I stood and stared at the squelchy pool of brown mud in front of me, a mixed look of disbelief and annoyance probably etched across my face. "Really! I mean really," I said out loud, to no one in particular. "Not more mud," I moaned. #WalkNZ was quickly becoming #WalkMuddyNZ. Here I was on the … Continue reading Days 90-92 of #WalkNZ: The Tararua mountain range
Comfort zone
Reaching the halfway point of #WalkNZ
It took me 89 days to walk 1,500km and reach the halfway point on the Te Araroa trail down the length of New Zealand. The spot itself wasn't physically marked on the trail, but according to the GPS trail app it was at a quaint little point next to the pleasant Tokomaru River along Burtons … Continue reading Reaching the halfway point of #WalkNZ
Days 77-82 of #WalkNZ – the canoe journey down the Whanganui River
Whoever said paddling down the Whanganui River for six days was going to be easy was lying. Either that or I missed the memo about what this New Zealand Great Walk canoeing journey from Whakahoro to Whanganui was really supposed to be like. And for someone who is not only a novice but who has … Continue reading Days 77-82 of #WalkNZ – the canoe journey down the Whanganui River
Day 72 of #WalkNZ: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing – a day of ups and downs
I had originally planned to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, part of the Te Araroa trail, on Monday. But, you know how luck happens sometimes - the Mangatepopo campsite was full on Monday so Tuesday it had to be. Which is how I found myself walking up the side of a rather tall volcano in … Continue reading Day 72 of #WalkNZ: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing – a day of ups and downs
#WalkNZ – highlights from the first 49 days on the Te Araroa trail
Forty-nine days of walking (up to my festive five-day rest break), 773.5km walked. Here’s the highlights from the first quarter of the Te Araroa trail down the length of New Zealand. Walking the whole of Ninety Mile Beach (boy it was hard and an introduction to Te Araroa) Spending 12 hours wading through … Continue reading #WalkNZ – highlights from the first 49 days on the Te Araroa trail
Almost a month into #WalkNZ: A review
According to the Te Araroa website, the 3,000km trail down the length of New Zealand can take 180 days at a "leisurely pace". This is the politically correct way of saying the trail will take 180 days for those people passed their prime, who haven't done enough training/aren't fit, and who have to take lots of rest … Continue reading Almost a month into #WalkNZ: A review
Days 7-12 of #WalkNZ: Raetea Forest – the forest from hell
If someone offered me £1 million there is no way in hell I would walk through Raetea Forest again. Those were the words I uttered as I stumbled into the makeshift campsite after spending 12 hours wading through knee-high mud through a forest that was more like a jungle. Raetea Forest - it's aim is … Continue reading Days 7-12 of #WalkNZ: Raetea Forest – the forest from hell
Day 1-5 of #WalkNZ: A long walk along a beach
If I had a tinder profile it would no longer say - "Katrina Megget, likes long walks on the beach". Five days, 101kms of long endless beach where the sand is the same, the sand dunes are the same and the ocean is the same will do that to you. And so marked the first … Continue reading Day 1-5 of #WalkNZ: A long walk along a beach
From the Experts: Tips on how to deal with the desire to give up
Ahead of #WalkNZ, when the reality was starting to sink in that I was about to start solo walking 3,000km down the length of New Zealand, I went on Twitter and asked the adventures and experts who had already been there, done that for their advice for when the going got tough and how to … Continue reading From the Experts: Tips on how to deal with the desire to give up
Tackling one of Te Araroa’s dangers – river crossings
The thought of walking 3,000km down the length of New Zealand is equal parts exciting and scary. Exciting because it’s epic, it’s a challenge and it’s my home country. Scary because it’s seriously hard core, it’s epic, it’s a challenge and mentally I worry about it and whether I can do it. I chose New … Continue reading Tackling one of Te Araroa’s dangers – river crossings