Mt Taranaki looked beautiful in the golden dawn light, its 2,500m high volcanic cone brilliant against the morning’s clear sky. I hadn’t done enough training really for the 1,600m ascent of the New Zealand volcano but it had been on my bucket list for years. Reaching the summit would mark it as volcano number 30 … Continue reading Volcano number 30 – Mt Taranaki
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Volcano number 28 – Rarotonga
When your tour guide gets out of the car in the middle of nowhere holding a machete there are several thoughts likely to flit across your mind. For me, it was: S*&! is this guy going to murder us?? AND Jeepers creepers, this hike might be wild and hard core. Thankfully, the latter thought was … Continue reading Volcano number 28 – Rarotonga
Volcano number 25 – the Giant’s volcano
Ok, so it’s not a volcanic mountain per se, but the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is still volcanic in nature, being the result of an ancient volcanic fissure. And it’s pretty fricken cool. As we were in Northern Ireland as part of our sail around Great Britain, and it was just around the corner … Continue reading Volcano number 25 – the Giant’s volcano
Adventure alert: I’m going to sail around Great Britain
I’ve spent no more than a handful of days in a sailing boat. I don’t know if I will get seasick. I forget my port from my starboard. And the toilet is a bucket with a toilet seat. Yet from May 1st 2022, this will be my life for four months onboard a 28 foot … Continue reading Adventure alert: I’m going to sail around Great Britain
Volcano number 24: The Munro volcano
It’s late September 2020. I’m in Scotland and I’m about to climb my first Munro – a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet (914.4m), of which there are 282. It also happens to be a volcano and the UK’s highest mountain. Ben Nevis stands at a glorious 4,411 feet (1,345m) and is beautifully imposing. It is … Continue reading Volcano number 24: The Munro volcano
Volcano number 23: The private volcano
April 2020 was spent in a yellow motel room in the small tourist town Te Anau in New Zealand. That first Covid lockdown put paid to my #WalkNZ adventure – just seven days from the finish line in Bluff. Once things opened up in New Zealand, and the rest of the world was still on … Continue reading Volcano number 23: The private volcano
Volcano number 22: The Timber Trail Volcano
After the #WalkNZ rigours of the Mangaokewa River Track and a tough 38km one-day road walk, it was time for a decent trail - surely. So thank you Te Araroa for delivering me the Timber Trail, an 80ish kilometre cycle track between Te Kuiti and Taumarunui. Described as a highlight of Te Araroa, this is … Continue reading Volcano number 22: The Timber Trail Volcano
Day 60 of #WalkNZ – WTF was the Mangaokewa River Track?
Day 60 of #WalkNZ didn’t start well – and it didn’t get any better. What with a terrible night's sleep and then being shadowed for a kilometre by a greasy-haired, gap-toothed cyclist out of Te Kuiti, I guess it didn’t bode well for what was to come – the Mangaokewa River Track; a 15km riverside … Continue reading Day 60 of #WalkNZ – WTF was the Mangaokewa River Track?
#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
Volcanoes 18, 19 and 20: The Auckland volcanoes
So far, #WalkNZ has been a solo journey – but it was always meant to be. Last week I was asked if I was bored of walking by myself. An interesting question. I said no – I’ve met many people along the Te Araroa trail and, for the most part, I’ve spent each night with … Continue reading Volcanoes 18, 19 and 20: The Auckland volcanoes