Tomorrow I walk, and the next day and the next. This is a 10 day stint from Cape Reinga in the north to Ahipara on the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach, where I leave my walking buddy Pete, and head into the notoriously steep and muddy northern forests toward Kerikeri and my terminus of this leg.
My bag looks ridiculously big- making use of every square mm of my 65L pack-with Where's Wally style things hanging off every available strap on the sides.. mostly due to the food and water we need to carry for the 4days down the beach. I may need to reevaluate tomorrow with a clear set of eyes. I look like a ginormous turtle, and risk walking at that speed too... So much for being streamlined! I'm carrying around 5L of water with me as there is no established water source near the beach~ and if we miss the odd water source behind the dunes we'd be in trouble without it. Tonight is the first night falling asleep to the roar of the Tasman, but the last in a while I'll have all the creature comforts... And wifi... And with the last day of being able to say I'm in my mid thirties, I just wanted to acknowledge all the help I've had getting here. First on my list has to be my wonderful mum... So supportive despite the worry I put her through! She must have read every blog out there about the TA (Te Araroa trail)... AND she's taking care of dog! Then there are the friends~ Darren and Daniela bringing me up, Pete walking the 100km beach section with me and all the words of support I've had, not to mention the donations to my causes!! I'm so grateful to all of you who have taken the time to be part of this with me. It fills me with joy ~ and determination as I head to the Cape and start point. Birthday champers drained :D time for some kip. Xx
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Hey, y'all! So my last post was two months ago~ and all the planning, life-on-holding and bits and pieces gathering is almost done. With a heavy heart I ended a relationship that sadly wasn't working the way I was wanting/needing it to, moved out of the flat and am now ramping down business <intentionally or unintentionally....? I think my energies are elsewhere so clients have magically lessened>. I'm leaving all my worldly possessions at mum's and mentally preparing to say goodbye to the dog for months, all the while screaming for us kiwis and us Japanese at the Olympics - so all in all, a pretty bitter sweet, cold but invigorating two months. Excited for the months to come!! nb. this excited feeling constantly swings between fear&anxiety and the palpable anticipation of freedom from societal norms :P How good is it that I get to be bush during the American Political Shitstorm??! I've also embarked on a four week Mindfulness course. Four and a half months, mostly solo. That's me and my internal dialogue... for four and a half months. Just thought I'd get a little help with that. Hahaha! Big news is: I have chosen two charities to walk for: The Women's Refuge NZ and Sustainable Coastlines. givealittle.co.nz/cause/shellsonthetrail I wanted to choose a New Zealand-based, NZ-wide charity which was non-denominational - and there were so many I wanted to support! In the end I chose Women's Refuge because of their emphasis on safe homes. Well supported and safe women mean safe, empowered children, yay! womensrefuge.org.nz And Sustainable Coastlines - what can I say? The plastic garbage patches swirling in the pacific, the farm run off destroying our rivers and the life within them... sad-face emoji. This is a great organisation that educates, organises beach cleanups and fights for clean coastlines. I saw a Facebook post by them, calling for help for a night's accommodation for their facilitators for an out of town event they were running - how cool is that?! A grass-roots kiwi organisation I want to see flourish! sustainablecoastlines.org I'm beyond-words touched that the givealittle page has already had so much support! Next Thursday I'll be having birthday/farewell/fundraising drinks in Ponsonby - can I dare to hope I'll be one sixth of the way to my goal before I even start walking?! <Pressure.to.actually.achieve.walk...!> Let me know if you want to come say hello, and I'll send you the details. I'm also in talks with AK Samba - the hottest Brazilian drumming band in Auckland, I'm pretty sure... :P that I happen to be a part of- to do a busking fundraising gig soon! Update pending. Jump on board - put a few dollars in if you can! If you can do it before September 1st, before Givealittle starts charging 5%, all the better! :P My next blog, out in a couple of days, will outline my walking schedule and route - stay tuned. Chat soon xx Two months and two weeks - the countdown has well and truly started! I'm still sitting at my Gran's kitchen table, sweating a little - partly from the heat of the rainy season summer, and partly from the wonder of how and why I'm embarking on such a quest as to walk the length of the country. There is no gold filled dragon's lair in Bluff after all.. or is there...? My passport arrived: the online passport service is amazing, they had my passport ready in two days - normal service, go NZ! But DHL let down the team by making me stress another ten days before getting into my hot little hands. Anyway, it's here and my lesson is learned: don't check expiry of passport ON THE PLANE. Since my first post, quite a few friends have expressed an interest - in either joining me on parts of the trail - or cheering me on from a distance :D Thanks for your kind words and interest! I will endeavour to make this a trip worth writing home about! I've decided on a camera - Hurrah! The choice was pretty massive - there was quite a choice out there, you have the type (DSLR, Mirrorless, good point and shoot), you have make, model, budget and of course what you're going to mainly shoot. And THEN you have the choice of lenses!! I've gone the mirrorless path - quite ironic really.. in a kind of clueless goes with mirrorless? kind of way... and my baby, once I get it will be a Fujifilm XT-1. DutyFree was left in the dust after remembering I had a contact at Fujifilm NZ. Boom! So that was the easy part! Haha! - Be able to make it back to NZ, and to figure out how to record what my eyes will see on this journey. I'm still working on a schedule - How do I get down to Wellington on foot from Cape Reinga in October to Wellington by December 23rd (when my friends start the Queen Charlotte) while trying to maintain my business back in Auckland and all the other stuff?! Um. I need to get back to you on that one. At any rate I've shifted my start date forward and my departure is now September 4th. My birthday - 36 years crazy. I figure this will be quite a ride in the next few years - the future is looming large and isn't so distant anymore... haha! In essence that is what this trip is about for me: Taking this time while I can, really being in the moment and learning my own pace... I've joined a couple of groups on Facebook - Te Araroa and a group for this year's walkers. Loads of questions and answers flying around. I have the benefit of coming back to a base, <section walking> and as a kiwi, I won't be battling with the language barrier or cultural differences like most others who seem to be international visitors. Got a few more bits of gear to get - namely a PLB or Personal Locator Beacon - there are a few models with GPS attached which would be handy - and a whole lot more planning. Wish me luck! I've had a fire in my belly to embark on a crazy adventure for a while now- and I've decided that Te Araroa is it. I'll be hiking the bulk of it, running some no doubt, and recording it here. This is going to be a trial by this same fire - I can't call myself a writer, photographer, trail runner OR a seasoned hiker by any means, but I can tell you we are in for quite a journey. I'm writing this from my Gran's house in Japan, having found out on the plane here that I had three days left on my passport. Yes, that is the type of seat-of-the-pants traveller.. ok.. person I am. Some parts of this blog may read like an episode of Fawlty Towers, but hopefully it will also contain some humorous tales, some triumph, some trials overcome and some learnings too. Help me know I'm not alone - that you're out there through your comments. I'm going to be turning 36 this year - I feel like I've been dormant for too long now and it's time I got off the couch and got some real outdoors action started. I've bought the official guide book, downloaded the maps and have started on a gear list. There are post offices I can send fresh gear and supplies to - Just like that chick in Wild! Now I have to get myself a camera, teach myself the basics of SLR, how to read the weather maps and deciphering the clouds - among many many other things...! <Googles how to write a blog> October 2016, I'll pack my pack, lace up the boots and hit the trail at Cape Reinga. Anyone wanting to join me for parts of it are welcome, otherwise come with me through this blog - it may make you glad you're still on the couch! But it may also make you see New Zealand the way I hope to see it, like a huge and beautiful playground. Bring it on, Kooooooowweeeeeeeee! :D |
AuthorCouch potato itching to see more of her own land Archives
October 2016
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