Why comparing yourself to others stops you from being awesome

I was in Taumarunui, New Zealand – Day 68 and 1,032km into #WalkNZ. I was just sitting, eating breakfast, really just minding my own business when the Dutch Te Araroa trail walker sat down next to me and proceeded to interrogate me. “How many kilometres are you walking a day?” was his first question as … Continue reading Why comparing yourself to others stops you from being awesome

10 things I learnt about self-doubt walking the Te Araroa Trail

I’d just returned to Auckland after being forced to push pause on my #WalkNZ adventure after injuring my knee at the 2,000km mark. I was catching up with friends and family and one friend asked me: “So how’s the self-doubt? Do you think you’ve conquered it now that you’ve walked 2,000km down the length of … Continue reading 10 things I learnt about self-doubt walking the Te Araroa Trail

Why pushing pause on #WalkNZ doesn’t make me a failure

Three weeks ago, I had to turn around and walk back into civilisation when poor weather conditions and a dodgy leg forced my hand and I couldn’t make it over the second highest point on the Te Araroa trail. I ended up in Hanmer Springs, a spa resort town in the South Island of New … Continue reading Why pushing pause on #WalkNZ doesn’t make me a failure

Answers to your questions on the North Island section of the Te Araroa Trail

101 days. 1,688km walked. And with that I reached Island Bay, the bottom of New Zealand's North Island on the Te Araroa trail and my #WalkNZ adventure. Here are the answers to questions I've been asked about what the journey has been like so far. What has the North Island section of the Te Araroa … Continue reading Answers to your questions on the North Island section of the Te Araroa Trail

Days 90-92 of #WalkNZ: The Tararua mountain range

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

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?

Volcano number 21: The #WalkNZ volcano

The sign said it would take four hours to get to the top of Pirongia, an ancient 959 metre-high volcano in New Zealand's Waikato/King Country region, and to the Pahautea hut. Clearly this sign does not take into account a 17kg backpack nor the mud. But six hours to the highest peak on #WalkNZ so … Continue reading Volcano number 21: The #WalkNZ volcano

#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