"Steep, hilly and arduous"...

These are not the words you necessarily want to read over breakfast as you peruse the trail notes for the day ahead.  The description however seems to have been the order of the day lately as we walked south from Auckland to Waitomo. 

The last 11 days have seen us tramp through many dense and mountainous forests which makes for a beautiful but exhausting challenge.

For days the trail has been a medley of steep forested ridges, thigh busting ascents and knee jarring descents, kilometres of muddy bog forcing you cling onto rotting trees whilst you hoist yourself around from one grass tussock to the next, trails so overgrown with head high ferns that you dont see the trail so much as sense there should be one there (and all the while hoping you dont trip over a hidden log or fall down a step), trees snagging your hair and pack, vines looping themselves around your ankles as you try to walk forward, slippery tree roots where you put all of your energy into pushing up to the next rock only to find that your lower foot slides futilely over the roots below leaving you no further forward but exhausted from the effort.

I'm not bad at an endurance challenge.  When we got lost in the Hunua Ranges for a tramping marathon that saw us escape the forest 13 hours later at 9pm with no water left between us, one of my French hiking buddies commended me on my calm and steady pace and attitude - "Always fresh.  You always look like you've just started out for the day".

Whilst hiking for two days over the Pirongia Traverse, a seemingly never ending rollercoaster through dense and tree-rooted forest I crouched and crawled under a peaty log, sending a shower of dirt down the back of my neck, mixing with sweat and sticking to skin to rub under my pack's shoulder harness.  I gritted my teeth and tried to summon something philosophical like 'this too shall pass'...

But yesterday's 11 hour traipse through the Mahoe Forest nearly broke me.  Once more I found myself bashing trough vines and overgrown tracks, one arm bloodied from the prickly gorse I pushed through.  Vines with tiny spikes latched onto my skin and ferns caught on my hair.  In places the narrow off-camber track, barely wide enough for one boot's width, was overgrown and often required you to climb over fallen trees - a huge energy sap.  As I was slapped in the face by a tree for the umpteenth time, and slid and fell over onto rocks and roots I have to admit to a few tears of frustration and utter exhaustion.

Maybe its the forest, maybe its because I hadn't had a day off in 11 days, maybe its my limited hiker diet not providing sufficient fuel, but it was a challenging day and I could have kissed the road when we finally reached it!

Today is a much needed rest day in Waitomo and tomorrow we head further south again, edging closer to the volcanic desert of Tongariro and Mt Ruapehu.

The ups and downs of the trail, both metaphorical and actual, continue...

 Laura

Not crazy but not lazy...

It's an interesting observation when you realise that your body has started to accept its new routine of walking all day...every day.  I remember before leaving home reading other hiker's blogs, talking of walking huge days of 40km and thinking to myself "Pff....well I won't be doing that any time soon thank you very much!"  But within the first few weeks I found myself having done a 40km day and it actually wasn't that difficult.

Before this journey the longest I had ever walked in one day was 30km (without a pack).
Before this journey the longest I had ever hiked with a pack was 65km (over 5 days!).  
And now I find myself in Auckland having hiked over 500km, still with a few thousand odd to go.  Best not to think about it....

The last few weeks have seen me trek a lot of the northern east coast of New Zealand, along beaches and coastal cliff top paths, past beautiful little coastal bays with dotted with dream homes and 'baches' (the New Zealand beach or holiday home), across muddy estuaries, and through a few more muddy forests.  In the past when I've thought of New Zealand the mind conjures images of impressive snow capped mountains and wilderness.  I had not realised there were so many beautiful blue swimming beaches and lush flower filled coastal settlements as well.

Coastal walking is lovely but does require some planning to avoid high tides, and in places the official route requires that you coerce a local boatie into giving you a lift across a harbour or river which does add an element of vagueness to the schedule. 

It was a weird feeling drawing closer to Auckland, hiking the northern beaches, flanked by amazing houses and filled with Sunday beach-goers.  I picked my way through swinsuit clad bodies smelling of scented sunscreen and perfume, with my huge pack on, still with mud from the Dome Forest caked to the bottom of my pants. 

Over the last month I have bumped into perhaps 15 other hikers on the trail.  Everyone has their own goals and plans with a few planning to religiously hike every kilometre of the trail, a few choosing to hike the 'interesting' bits and skip the road sections, and others who are limited by time just doing one island.  Some are on a mission to hike from dawn to dusk, whilst for others its more a journey of meeting as many interesting people as they can and accumulating experiences.  To quote one of the guys I have been hiking with for the last week, our pace is 'not crazy, but not lazy'.  Generally I've been on the trail between 8-9.30am, and setting up camp between 5-7pm, with a rest day every 6 days or so.  My feet have reached a point where the 'cankles' have subsided, and blisters no longer require daily taping.  Pain is a daily occurrence but you learn to live with it and focus on the good bits.

It is difficult to maintain a rhythm long term that exactly matches other hikers, so from Auckland I will venture forth on my own.  Time to study the maps and see what I can expect from the next few weeks!

Until then...
Laura

It's a jungle out there!

  

I've just emerged from the forests of the Far North, dirty, tired, sore and not quite smelling of roses.... It's been an adventure!  I passed through the Herekino and Raetea Forests which were particularly rugged and dense.  There were some long 10-11 hour days, bashing our way through thick lush forest filled with long vines that constantly tried to wrap their tendrils around your foot or your pack.  The ground was a tangle of tree roots covered in slippery mud, and often very steep in places.  It was exhausting and claustrophobic being so wrapped in a dark forest for so long with the ferns and bushes high overhead and forcing you to push your way through.  I half expected to come across a family of mountain gorillas - if you can imagine David Attenborough bashing through a Rwandan forest with a machete-wielding guide, it was that kind of forest... (N.B.  the photo above was taken early in the day when I was blissfully unaware of the ordeal that lay ahead).

Following this, we headed into the Omahuta and Puketi Forests which saw us walking along the riverbed for around 7km.  It was a stunning walk with the river overhung with lush trees, ferns and palms.  The water was clear and swept lazily over a bed of pebbles - up to thigh deep in places. 

But it is the sporadic sections of road or gravel that are a real killer on the feet.  Carrying 18kg-ish with super stiff boots is extremely unforgiving.  My poor feet are unrecognisable to me now.  Feet swollen and fat (I've got 'cankles'!), I was forced to purchase some walking runners today for the easier sections.

I'm currently having a rest day in Kerikeri and will continue on tomorrow to Ngunguru which will take about 5 days.

So 225km down, 2775km to go.  Apparently we're about one-fifteenth of the way there which sounds much better!

bye for now

Laura

Solo on Ninety Mile Beach

Nothing like ticking off a few 'firsts' in one go... Not only my first solo hike but my first 100km hike on a beach!  It was very challenging but at the same time very exhilarating and totally immersed me head first into nature.  Just the way I like it.

Unfortunately Belle and I had to part ways after the first 6 hours due to a flare up of an old hip injury of hers, but after a shuffle of equipment between packs I headed on down the long and empty beach on my own.  All boundaries disappeared as the full realisation hit me that I was out in the middle of nowhere with no one around for miles.  Just me and the birds, the waves, the seashells, jellyfish, driftwood, and the wind.  Camping in the dunes, going to sleep with the sunset and waking up with the sunrise.

Over four and a half days I hiked along the long and largely straight coastline.  With very few reference points to navigate from, the GPS was extremely handy for letting me know exactly where I was, and for helping me find the stream beds for topping up water supplies (or dry dream beds as was often the case).  It's very disappointing when water is getting low to find the 'stream' marked on the map  is in actual fact a damp area densely filled with reeds and trampled on the edges by wild horses hooves.  Not an ideal place to fill up.  On day three I was forced to camp with only 1 1/2 litres of water to last me until the end of the next days hike.  To top it off, that next days hike saw me high in the soft sand dunes as the king tides swallowed up my lovely firm beach.  For the last hour and a half I staggered like Lawrence of Arabia over the dunes, tripping over grass roots buried in the sand, gasping for water.  With about 100 ml of water left I made it to Hukatere where a water tank was a very welcome sight.

So what does one do whilst walking alone on Ninety Mile Beach?  Put the headphones in and have a little boogie while you walk of course!  (After a quick check to make sure there are no 4WD's sneaking up).

So in four and a half days of hiking I got sunburnt, pelted on by bullets of rain, and walked for hours on unforgiving hard flat sand.  Once you figure out how to turn the pain receptors off it was really enjoyable and I was on a high afterwards. 

Today is my second rest day in Kaitaia and tomorrow I begin an apparently tough and steep journey through the forests from west coast to the east coast which will take another week. 

Until then friends....
Laura

Speed bumps turning to mountains !!

Week one and it feels like I have been here a year !!!

 I arrived in New Zealand amped with anticipation for our epic journey which lay ahead of us.

The trip over was as silky and smooth as my ragdoll kitten, I could not believe how easily everthing fell into place. Normally my trips start like the fierce blowing wind of a catergory 5 tornado, rushing out the door leaving a choas of destruction in my wake. Not this time, as I waited in the departure lounge I even had time to play with the camera settings on my new Canon video camera.

A sheepish thought crossed my mind that maybe this was just the beginning of the new me, the new me that was awaiting to shed the skin of the old me. Always late, always rushed and always busy. Now was the time for peace, calm and tranquility. I was supposed to arrive in Kaitaia the day after Laura but it appeared her trip over was not so smooth, delayed flights, thunder, lightning and a scenic flight over the top of Kaitaia before being directed back to Auckland, bummer for her, yay for me as it gave me the day spare to check out the local surf break. I hooked up with the guys at NZ Surf Bros and they are an epic bunch of humans,. If you are up in Northland they can hook you up with board rentals, wetsuits and they have all the local knowledge and epic accommodation right on the beach. Look them up and they can sort you out. http://nzsurfbros.com/

 I had no idea Kaitaia was the gate way to one of New Zealand's best waves, lucky for me the waves were up and I got to see shipwreck bay in all its glory, how could I be so blessed.


That evil voice in my head spoke to me, your not, dont be a fool, your doom is coming. I reminded myself that my old self was going to be desperate to hang on, desperate not to lose the war within myself. Breathe, Breathe, Breathe and the voice was gone.

 Laura finally arrived and we prepared for our trek !! The day finally arrived and we were bright with enthusiasm on our way to the starting point of Cape Reinga, and oh what a sight it was. The sky a shade of torqoise blue, beams of sun warmed our tingly skin and the view melted our hearts. We stood on the cape breathing in the salt air and together we took our first steps along "The Land of The Long White Cloud"

 Less than one hour into the journey the evil voice in my head would rear its monstrous self as a niggle started to appear in my right hip. "Its too far, you can't make it, your hips not up to it". I told it to shut up but the voice continued and the pain bore through my hip like a meat grinder gnawing away at slaughtered cow. By the time we hiked to our first camp site less than 12km away I could barely walk, I knew it was bad, I knew it could be over before it began.

My evil self and my happy positive self began their rounds in the boxing arena. You cant make it, yes you can, no you cant, yes you can. Your a failure, no your not, yes you are. Which voice would win, which one would I choose to feed. Night fall came but sleep did not, as I lay under a million twinkling stars each one blinking with creativity and inspiration I was a broken woman.

 I simply could not trek on in this state. I was in shock, how could this be possible. I thought I would get dizzy, I did not imagine in my wildest imagination that my hip would give in. I kept telling myself the morning would come and all would be ok. It was not. I could not go on. Reality hit like a brick in the face, I could not trek on, not today and not like this. I had no other option but to go back to town and get some treatment.

I had to turn around on day two and 20km into a 3000km trek. How could this be. The evil voice had won this battle, it was he that I fed, he that snickered I told you so, each word breaking my heart into a million little pieces.

 So alone, so desperate as I waved Laura on, she trekked off alone into the distance.

What to do now, the only thing I could, I burried my head in my hands and I sobbed and I sobbed and I sobbed. Back in Kaitaia I await for Laura's return and our next move. What is my plan b, I have to have a plan b. I had after all named my business Plan B Media cos plan A never works out. What will it be, well you will have to wait and see !!

 Belle

Time for some wilderness therapy

In the interests of honesty, dear reader, I’m going to fess up…  It’s been a ‘challenging’ year.

It’s not just the massive Trip Task List that’s been keeping me awake in the middle of the night as I weigh up the merits of one camp stove over another, or wonder how the heck you upload maps and waypoints on the new GPS, or whether my clothing system is going to be warm enough for us in the anything-can-happen-at-any-time New Zealand climate.  And it’s not just the roller-coaster ‘knee-improvement program’ that I’ve been working on with my physio since February (Yeah they’re getting stronger!  Wait a minute, that hurt… Okay, that’s working now!), or the devastation at discovering Belle might not be well enough to do this long planned for trip.  And its not just the bad relationship that finished earlier in the year, leaving me completely drained and broken.   

The final challenge for me is an ongoing struggle with Melbourne Mayhem.

With stress levels already sky high, I now find myself seriously struggling with the additional challenges that come with inner city living…  Squashed into crowded trams with someone’s armpit in my face, music spilling from earphones, the tapping of fingernails on ipads, tooting horns from drivers on a mission, jack hammering from roadworks, pollution pumping out of exhaust pipes and filling my lungs, hordes of people walking as though in a daze with eyes locked on smartphone screens….  

Friends also suffer disconcerting symptoms…  Crazy workload?  Permanent headache?   No time to exercise or eat properly?  Sure.  Apparently that’s ‘normal’, and we accept it as so.

I am surrounded by so much grey and so little natural landscape, and I feel the disconnect between where I am and where I want to be.  My body screams its message loud and clear, insisting on my attention. I feel as though someone is squeezing my heart in their fist.  My breathing is shallow and I’m overwhelmed.  My over stimulated brain struggles to process the glut of information I am bombarded with daily and I yearn for the peace and quiet that I know I will find in the wilderness.

Four weeks to go

Bring it on…

Laura

Nearly over before it began !!

In less than seven weeks our epic journey begins and the preparation process has not been without it's hiccups. After three months surfing the tropical warm waters in Indonesia a tiny microscopic parasite had buried its way into my ear and began eating away at my ear drum. I would awake each day to a pounding in my head akin to the morning after a night of downing 15 shots of nasty tequila similar to what you might find in a cheap run down back alley bar.  My head cloudy and filled with fog so thick I could not think or undertake even the simplest of tasks. The anxiety crept up on me at alarming rates, millions of marching ants crawled through every vain, cell, muscle and atom in my body threatening to cripple me at any moment. Fear leaped deep from the dark of my soul lurching at me with alarming bells the sound of high pitched sirens deafening what was left of my numb cloudy mind. My head constantly spinning with the ferocity of 10 years spent inside the graviton, that nasty childhood ride available at any show for a cheap thrill. Only my thrill never went away, I spun and I spun and I spun. Disaster loomed inside of me.

Adding to this the constant nagging from friends and family that I just simply could not do this trek, I was not well enough, not up to it, in to deep and it was way too long to be away. The pressure slowly boiled, bubbling away quietly until it finally burst, exploding with the sudden realisation and utter disappointment that I had failed myself, my body had failed, I was simply not up to it. Much to the complete and utter devastation and disappointment of Laura. There was not a hole in the universe large enough to swallow me up and eat me alive, I had to live with it.

To my defence at this point I still did not know that this tiny microscopic dot quietly having the feast of its life inside my ear was there eating away a piece of my sanity bit by bit. Fears of insanity clouded my every thought, move and decision. I was simply, just not my self.

The eureka moment came when someone suggested that whats going on must be deep inside my inner ear, which seemed baffling to me considering my ears did not hurt. But alas that tiny piece of insight was a gift sent from the universe as this was indeed the case. Medication and treatment began immediately and like a jigsaw my sanity slowly returned piece by piece.

As the cloud slowly lifted from inside my head clarity once again lured me in the right direction, nature beckoned me into the wilderness, the place I feel most comfortable. The whisper of giant trees calling for me to embrace them, to feel their spirit and enrich my soul. Te Araroa has called and I have heard. The Long Path Way is in my reach. 7 weeks and counting.

Belle