​Day 57. Mount Lees Reserve – Palmerston North. 34km. Total 1476km The third day of road walking is hard on me. I can’t stop asking myself why I am doing it especially with my blisters and sore feet. I feel tired and sad, homesick for the first time in New Zealand. Towns often make me…

​Day 55. Whanganui – Koitiata. 31km. Total 1406km.  I take my time this morning. Tea, yoghurt with banana, coffee, tomatoe with feta. At 9am I say goodbye to Liz who is going to New Plymouth today to visit a friend. For me it’s going to be endless roads. Walking through Whanganui is nice but once…

​Day 53. Pouakai Hut – Waiaua gorge hut. Taranaki side trip. 18km.  WARNING : serious overkill of sunrise and Taranaki pictures ahead! I wake up quite often at night, always checking the time so I don’t miss sunrise. I get finally up around 4.30am. There are clouds but I also can see some stars. Let’s…

​Day 51. Whanganui Holiday park – Whanganui. 7km. Total 1377km.  Whanganui – Stratford – Dawson Falls Visitor Centre.  Hitchhiking. To Waingongoro hut 2.5km hiking. Last night ended very late watching Lord of the Rings, shouting out every time they show Mount Doom as we have been there (plus me getting crazy about Hobbiton) and eating…

​Day 49. Flying Fox lodge – Hippango Campsite. Canoeing. 35km. Total 1350km. After last night’s “party” it’s slow going this morning. This place is so cool we don’t want to leave anyway too soon. I get up to prepare myself a hot chocolate and go back to my tent. Later we have some muesli for…

​Day 46. Whakahore – John Cullen campsite. Canoeing. What a great night in a hut, everyone was so silent and had a long sleep in. I can’t even remember when was the last time I didn’t wake up and felt like I need to get going. But today the canoes won’t be delivered before 10-10.30am…

​Day 44. National Park – End Upper Retaruke Road.  28km. Total 1193km. (I skipped the 20km from Whakapapa Village to National Park due to the Round the Mountain Ruapehu trip / bad weather and wanting to join my friends for the Whanganui river). Last night I met a very nice girl from Australia in the…

​Day 41. Ketetahi Carpark – Whakapapa Village.  28km + Ngauruhoe Summit. Total 1146km. It seems I was too excited about what’s next, I didn’t sleep much at night but get up anyway at 4am to start hiking in the dark with my headtorch through the rainforest. I want to be out of the forest for…

​Day 40. 42 Traverse – Ketetahi Carpark.  34km. Total 1118km. I am starting the day at 6am while the Canadians seem still asleep. It’s a bit misty in the morning and pretty cold. The hike continues as yesterday on this easy to walk on road, although it’s now longer stretches going up and then very…

​Day 38. Waihaha hut – Ngakonui-Ongarue road.  36km. Total 1039km. The night was pretty busy, it felt like everyone was at least twice at the loo. Anyway, I head out after waking up before everyone else is even getting up. The sun is back again! The trail to the next hut should take 7h for…

​Day 34. Waitomo – Mangaokewa River Track. 26km. Total 923km. Today I wake up at least every hour and finally get up at 5.30am, taking my time to prepare and pack up inside the hostel. My stuff is somewhat dry, but outside its raining again. I wait for the rain to become just some dripping…