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37.5km
I did it! 1364 Kilometers hiked from one end of the South Island of New Zealand to the other. Over every single mountain, saddle, valley, river, road in the way.
The last day. I felt like crying in the morning. More a nervous feeling. I didn't want to start, I didn't cry either but just the feeling of being so overwhelmed because this was the last walk together. This was the end of over a years planning and a few years of dreaming. And I was about to complete it.
Did I expect I'd get here - to be honest - yes. There was no doubt in my mind that I'd make it to Bluff. (Unless I got seriously injured). What I never expected and I think that's what I love the most about thru-hiking is not knowing what the 58 days before Bluff would hold.
Who I'd meet, where I'd get to, what events would occur, what adventures I'd be taken on.
I should have known that it was never just going to be Laura and I, or even just me, I may have wanted to be alone but in the end deep down I knew I would never end up on my own.
The four of us were excited this morning. We'd received a text from Laura who was camping at a camp ground saying she had already hit the road well before 5am. We excitedly packed our bags, happy this would be the last time we had to staff a sleeping bag in a compression sack and put our filthy shoes and socks on but then we didn't get far and ended up at the cafe downstairs having breakfast and coffee after coffee. Reminiscing about events on the trail, games we'd played, laughs we'd had.
The waitress asked where we were off to we told her what we had done and she said wait I think we have medals for doing the Te Araroa. Ivan having started early October in Cape Reinga deserved this medal. We said he couldn't put it on until he had got to Bluff and we'd present him with it. He was happy for that and handed me the large medal. 'hehe now I don't have to carry it!' he smirked. Why do I still fall for this!!
Now it was time to depart and walk out of the streets of Invercargill. We were so tired yesterday none of us wanted to walk to a supermarket to buy our celebratory beers or champagne to take with us. This led to a semi panic when we realised we now have nothing to mark the occasion. We set Ivan off on a mission all around town to find drinks while we continued our walk to Bluff alongside the estuary.
Reconvening together on trail after 10km, we cracked open and shared a beer and all had what probably would be our last OSM bars. We were still in swampy marshland and so if we wanted a toilet break this would be it before walking on the road. Conny went first in the bushes. We have a running joke that whenever one of us girls goes off trail to go toilet Ivan calls out 'I can see you <name>!' even though we knew he couldn't it would still make you panic and crouch down lower. I then headed into the bush only to go one step further than where Conny went and I fell into a swampy creek hidden in below the grass. Whyyyyyyy now! The one day I could have dry shoes and socks I was now yet again covered in mud. Everyone laughed but tried to be nice and say my feet wouldn't have been used to walking in dry shoes anyways.
It was onto the walk for another 20km along the main road to Bluff. It was boring, so uninteresting and as there's a port at Bluff there were logging trucks flying past along constantly. The only joy we got was being absolutely idiots with each other and then the occasional truck would beep his tuneful horn at us.
David was in the worst mood I'd seen him in all hike. Ivan was ever so annoying and Conny was in determination mode. I was indifferent and just enjoying being in there company.
A very quick lunch stop at 1pm and then back on the road. This time we all put music in to get us back in the hiking mood. Eventually making it to Bluff.
I'd kind of dwardled along this stretch doing my blogs and so I fell behind the others.
Of course as soon as I turn into the Bluff headland walk I miss an orange marker and end up on a 4wd track high up parallel from where I actually needed to be and seperated from it by an electric fence. I'd hiked to far along it now to turn back so I kept going thinking at worse I'll go thru the fence. Questioning to myself how you could get through an electric fence as quickly as possible. I was so frustrated! This track needed to be at an end!
Luckily I found a spot animals must use to go under the fence so with my pack off I crawled on my belly and got through and rejoined the path.
The track goes around the base of the headland but of course the TA trail wouldn't want that, that's too easy, instead they want one last 400m elevation climb up a hill. Straight up with steps. It was hot and humid and in forest. I. Was. Done.!
I was so angry and frustrated. Why now?! What was the point of this.
I meet the others at the top who were all wrecked and even though we only had 2km left we sat and laid in the sun exhausted for quite some time.
Summoning up the energy for the last 2km we get up, put our packs on and start again. Only this time it was downhill and our mood changes within a minute. David started to run and so we all did to keep up with him. Mimicking any action and jump he did. Talk about adrenaline we're running 2km after walking 1362km. We were yahooing, Ivan was hiding behind trees scaring us, we were having a ball when next minute we are out of the forest and there in front of us was the Bluff sign. We had made it.
We hugged each other! We were so happy. There were other tourists around asking about our journey a little I disbelief. 'we walked the length of the South island'. 'what do you mean? You hitched it?' 'no we hiked it'. 'oh so parts of it?' 'no we started at ships cove 58 days ago at the top of the South Island' and hiked through the mountains in the middle right to here'.
It's hard to get people to understand. And the fact is they will never truly understand unless they do it. How hard it really is, but how you just seem to get the strength to do it. Day after day after day. On the toughest some times barely there tracks. Up steep mountains of scree. Over passes in terrible weather. Through never ending forests.
It was photo shoot time for us all. We had a ball. Then it was time to do the group photo we had practiced for at Merrivale Hut. Success! Except the girl taking the photo goes 'what are you trying to spell?' and that didn't really instill much hope. After taking all the photos we could possibly want it was time to head to the Oyster restaurant for a drink and dinner. The fanciest place we'd been in for months and I had one of the best meals I'd had in a very very long time, Beef cheeks with beetroot and red onion salsa.
There would be no tents or huts or hostels tonight. We had booked an Airbnb to stay in so we hit the road again to find it. It was the cutest cottage overlooking the bay. We raced another km to the Four Square arriving with 5minutes to spare to grab ingredients for a big breakfast cook up and also wine to celebrate finishing the TA.
With tunes on, freshly showered, clothes in the wash (I had no clean clothes and had to just wear a blanket) we chilled on couches until early in the morning. We had done it, our TA journey was over!
I did it! Te Araroa complete. 1364.6kms hiked over 58 days. What a journey! This country is incredible and I'm so lucky to have been able to thru-hike it and see it on foot.
I can't quite believe it's done but what I've learnt from this epic adventure is to take risks, trust yourself and know that you are stronger than you ever imagine yourself to be.
I cannot believe your body can hike day after day after day and not tire of it. I'm still unable to fathom the grandeur and beauty of the landscapes I walked through so much so every day was so epic and stunning you forget how amazing the day before was.
I'll be forever thankful for my 'Wrapalicious Crushed Chip Gang' for making every day the absolute best day on trail. And I know Ivan is sick of me saying 'today was my favourite day', day after day but the fact is its true. This hike made me so happy, constantly happy and proud of myself.
It's going to take a while for what I've actually done the last 2 months to sink in so until then here's some stats...
Days: 58
Zero days: 5
Longest day: 45.5km, 14.5 hours
Shortest day 12.5km, 2.5 hours
Average days: 8 hours
Favourite day: every day
Days with wet feet: 34
Days of sun: 54
Nights in tent: 26
Highest no. river crossings in a day: 57
Litres of water drunk: 356L
Food craved: chocolate milk
Peanut butter jars eaten: 8
Packets of mi goreng eaten: 75
Sunscreen bottles: 4
Socks: 5 pairs
Trail runners: 1
Sets of clothes: 2
Blisters: none
Greatest crew: Laura, Conny, David, Ivan & Sam.
Laughs: constantly
I'll be forever thankful for my 'Wrapalicious Crushed Chip Gang' for making every day the absolute best day on trail.
I want to write more on these strong, brave, fearless people: Laura, Conny, David, Ivan and Sam but I'll save that for another post when I can put into words to describe this unreal trail family we formed. This photo below is us in a nutshell and a favourite of ours. Happy!
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Ive now had two days rest and have headed to Stewart Island and on a whim have decided to do a two week trek around the southern and north west circuit. I thought I'd never eat another wrap again, do a resupply, or put my shoes back on but here I am. Life is made for spontaneous adventures and you just never know what's next.
Ren x
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