Map

Here is the map:

https://onthegomap.com/s/kptgcthf

Summary

Wednesday 01st March

With our time in Fiordland and Te Ānau done, it was time to set off through this last section and finish the TA. Reid and I packed up, feeling a little sore and tired still, and set off into town. We needed to do a resupply and so we put our packs into a trolley and drifted around the FreshChoice buying the classic hiking food. Easy peasy, but hella expensive (I also found another pair of headphones!). Last one though, kinda sad! We came out and sat outside the library, packing our bags full of food. A quick drink at the Sandfly Café and then we headed off to the main road out of Te Ānau, planning to catch a hitch back to the trail.

We set our bags down, doing all the right things to catch a hitch. A place where a car can easily pull over. Made our bags obvious to show we had a place and a purpose. Didn’t stand too far out into the road since that can be construed as rude. Smiled and thanked cars that didn’t stop. No phones in sight, no hands in pockets… There’s a whole science behind it I swear. The master of it is Rob though, hitch hiking king.

We eventually got a hitch though, a miracle hitch (which I jokingly said would stop for us). A small campervan with small grubby wheels the size of my hand belching black smoke lurched to a stop, rocking back and forth on the soft spring suspension. A single mum and a daughter were in the front and we hopped in to the living area. Reid and I sat on the bed without any seatbelts and we trundled along, the noise of pots and mugs jangling and kids toys rolling across the floor. It was an experience.

She let us off at Princhester Road and pulled away as we waved her off. We never caught her name unfortunately. Really cool of her! She had been willing to take us all the way to Queenstown!

There was a coffee cart at the bottom of Princhester Road and we got our some fresh, homemade pastries and coffee. I think we needed it. Seemed like we had a calorie overload though, we were buzzzzing by the time we started walking up Princhester Road!

It was overcast and grey, the crunch of the dirt gravel under my feet the only real noise in the silent landscape. Before long, in our worlds, we started listening to music. I usually try and not listen to music on roads, but there was literally zero traffic so I felt it was OK.

Thing is, I must have jinxed it because ten minutes after bopping along to music, I nearly got run over by a car with Anne and Jurene in it! The same enterprising Dutch couple from Mangawaiiti campsite lockdown! They had caught a hitch all the way to the top of the road, to Lower Princhester Hut. Fair enough, very fortunate!

Reid and I continued up the road. Dandelion seeds drifted across on the wind, fairies on the breeze. Sheep and bulls watched us lazily as we sweated our way up this road until we too arrived at Lower Princhester Hut. Anne and Jurene had already left whilst we sat and ate our lunch. Worryingly, the sign said about eight hours to Aparima Hut… Eek! This was where Rob said he would be aiming for today and we were hoping to join him tonight!

Therefore, with no time to lose, we hustled up to the top of Princhester Saddle. Not gonna lie, it was a rough hike. I was on a buzz until I crashed near the top of the saddle and I was left battling, along with Reid. Fatigued. There was heaps of windfall making the path difficult to follow and we just weren’t feeling it. I guess doing the Kepler had cooked us! No regrets though.

We met some DOC workers plus the ranger who had, funnily enough, walked the TA and so we had a nice rest as we chatted to him. He promised that the next couple days were… Thrilling… Every other word out of his mouth was “slackers” though which I like so I may have to adopt this as an insult. Not much of an insult, but still!

We continued on our way, through the messiest forest we had walked through yet. We caught up with Anne and Jurene as we emerged from the forest and into areas of tussock grass, some patches of grass being taller than me. I kid you not. This is the most overgrown the trail has been I think! Crazy!

Reid and I though, we were battling. The last couple days had taken it out of us. Therefore, 7km out from Aparima, we decided to call it. We found a really nice camp spot amongst the trees and this tipped it for us. We could have gotten to Aparima Hut if we had needed to, but we just both wanted to sleep in all honesty… Therefore, after an earlish dinner, we tucked ourselves into bed and we must have been asleep within moments.

Thursday 02nd March

Well, seems as we approach the end, we’re getting more lazy! We had (hold on to your hats) a forty five minute lie in! I am aghast!

Ahaha, nah but it was obviously needed. After packing up, we set off, fighting through tussock grass head high, towards Aparima Hut. I had set off just ahead of Reid and one hundred percent lost the path within five minutes. I found myself wading through this tussock grass, looking desperately for an orange marker, until I took a step into thin air, and fell straight in to a hidden river, drenching myself straight down the middle of my body, much like two-face. Great start to the day. Lost, and now wet.

Cursing, I brushed myself off, checked my phone (it fell in the river. It was fine and still working) and then went about attempting to find the path again. Well, I found it and then proceeded along it, following Reid (who seemed to be able to actually follow a path!). A little grumpy, yeah, that’s fair to say.

We met a German NoBo who had stayed at Aparima Hut the night previously. He had a message from Rob. To (politely) paraphrase, Rob told us to “Hurry up!”

Well, we did exactly that, climbing up and over a hill before descending into Aparima where we once again joined up with Rob! Hell yeah! Day just got better. He even produced a packet of crisps for us to eat with some tea and coffee! I sat and ate/drank in just my underwear, my clothes laid out in the sun, drying.

Rob had had a good time, taking it really easy and slow and his feet were feeling really good which was such good news to hear! We had walked close to 3000km with him, we wanted to finish with him too!

We set off from Aparima, across a swing bridge and then through a scrub and some bog. Feet were staying wet today I guess. The bog led us to a forest where we ended climbing up and down small foothills. The forest was ancient, moss and lichen everywhere and as before, heaps of windfall, rotting and collapsed everywhere. Very derelict almost. But it was wonderfully quiet and peaceful and there were tonnes of Fantails (birds) that kept flying around us, picking out the microscopic insects we flicked up as we passed through.

Lunch was down by the river and then we made our way onto Lower Wairaki Hut. I walked this entire way, listening to the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack, so I was feeling very motivated and epic. There was lots of mud everywhere on the path, very reminiscent of Dome forest. I kinda ended up leaping and bounding along the path, trying to stay as clean as possible. Spoilers, I failed.

At the hut, we regrouped. We had a discussion and decided it was too early to stop, but we didn’t fancy going to Telford Campsite since it was meant to be sandfly heaven. Or hell. Enough to be able to pick you up and carry you away apparently. Looking on FarOut, there were possible camp spots at the top of the next mountain and so we decided to try that out.

Therefore, filling up at a stream, we got down to the business of climbing a 600m plus Hill climb at the end of the day. I engaged the 4WD-, Tararua-, Armound-don’t-stop-mentality. Just… Put on some energetic music (you have one guess!) and just didn’t stop. It actually felt so good. I was sweaty as an F1 driver racing in Singapore, the sweat actually dripping from my face and onto my shoes, cleaning them in the process. Gross, I know.

I got to the top and started a little boogie, waiting for Reid and Rob. The came up and over the top too and we all did a little silent disco. Absolute vibes. We proceeded along the little plateau, hunting for some camp spots. Indeed, there was a little flat spot just beneath the summit. We cleared away three spots, sweeping the windfall away, and then pitched up. Heads up, this was one of, if not, the, best wild camp spots we had on the entire trip!

We ate our dinner and then chilled out on the summit with biscuits and tea. How civilised. We could see the Forveaux Strait though! The ocean! And Bluff was just about visible if you used your imagination. A vague shadow on the horizon, sorta thing! Just stunning!

Friday 03rd March

We were up at 06:30 and drinking some tea and coffee on the summit in the sunrise. And what a sunrise, maybe the best we have had so far? Though I don’t know, can you really compare two different sunrises, they’re all spectacular. But this one! A burnt orange horizon, the intensity of it just wonderful. We were silhouetted against this intense beauty, drinking our drinks, eating our breakfast. Pretty stunning.

The descent, after we broke camp, took us all the way down to Telford Campsite where everyone else had stayed and honestly, thank the lord almighty that we had opted for the summit wildcamp. This place was sandfly hell. We were slapping our arms and legs in mimicry of an interpretive dance as we tried to fill up on water. Just the worst. Talking to others later, they confirmed that it had been the worst place to camp yet. That says something!

After collecting water, we pushed on and into Mt. Linton station, a farm. All farms here in the south are called “stations” like there is some serious science business going on or a military operation. Yeah, nah, not that special, come on. The track was bad as well, but we were told to stick to it otherwise we would be trespassing and would be prosecuted. Really not friendly language!

We crossed the river coming down from Telford campsite, and then unnecessarily climbed up and over a hill. The sun was out in force and fresh from burning the horizon, it was now intent on burning us. Suncream time! I plodded along to some music for a wee while until the track led us onto a 4WD farm track, along the Wairaki River where we bumped into Anne and Jurene and a herd of cows. By the by, we had to dodge plenty of country pancakes, it was rather hazardous!…

We continued along through Mt. Linton, up and over unnecessary hills and passing herds upon herds of cows. Cows are dirty dirty creatures by the way. Hygiene is non existent. But they have remarkable eyes, yeah. We bumped into a NoBo from Perth who was walking in some Hokas. Gave him some advice, and then grimaced when he’d left. Don’t get Hokas kids, they don’t last when thru-hiking. The company’s guarantee to replace broken shoes don’t apply for thru-hikers anymore.

Anyways, we went up and around, up and around, through fields and up and around more hills. You get the idea. We had a nice spot for lunch though, looking over the Forveaux Strait. It’s funny, the Forveaux Strait is incredibly salty, the sea air being very fresh. We could just about make that out from where we sat. I was almost wondering where all the seagulls were, since I associate one with the other!

After lunch, we found ourselves following the path until, suddenly, it disappeared deep into a turnip (Kumara? Swede? Potato? I am not good with identifying these plants) field. Yes, the path that Mt. Linton told us to strictly follow went through one of their fields… Well, no way but forward. It was crazy, we definitely felt like we were going the wrong way at points! We got lost several times and morale was just sinking, like England’s hopes of winning the Six Nations.

We crashed through this field, and fought until we found the trail again and the path became slightly clearer. A trial for sure. We were near the end of this torturous section though thankfully. However, to add insult to injury, it decided to rain. Great. Well… There are worse places to be.

We hit the road, the rain sprinkling down on us and we made our way along. I was in front (bright yellow jacket) and Rob was at the back (bright orange rain cover). Safety. We finally (finally!) turned from Mt. Linton station and into Birchwood station where we found Birchwood Hut waiting for us. Huzzah! And, additionally, there were three beds left! Wonderful! A bit of good today. We nabbed these beds, naturally. Birchwood Hut was not a DOC hut, the farm looked after it. Therefore, it had hot water, an oven, a microwave, even a hot shower!

We had ourselves some well earned cups of tea after our showers and then, feeling the need for some decent food after the arduous day, phoned the shuttle for the local tavern. Roy joined us and we ended up at a tavern, eating pizza and chips before too long. Well spenny, but the delicious food was really appreciated after the day we had had. We got back at a reasonable hour as well, heading off to sleep well before anyone else!

Saturday 04th March

I was up late. Kinda funny really, the other people with us (Till, Tom, Femke, Elise, Roy) all got up at like, 06:00 and were gone by 06:30 whilst Rob, Reid and I were still in bed by like 07:30. Doesn’t sound late, but it kinda is when you’re in rhythm with the sun! I had myself two breakfasts and then we headed out. The blue sky was sprinkling rain down on us which was just plain unfair.

We turned right and walked through Birchwood Station, past all the farming stuff. They had obviously collected all their sheep and were shearing them all today. There was loud banging music going on inside a large tin barn and two sets of sheep in pens on the outside, some with large amounts of floofy coats, and some with basically nothing, shivering in the cool morning. From here, we walked along the road and then turned right, looking up at a large plateau. Just a solid piece of land that had just been uniformly raised from the land. Flat on top, flat approaching it, and a steep slope connecting the two.

We started up this steep climb. Roy had told us that this was the steepest climb on the entire TA but I don’t quite believe him. Steep, yes, but nah we had done steeper stuff in the Richmonds, and Waiau Pass was quite steep too… I had my one pole and I was rowing myself uphill with it. It was exhausting!

The views were pretty though. When I got to the top of this steep slope, I looked back. There were patches of mist, writhing in the morning sun and dissipating and the land glistened from all the dew. I could make out the Takitimu mountains and where we had camped up on the summit which was funky.

From here, we walked on. Past the big aerial tower on top of Twinlaw and then along a wonderfully flat and happy dirt road. I was actually very much reminded of Tentsmuir with heaps of pine trees all around me. After descending from the other side of this plateau through some muddy bush, there were even more pine trees. Their needles made a carpet, muffling our footsteps as we made our way along. We found a place beyond the pines for lunch, dumping our bags in the middle of the road in some shade and filling our rumbling stomachs. Every day of this adventure, as lunch or dinner approaches, Reid and/or Rob have asked me what I am having for lunch and every single day I have replied with the exact same answer. Same lunch for four months. Metal.

From here, it was a big ol’ long road walk. Usually, we would have made our way cross country, through more forest and bush, but there was a big logging operation going on and as a result, we had to walk allll the way around on the roads. Therefore, we plugged in our music and strung ourselves out in a line, walking at our own pace. Along quiet country roads under the beating sun, before we got to the Otautau – Tuatapere Road where the traffic significantly picked up.

We took a small break here, and then wearily picked ourselves back up and set off along this road. Cars whizzed by, but we took all the necessary precautions. Road walking all the way through the North Island had taught us how to do it safely after all! For instance, I only walked with one headphone in so that I could hear cars approaching before I could see them. Always useful!

The blue skies clouded over with big, black, heavy looking clouds and there were curtains out west, the direction we were currently walking. Not so great! I personally set a brisk pace, big push, and hustled to where we were staying for the night, Merriview Hut. I was so so excited when I saw it.

I turned off the busy(ish) road and plopped myself down in the hut. Day done. Reid and Rob showed up before long as those heavy clouds and curtains of rain made their way closer to where we were. There were two beds left in the hut which Rob and I got, Reid opting to sleep on the extra mattress on the floor. Anne, Jurene, Roy, Sebastien and Robin were all there and we all sat around by the hut, drinking tea and chatting.

Towards dinner, we played some frisbee before eating and heading to sleep. That rain that was around us started hammering down as we were settling down to sleep. Eek! Let’s hope it doesn’t last the night!

Sunday 05th March

Merriview Hut was cold man! I woke a couple times during the night from my cold nose. But at least the rain didn’t last the entire night. Bodes well for the day ahead.

But first things first, a happy birthday to big Roberto! Let’s hope for a good day for him. We set off in the morning a little bit past 08:00 and it was cold. I actually walked in my down jacket for a wee bit since it was so cold. The sun was still low in the sky and wasn’t heating us up yet. Give it time. We had a good old yarn as we walked up the road towards the Longwoods, speaking about politics and social issues within our different countries. I mean, we have had these conversations before of course, but they are always interesting to revisit after thinking on these topics by ourselves for a bit.

The 4WD road started leading uphill and into the woods. The Longwoods were notorious. They were hyped up to be yet another muddy forest akin to the ones in Northland. Now, we were lucky this year since Herekino and Raetea Forests were both closed (from Kauri dieback) and we couldn’t walk through them, but we knew of the horrors of mud from Dome forest. The Longwoods were meant to be as bad, if not worse. Challenge time, bring it on!

We all stuck in some music and got going. The road soon petered out and we entered the bush proper, having to shove aside branches and vines as we started in on the mud. And yes, there was a lot of mud. My shoes were caked before long. I was hopping, jumping and leaping over mud pools as I made my way up hill, using my singular pole to help push myself up. Parkour! There were multiple multiple times that I slipped and nearly fell face first into the mud, only by grabbing a branch, tree or my sturdy pole saving my skin!

But don’t get me wrong, by the time I was at the top of Bald Hill, I had given up on trying to stay clean and I had fully committed to the mud. “I was one with the mud” sorta thing. Mud caking my legs halfway up my calves, and splashes of it further up. Fun!

At Bald Hill, I found Reid waiting for Rob and I (because he sped on up ahead of us) and we sat by the antenna, looking over the view that was before us. We could see the south coast really well and pick out Bluff for certain! Scary that it seemed so close! The Longwoods also stretched out ahead of us, forest coated hills where people went to get muddy. At the peak though, Reid and I produced a can of beer for dear Rob. Our birthday present to him! A gipfelbier! He was completely surprised, he wasn’t anticipating that we had brought him anything! I did warn him though, I had carried that from Te Ānau where I had gone uphill, downhill, fallen over, run, slipped and in general been tossed about. So I had basically just handed him a beer bomb, or something along those lines…

Still, he enjoyed it. His bright smile competed with the sun and we sat with him, eating our morning snacks, wrapped up nice and warm from the biting cold wind.

From the the summit of Bald Hill, we were given a respite from the mud with a nice happy road that led us down the hill from the antenna mast. The sun was out and it was pleasant for sure. We had ourselves a spot of lunch at the end of this road once more and then re-entered the muddy mess of a forest. I was completely on a sugar and energy high when we re-entered the forest and it was my time to speed off ahead of Rob and Reid. I was zooooming! I was listening to some stellar music and feeling so good. It was fun, a challenge, navigating through this wood.

I found myself at the summit of Longwood hill, several hours later and I waited at the trig point for Rob and Reid, overlooking the south coast once more. How wonderful! When they both arrived, they were keen to keep the momentum up and so we continued on our way without too much of a break.

Down the hill, down down and a bit more down. The mud here was super slippy and since we’re going downhill, there’s a higher chance of slipping over and getting rather cold and wet and muddy. Therefore, we went more slowly than when we went uphill, making sure of our steps so that our feet didn’t disappear from under us! There were several close calls, but thankfully nothing too serious.

We eventually found ourselves at Martin’s Hut, our aim for the day! And man, what a dump! This was the last hut on the TA and, well, it was a slight disappointment. The hut was a tin shack with garbage all over fire place. There were gaping holes around the floor, letting in a stiff and cold draft. On top of that, there were written warnings in all the hut books about rats… Just not the greatest place really!

There was a single bed leftover which Rob grabbed happily. It was his birthday and all! There was not much water in the tank and we needed to wash ourselves of all this mud. Therefore, we all headed down hill, off the beaten path, to the closest river where we then squatted down and cleaned our shoes and legs in the ice cold water. A pleasant end to the day!… Reid decided to camp, pitching his tent behind the hut, whilst I decided to sleep on the floor of the hut. I mean, there just wasn’t much tenting or sleeping space at all really! Let’s hope I’m not gonna get attacked by rats in the middle of the night!…

Monday 06th March

Well, my night sleeping on the floor at Martin’s Hut was: cold, drafty, disturbed, uncomfortable, hard and, oh! Did I mention drafty? There were so many times in the night when a cold breeze would come in and tickle my nose and face, waking me up. Should have pitched my tent! I just didn’t want to get it muddy though, you know?

Still, I had my spare pair of socks waiting for me so whilst everyone else pulled on wet and cold socks, I had myself a brand new, warm pair that I had slept with, ensuring they were warm! Genius.

We set off for the day and within five minutes, my shoes were soaked, muddy and my nice clean, dry, warm socks had a thick coating of brown mud. Not so genius. Ah well. I tromped on down towards Turnbull’s Bivvy, a small two person hut that is more of an emergency shelter than anything. This was actually a beautiful forest and bush when you looked up from the mud. Really beautiful, and the morning light helped for sure.

I got to Turnbull’s and found just the most unexpected and amazing piece of trail magic! Someone had left a cool box full of chocolate bars, fruit and drinks for TA people! What!? We later learnt that the person who left it for us had walked the TA several years ago, completely changing his life. He lost 30kg walking the trail and has attempted to stay fit since by making this weekly pilgrimage up to Turnbull’s, through all the mud and muck, to leave us sweets and drinks. That means carrying this 15kg cooler, by hand, with a pack on his back, for more than 10km, uphill, through the mud! What an absolute legend!!

We scoffed some chocolate, making sure there was still some left for people behind us, of course. But it was just such a special and unexpected treat! We took a photo of us with the treats and sent it to him since he had left his Instagram account written on the cooler box.

From here, we headed on out of the Longwoods. We sped on down the hill, getting as muddy as can be before we emerged into the bright sun at a car park. Mud caked our shoes and we stamped around, trying to get it all off. Or as much as we could, at least. A touch of suncream, and then we headed out and onto the road to start walking into Colac Bay. My foot was hurting as well, just a dull ache.

Now, there was supposedly a tavern/inn/pub in Colac Bay that did some mean food. So, naturally, we were headed there for lunch. In fact, I had banked everything on getting lunch there, having no other food in my pack except some leftover porridge oats. Can you guess what’s going to happen?

Well, we got to Colac Bay and we found the tavern easily enough. However, uh, yeah, it was closed! Closed! Can you believe it? Despite the sign outside saying it was open all seven days of the week from lunch time until late, they had shut it today because there just weren’t enough people around to make it worth opening. Or some excuse like this. I was well upset!… OK, not upset, just disappointed. Still.

So yes, we ended up eating lunch by the sea, the sound of the waves crashing against my ears as I made a lunch hobbled up from my leftover porridge oats and other people’s food. Thank Rob, thanks Reid. Much appreciated!

From here, it was a long afternoon beach walk towards Riverton where we were staying for the evening. We had even booked a static caravan, a bit of luxury. Classy, I know. We were looking forward to it. But first, we had to get there.

This afternoon was… long. My aching right foot was just there in the background and it was hard work. We were walking along a beach, a pebble beach, that gave way between each stride, meaning we were almost doing double the work. Just gruelling and definitely not what we needed. My mood was definitely a bit downcast, just from the fact that my lunch was just not the best and this beach walk was literally the worst. Even walking up close to the dunes was no respite since that was soft, pillowy sand gave way between each stride too!

Several hours (or what felt like it) we made our way onto some (beautiful) cliffs and a brief coastal walk which was actually really nice. I just wasn’t quite in the mood to enjoy it. The cliffs led to a bit of bush in Mores Scenic reserve. Rather tame bush, I must say. We followed the path uphill and we soon arrived out the back of Riverton.

We had already booked the caravan ahead of time so when we arrived at the campsite, we got the keys within two minutes and we were collapsed inside within another minute. Bags, socks and shoes left outside, of course. Didn’t want to make our living quarters mucky! I bought some crisps whilst we had showers and then we sat in the caravan, drinking tea and eating the crisps whilst our clothes were in the washing machine. Pfffff, what a long day.

As the sun was setting, it’s golden glow in our eyes, we finally managed to get our clean clothes back and we headed out into Riverton and got some takeaway food. We ate on a picnic bench by the beach, our meal accompanied by our long shadows and the cries of seagulls. Kids mucked about in the playground and there were fishing boats out in the bay. It was quite an idyllic end to the rather testing day. On my behalf at least, Rob and Reid were coping fine!

We got back to the caravan to a stunning sunset and had a cup of tea, watching the dramatic colours display themselves on their tapestry in the sky, chatting about all that we had done and accomplished thus far, before heading to sleep. Life was good. Life was awesome. T minus two days until we finish. Penultimate sleep on the TA. Eek!

Tuesday 07th March

Honestly, this was just the best sleep ever. I was so shattered man, I cannot emphasise how shattered I had been feeling the past several days. This sleep was a wonderful cure though it seemed, I felt well good when I woke up and my aching foot was fine! Gonna be a good day, just gonna seennnd it.

Well, we weren’t in any rush and we left weelllll after everyone else, walking into town at about 08:00. We bought ourselves some lunch and then went to a café for breakfast which was nice enough. Kinda despondent service, but nothing could batter our good moods.

We actually got walking proper at around 09:30. Lazy day. We only had a good old beach walk all the way to Invercargill. It was like a lovely throw back to the North Island when we spent every other day walking on beaches it seems! Especially in Northland! Thankfully, it was a decent beach as well, nice and firm to walk on and made of sand. The complete opposite of the day before! I was taking it slowly because of my foot, but honestly, all was well in my world. Just being cautious, you know?

The Forveaux Strait was on our right for the entire way. At points there were heaps of seaweed, pushed right up to the dunes which we had to wade across. There was a lovely good old fashioned estuary crossing at one point too, but it was low tide so there was literally nothing to worry about. It was just a very quiet walk. Music in, head down, mind blank or wandering through various thoughts and daydreams, heading down the beach at a fixed tempo. Very easy walking for sure.

I also think there was some beautiful contrasts going on here. Firstly, we started on a beach and here, we were ending (approximately) on a beach. We three also met on a beach and here we were finishing on one altogether too, going from strangers to tight knit friends. I also think the emotions going on were complete contrasts from Ninety Mile. On Ninety Mile, I was feeling anxious, nervous, eager and with the knowledge of four months of hiking ahead of me. Here on (*checks name because he doesn’t know it off the top of his head embarrassingly*) Oreti Beach, we were feeling anxious, nervous, eager but for completely different reasons. We were coming to the end instead of starting. We were heading into the unknown of life, rather than the certainty of a trail… There are many parallels and contrasts to be made for sure.

We had ourselves a break on Oreti Beach towards lunch time. We thought we were the last ones, trailing behind everyone else, yet we saw a hiker heading towards us! Turns out, Lucy was there! We thought she was miles ahead of us by now, we had last seen her zooming past us at Boundary Hut in the Mavora Lakes. However, it turns out that she had spent even longer in Te Ānau and had struggled to leave the comforts of civilisation! She had set off from Colac Bay that morning and was probably finishing with us tomorrow too. That was cool.

The end of the beach was a little bit of a grind, but we soon got there, passing people out for the day at the beach, and then we just had to grind out a long road walk all the way into Invercargill. We walked it, convoy style, one in front of the other, split apart by the two second rule. “Only a fool breaks the two second rule.” Just… a long afternoon really. Music helped, of course. We were all in our own musical worlds, no doubt.

However, we made it into town and, well, I wasn’t that impressed with Invercargill. Just very industrial really, which is no bad thing, but not the vibe I was expecting. There were also heaps of car showrooms and people ragging about in tuned up cars, disrupting conversations. Grrrr…

We went to a burger place (where I ended up eating two burgers) and then we headed to Reid’s cousins place. Not going to lie, our feet were dying by the end of the day. I mean, beach and road walking does that to you!… Reid’s cousin wasn’t in but his flatmates were and we were given a space in the garden to pitch our tents. We were also introduced to his dog, Arlo, a very large and excitable Dalmatian that seemed to attach itself (like any dog does) to Rob. He attracts every dog, no kidding! What wonderful hosts though, we couldn’t thank them enough!

Wednesday 08th March

Well, final day was upon us! And naturally, it had rained the previous evening! As such, we got out from our soggy tents and packed up. After breakfast, and after saying goodbye to Arlo, we hopped in a car of one of the flatmates and given a lift back into town. We weren’t wanting to walk too far on our tired and sore feet. We were all battling just a wee bit at this point!

After being let out, we had ourselves some hot drinks and then headed out of Invercargill, south, towards Bluff. Bluff was a town down 30km of road and the absolute end of the road.

We headed out along the estuary path, meandering along the paths with no sense of urgency and no rush but with a definite sense of finality. We knew we would get there some time today and we were wanting to stretch out our time on the TA for as long as possible. Along the estuary path we walked, passing a water treatment plant. We held our noses as we passed. Also, right by this water treatment plant was a place where lost dogs were kept which I thought was kinda cruel since the place stank for us, so I could only imagine how much it stank for dogs!

We were led along a raised path, passing through cow fields and through waterways until we reached SH1, leading down to Bluff. We passed the 3000km mark on this stretch and we had a wee silent disco, a crisp break, and then sat and chatted as everyone else (Tom, Till, Femke, Elise, Anne, Jurene, Roy etc.) passed us by. The trail was 3026km total, so only another 26km to go.

When we got to SH1, we had a little bit on the edge of the road, acting as a pavement, that we could walk on. Trucks and cars thundered past us. Occasionally, one would honk and wave at us, clearly understanding that we were on our final day of our little Odyssey, our little journey. We were in our convoy as usual, Rob out front, each listening to our own music. The sun was merciless as it had been for the last four months and I had to stop several times to put on suncream. I have a tan by the way, I am mucho impressed with myself! Or… At least… A tan for a ginger!

We had ourselves lunch at a church in a town called Greenhills, sitting outside of it on chairs in the shade of the steeple. There were workmen dismantling the house next door as we ate our final lunch of the TA.

The unthinkable happened after lunch though, my headphones broke once more! I have had such difficulty with headphones, I kid you not. Walking with wired headphones is just a dangerous game I think, they just get tangled and broken easily. In the future, I am just going to use my bluetooth ones. Just easier really!

Therefore, I walked this last bit alongside SH1 without any music, no distraction from the inevitable end. Or from the crashing and rushing of traffic around me. We walked, step by step, closer to Bluff. And sure enough, before long, the Bluff sign was before us and the little black and white TA arrows pointing us around the Bluff hill. Final stretch!

We turned off SH1 and onto some yellow fields and along the top of sea cliffs. I have learnt my lesson though, I kept away from the edge of them. Never know when you may fall down one of them! My knees and feet were sore, but that was to be expected. I really hadn’t had much of a break for a long time now! Not an extended break at least.

The coast was lovely, and Stewart Island was away to our right. There were cargo ships, their quiet nobility keeping the world going (just think of the chaos when the Suez Canal got blocked up!). Salt crusted buoys were out at sea, marking hidden rocks and fishing nets and small boats trawled between them, checking the nets. All very calm. Just another day.

We eventually turned, and climbed up to the top of Bluff Hill. We could have just walked around the coast and saved ourselves a climb, but the official route took us up and over the hill so, naturally, we had to do that. We started down the other side, final two kilometres! We were excited now!

OK, for the record, I had said many things along the entire way of things I was going to do at Bluff. I was going to throw my shoes away. Well, that’s not happening, they’re still kinda new! I was going to walk the last kilometre in flip flops. I was going to perform a rap at Bluff… Well, I did both of them. I had written my Red Rocket Rap and I changed out of my shoes and into my flip flops halfway down the hill, the last kilometre! Call me mad if you want!

Well, having just changed my shoes, we were then surprised! We turned a corner and found Pierre waiting for us! What!? He had finished the other day and had stuck around waiting for us to finish! He filmed us (as a time lapse) finishing! How amazing! My flip flops kept breaking and so I just gave up and walked the last couple hundred metres barefoot. What a fool.

Because, before we knew it, we were there. We were at Stirling Point and the signpost that signalled the end of Te Araroa. I walked across the carpark and touched the signpost. Was there any instant emotion? No, not really. Just kinda mindless happiness, you know? No instant euphoria or relief or anything! It’ll probably happen over the next couple weeks.

Pierre then produced four drams and a bottle of whisky, Reid produced fizzy drinks and I produced some doughnuts. We sat by the bench and drank and ate, laughing and happy. What a journey. Just… Just the absolute best. These last four months have been the best four months ever, I have loved every moment. And walking the vast, vast majority with Rob and Reid has meant the world. All the people along the way have been wonderful, but walking it with these two has made it truly special.

We spent a lot of time there, just the three us and Pierre, celebrating. But, time was ticking, and we needed to check in to our hostel. Therefore, we walked back in to town (I put my shoes back on for this bit!) and to our hostel. Riley phoned me since he was still awake, congratulating me. Legend. I think I must have bombarded most everyone I know with the picture of me having finished! Very happy!

We spent that evening eating food and hanging out with everyone who had finished that day and who was at Bluff backpackers, the only hostel in town. It was wonderful seeing everyone here and spending time with them all, discussing the trail, the future and having buckets of laughs.

Afterwards

We had booked one extra day in the hostel at Bluff since Sevi and Elise were finishing the next day and we wanted a little celebration with them. Therefore, we spent the day doing… Nothing. We had a biiiggg ol’ lie in and then we sat on our phones in the hostel, chilling, defending off the million congratulatory messages. And also, like, booking stuff for the near future!

In the afternoon of the 9th, we headed back to Stirling Point and the signpost and watched as Elise and Sevi walked in. With them were a lot of people we didn’t recognise, but there was Marc and Vince there so we got to celebrate with them too!

The next day, we headed back to Invercargill and crashed at the backpackers there. We had a nice meal with Elise and Sevi and watched a film with them (Hunt for the Wilderpeople). I also bought some town clothes to blend back into society with. Reid also provided the biggest surprise and gave us some T-shirts that he had designed. This meant the world to us, a little inside joke that only a handful of people know.

I also performed my rap (yes, really) to them since I had forgotten to do it at Bluff. No, no one else is ever hearing it. We printed out some postcards of us at Bluff and sent them to people we had met along the way too, thanking them.

Reid flew out the early morning of the 11th, with Rob and I also parting ways later that morning. I made my way up through the country via bus and plane. I spent some time in Christchurch, Wellington, Taranaki (where I did an impromptu overnight hiking trip), Hamilton and Raglan before finally arriving back in Auckland. Reid and Josephine kindly put me up for a couple days (Thank you so much guys!) before I flew out and back home. Time for the next part of my life. I feel ready.

New People

• Till: German guy who had grown up in California. Was the definition of ultra-light hiking.
• Tom: Dutch guy who had already hiked the TA. Currently several years into a big trip where he is aiming to walk across every major land mass in the world. Or something along those lines.
• Femke: Dutch lady who had walked with Tom for the entire way I believe.
• Elise: French lady who has always been a day ahead of us. So much so that Elise (from Sevi and Elise) really wants to meet her since they share the same name!
• Roy: Dutch guy living in Australia. He is currently trying to write a love letter to send to the government to prove how much he loves his girlfriend. Something to do with a visa.
• Alan: American guy who has hiked the PCT and who Sevi and Elise were friends with. Cool guy for sure, he was planning on hiking the CDT when he got back to the States.

Status

• Physical: 9/10 – rather tired
• Mental: ?? (10/10) – Happy sad
• Distance covered: 3026km
• Most memorable moment: Finishing barefoot with Rob and Reid and meeting Pierre there.
• Toughest moment: Mt. Linton station. Falling into a river after fighting through tussock grass.
• Oatly bars: 113
• Peanut butter jars finished: 18
• Falls: 25
• Song suggestion: Better Together, Jack Johnson

What’s Next?

I’ll slowly travel back up through New Zealand, as cheaply as possible until I make it to Auckland where I’ll fly home on 28/03. Flight from Auckland to Sydney, 48hrs there, and then flying from Sydney to Heathrow, arriving at 06:20 local time on 31/03. And then home and back to the everyday life.

What does that mean? Maybe a PhD. Maybe a job. Let us see.