the 1000 km mark on our 36th day, of which
- Nights in the tent: 17
- Days with wet shoes: 18
- Longest day section: 50 km
- Longest stretch without a shower: 3 days
So far we really do love long-distance walking here in New Zealand: varied landscapes, nice people and above all extremely hospitable New Zealanders!
But what you are actually interested in is what went less well, when and how. Fine!
1. The dilemma with Jan’s shoes
Day 1: 40 km on the beach leave nasty blisters on Jan’s feet. Very nasty blisters.
Day 2: Nothing doing. Jan cuts his shoes open at every spot that has given him blisters.
Day 9: Jan buys trekking sandals.
Day 22: Jan discovers that all the shoes he brought from Germany (and that we had stored in our bounce box in Auckland) are too small. He sends them back to Germany.
Day 22: Jan buys new trail runners.
Day 22: After 10 minutes Jan notices that the new shoes do not fit and returns them.
Day 22: Jan buys new shoes in a different shop.
Day 26: Jan picks up a first long tear in the mesh of his shoes.
Day 27: Jan exchanges his shoes for a new pair.
Day 28: Jan is happy with his new pair!
To be continued…
2. Fire and flames
The day had actually been so lovely. A really well maintained track ran through Hakarimata Forest. And the “possible campground” marked in our app really did allow us to pitch the tent (which is not always the case…). All that was missing was a hot chocolate.
Hm, the grass was growing rather high. And was quite dry from all the sun. You know what is coming.
I boiled the water directly in the mug (instead of in the pot as usual). The mug is titanium – so no problem in principle. Unfortunately the handle got so hot that it could not be touched without burning your fingers (which, logically, you only discover once you have already burned your fingers).
Jan rushed to my aid and lifted the mug with his long-sleeve. Burning a fat hole into the fabric in the process.
I then tried to smother the fire. In doing so the burning meths container tipped over – and set the grass alight… Panic attack!
The fire was quickly put out with a bit of water, though.
3. …with after-effects
1 day later: We wanted to cook ourselves a warm meal. But our lighter had stopped working. Argh… it had caught some water during the fire-fighting. No problem – we had a spare!
2 days later: Shit, shit, shit! Why has our spare lighter stopped working? Or should I ask: why is it not enough to make some mistakes only once? It has got wet again… And the next supermarket is two days away…
Well, at least Jan liked the porridge cold too…
4. Te Araroa only
To everybody planning a holiday in New Zealand who wants to go walking: under no circumstances follow a path signposted only with “Te Araroa”.
Te Araroa track standard – what that means:
- Forest paths that have not been maintained for years: the ground is a mud field in every conceivable variation; where there once were steps, they are now nothing but planks strewn about; fallen trees are the least of your problems among all the branches, shrubs and vines – very often with thorns hanging at eye level across the path.
- Farmland whose crossing takes in every single hill, even where there would certainly have been a route with less climbing.
- The trail is also happily marked out exactly one foot wide across a slope, peppered with holes, one-metre drops and the odd cowpat pit.
- The electric fences we keep having to climb over on farmland via wobbly steps are still live, even where the path runs right alongside them and thick bushes hang in the way.
- Wherever a pleasant path happens to exist, it has been skilfully ignored every single time when signposting the Te Araroa, and a second bullshit path marked out next to it instead, ideally far enough away that you cannot see the good path from the trail.
Or, as our fellow hiker Morgan from Sweden put it:
The Te Araroa separates the smart people from the fools, whereat the fools keep on following the trail.
We took that to heart over the past few days and, instead of the mud-flooded Te Araroa, followed the well maintained Timber Trail.
And now I am so looking forward to swapping my trail runners for a new pair in Taumarunui at kilometre 1051!
