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
New Zealand
I’m moving to New Zealand
This time next week I'll be leaving the UK and returning to New Zealand... for two years. 😮 My British fiance got his two-year visa for New Zealand and we get married over there in March so it was a "why not" moment. Life is for living right? I've been in the UK for 17 … Continue reading I’m moving to New Zealand
How to overcome obstacles – be the river
Sometimes things just don't go to plan. An obstacle or a setback is placed in your path. At the time it can feel like the end of the world. Fears and doubts rush in, those feelings of not meeting expectations or not feeling good enough. I remember when I injured my knee as I neared … Continue reading How to overcome obstacles – be the river
#WalkNZ – Finally reached Bluff
I've done it! I've finally reached Bluff, the southern most point and finish of the 3,000km (1,864mile) Te Araroa Trail down the length of New Zealand. This was the final six days of the trail (plus one rest day) that I had left to complete after Covid lockdown put an end to the walk in … Continue reading #WalkNZ – Finally reached Bluff
You don’t have to be a superstar
One of the random I thoughts and doubts I had ahead of walking the length of New Zealand was... I'm not Bear Grylls (that epic adventure man who drinks elephant dung). So therefore, I concluded, I can't walk 3,000km. Have you seen what I did there? First, I compared myself to someone who is uncomparable … Continue reading You don’t have to be a superstar
What book editing has to do with life
I've started the editing process of the first draft of my book detailing my experience of walking the Te Araroa Trail down the length of New Zealand. I had been dreading it. How bad was my writing going to be? How much would I have to rewrite? How long was it going to take? Was … Continue reading What book editing has to do with life
Self-doubt doesn’t have to hold you back
"If only I didn't doubt myself then I'd be able to walk the length of New Zealand." That's what I told myself over and over again when I was "trying to find" the courage to take on the adventure. I thought my self-doubt was holding me back, stopping me in my tracks, and pointing to … Continue reading Self-doubt doesn’t have to hold you back
We are all brave
I don't consider myself especially brave. Yet I've been called that a lot recently. It all started with my solo trek down the length of New Zealand. But I definitely didn't feel brave when I stood at the northern tip of New Zealand about take the first step. In fact, I was a total bundle … Continue reading We are all brave
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
Days 66-70 of #WalkNZ part 2 – The Motatapu Track
Calves screamed. Lightening strips of pain burned up the back of my legs. My lungs were in meltdown trying to support my muscles that sucked up the scant oxygen in my blood, while my heart seemed to be in its death throes as it attempted to keep up with the relentless uphill movement of my … Continue reading Days 66-70 of #WalkNZ part 2 – The Motatapu Track