Category: Damn Long Walks

I finished work on 28 February at noon then caught  bus to Queenstown. The buses are only runing a couple of times  a week instead of daily because of a lack of tourists. So, sadly, there are probably some unemployed bus drivers out there. There was only 4 of us on the bus so I lay down along the back seat and had a snooze for a bit before reaching Queenstown. The countryside changed from dairy farms to vineyards.

I stayed in a Juicy Snooze backpackers in one of their pods whuch are space age capsules to sleep in with recharging ports, blinds and shelves for all your bits and pieces. I booked one in an 8 pod room and had it to myself ( Much cheaper than booking a single room so I took the gamble that it would not be full). I was told they were closing at the end of March.

I went out for a beer before my dinner and got chatting to a lovely young couple from Mmy hometown of Palmerston North. They were out for dinner with their 13 month old son who was enjoying spreading his dinner all over himself and the highchair. They seemed a bit worried about this but relaxed when I reminded them that everyone in the restaurant was a baby at one time! I saw them later and they thanked me for my comment saying that it was just what they needed to hear at that moment.

Next day I got a bus out to the edge of town and picked up a hitch all the way to Te Anau, within a few minutes. The man had just dropped his wife sat the airport as she was off to see the grandchildren in Australia. The borders had just opened with no quarantine required I think the planes will be full of grandparents. My turn soon. Kay was meeting me that evening at the backpackers.

I had walked the 4 day 60km, Kepler Track in Fiordland, a few years ago but was keen  to do it again with Kay.  Being a Great Walk the Track is we maintained and the gradients good with little chance of falling off anything, getting lost or injured. Maybe I am getting soft in my old.

The first day to Luxmore Hut began with a walk around )Lake  te Anau then up to about 1000m through fern filled bush. The track weaved its way up a reasonably gentle I climb for about 6km until we were above the bushline. The hut is huge and has many Keas to entertain us. They are cheeky birds who can rip anything you pieces with their very sharp beaks so nothing can be kept outside for even a couple of minutes. The huts are specially made to withstand attack. We spent the evening watching them.

The next day was a walk up higher along a number of ridges that were quite safe but not good for people with a fear of heights. The weather was splendid the views clear in all directions. Thanks Garry.

The last part of the day was a 2 hour walk with a descent of about 1000 metres on a zig zag track. It was a steep track that went back and forth and on and on forever. There was some very sore knees coming in after us that day.

We enjoyed really enjoyed the last day walking back o Te Anau chatting with the other trampers as we passed them throughput the day. We had a fun evening it one lot laughing over a couple beers.

Next morning we were out early as it was raining nd we needed a hitch to Invercargill about 200km away. There was a man loading his car boot in the hostel carpark so we ambushed him into giving a couple of gorgeous old ladies a ride. He didn’t look to eager but soon became comfortable with our company. He was a Chaplin at a big hospital who had been having some time out in the bush. He was interested in how Te Araroa affected our mental well being. I said we had to be mad to want to walk for 3,000km so any well being gained from it had to be good.

Ge dropped us at Lumsden where he turned off so we popped into a Cafe for a coffee and the local delicacy, a cheese roll.

Next ride was from a woman who owned a guiding company that was in recess because of covid. She gave us some good tips for our Stewart Island trip. Final ride was from an Indian engineer who was milking cows because he hadn’t been able to get a job in hus field. I do feel sorry for these immigrants.

Three hours after we kept were were in Invercargill and heading to the Southern Comfort backpackers which I rate as the best I have stayed in. I keep going back there.

I have been doing a bit of hitching around lately so will share some of my observations and experiences with you. I know that many of you will not have hitched a lift with a total strange before and may never do so. So here is my take on it. (Children, you are not allowed to hitchhike until you are a grey haired old lady like me)

Hitchhiking is a great way to get around. I don’t do it to save money but to meet people and see who else is out there. I like to find out about their journeys and it benefits the environment. Whilst walking Te Araroa there are quite a few times where hitching is necessary. For example there are 2 large, dangerous rivers and a big lake that cannot be walked across. Us long distance walkers are very special people but we can’t walk on water.

Most Te Araroa walkers will not have hitched before doing TA and may not do it after they have finished. The big pack on our backs and the long walk  gives us the right to ask for a little bit of help on a long, hot and  dusty road. The drivers  are usually honored to assist and enjoy our stories. They are in awe of our achievements.

You have to be a bit thick skinned not to take it as a personal rejection when a car whizzes past without stopping. Some drivers are embarrassed so actually look away; they are probably the people who generally find it hard to say no.  Others show with hand gesture that they are full up already or not going far enough.  A few look at me like “Get a job you lazy git”. But mostly they smile and sometimes one stops. I only need one.

One aspect that I like is that there is not much of a plan, only a hoped for ending place. I don’t know what time my ride will arrive, or whether it will be an expensive car or the back of a rickety old truck, sharing a horse float with a horse, on a motorbike with a farm dog or in the back seat with some kids. I like the idea that not having anything planned means nothing can go wrong.

But in saying that I had a day off last week so decided to hitch to Timaru, a town with a population of about 29,000 people, about 100km away. Just for a change of scenery and maybe visit a cousin who lives there .

So I filled my pack with my puffed up sleeping bag and puffer jacket so that I looked like a proper traveler. People won’t usually pick up someone without a backpack as they have less understanding of why the person is out there wanting a ride. I made a sign saying Timaru on one side and Tekapo on the other, for my return journey.

I walked along the main route out of town fir about 10 minutes before a campervan stopped. The South African family from the North Island, were taking their daughtervdown to university. They were on their first trip in the South Island and like me presumed they would pass through Timaru. About 40 minutes down the road I checked Google Maps and realized I was heading in completely the wrong direction. How embarrassing!! Then they decided to stop at a rest eared to take a photo of the beautiful Lake Pukaki. Seeing a Te Araroa walker sat at a picnic table I told my driver that I would get out here and chat with him which I did.

I confessed my complete lack of direction. I am not sure what he thought of me but he did say he admired my honesty and that he wouldn’t have told anyone about it. As this is not the first time I have done this I seem to be more accepting of my geographical errors.

So I eventually headed back out to the road and was called over by another man taking photos. He was heading towards Timaru but stopping on the way at Geraldine, another small town before Timaru. That would do me. This man was planning to walk Te Araroa so we chatted all the way about gear, food, planning etc.

On another day off I hitched out to the Mt Cook/ Aoraki National Park for a look around.

I felt like I was driving into a postcard.  obviously I have known about area and have seen many photos of it in books and on the internet. But knowing about something not the same as being there, not the same as creating your own memory if it. I feel that only then do I own the knowledge of a place as I have earned it for myself.  I think that is the essence of why I want to travel.

The North Island is mainly hills and rivers and winding roads through lush green farmland speckled with small towns. The roads in the  south of the South Island are generally long and straight going through flat and barren landscape with mountains in the far distance. And colourful lakes, so many lakes.

Recent rides

• Parents taking their kid down to university in a very new BMW. The Dad asked me for some advice for his son so I told him to keep away from the girls and don’t drink too much
• Another family in campervan taking their daughter down to Otago University. They were originally from South Africa and this was their first time in the South Island. They loved the freedom and safety of our country.
• A couple of gay women having time away from their kids and covid stressed jobs
• Christchurch couple heading out to Mount Cook Aoraki National Park to pick up their 18 year old son who had just completed the week as warden at the Meuller Hut. It was like having my own personal tour guides as they had spent a lot of time in the park.
• A young french couple, driving a beat up old car that was also their home. They  have been following the seasonal jobs while “stuck” here because of covid.
• Business man who picked me up hoping I would be a Te Araroa walker as he plans to do it sometime.  We discussed gear and food and everything else Te Araroa
• A midle aged woman who had done some sections of Te Araroa who was heading to her holiday home in Twizel.
• A young accountant from UK doing a quick trip around before heading home.

So next time you see someone with a big pack on their backs and a thumb out, consider picking them up. You never know who you may have for some company, maybe just a Granny from Palmerston North.

Cleaning Motel units is definitely not a job I would want forever but I am not complaining.  I get to move for about 4 hours a day instead of sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours.  I listen to podcasts as I go about my work and the only supervision I have is occasionally  a visit from the resident cat.

I have free accommodation with my own room and bathroom as well as getting  paid the princely sum of $21.50 and hour for my work. 

The view out the windows is stunning and I am meeting new people every day.

There is usually a couple of Te Araroa walkers sharing the backpackers with me so I am keeping up to date with what is happening on the trail and help out with their planning.

• This week has seen;
• 2 kiwi women in their 70s,
• a 17 year old kiwi girl,
• two friends from Waikato doing sections,
• a retired man who was head of paediatrics in an Auckland  hospital,
• a young Japanese lad and French girl who have been happily “stuck” in New Zealand for the Covid time.

There is a steep hill walk up Mt John that I do some afternoons up to an observatory.  Unfortunately the cafe at the top is closed because of the lack of tourists. This area is world famous for the dark skies and stars.

I hitched into Christchurch on 1 February to catch up with family and friends. I waited for about an hour fir a ride because it was lunch time and most travelers had stopped in Tekapo fir lunch. Bad timing as this was the longest I have ever waited for a ride. I tried dancing 🕺 but that didn’t help. My dancing is not very good, unless I am drunk, but with a pack on my back I was not much better.

Eventually a little blue car passed me and turned off on a side street only to return and go past me again. Then the 3rd time they stopped with an offer of a ride the whole 3.5 hours to Christchurch. The two women told me they had never picked up hitchhikers before but thought I looked harmless enough. Usually they had their kids in the car so thought “Why not?”. They said the long journey had flown with someone interesting to talk with. My happy place!!!

One was the staff manager of a large supermarket and shared the stress if keeping staff on safe and happy throughout Covid and the planning for the Omicron outbreak. We defunitely owe them our gratitude.

Her partner worked in despatch for a courier company and she was also showing the results of two years of stress and hard work behind the scenes keeping our parcels moving.

I stayed with Anne and Drew and their managery fir a couple of days (2 dogs who like to share my bed and morning coffee with me, a cat and a bunny)

Then I stayed with my cousin Nicola and hubby Stewart and their wee dog, Jack a Jack Russel He is a real character and I would be stealing him if I ever decided I needed a dog.

We wandered around Lyttleton and I dragged Nicky and Jack up to the top of the Bridle Track. We visited the markets had many coffees and I picked up some more suitable town clothes at the 2nd hand shops.

I also visited a friend who used to live in Palmerston North. Nearly 80 years old, Kay is a lady I want to emulate in my old age. She is as sharp now as ever, never getting her words or names mixed up like I do already. We chatted all day about family, friends and fixed all the problems of the world.

Kay enjoys following my outside adventures and I am amazed at her involvement in the community arts and dance etc. The world is made up of people with different strengths, interests and personalities. Everyone is imortant and makes life interesting in their own way. I am blessed to have many interesting friends and family who fulfill my life.

I didn’t know what was coming next on my wee journey until I received a message from Motel/Backpackers in Tekapo saying they had work for me until the end of February with free accommodation in the backpackers. Why not?? So I caught a bus back there.

As has become our routine we were both awake at 6am and leaving the hut at 7am. 

Today would be an easier day with only one huge climb compared to yesterday’s 2 huge climbs. It was cool and we were in the shade as we went up up up, then just as we gained some decent elevation the damn track takes us down part of our gain into wee valleys.

The start of the track was quite narrow with very steep drop offs and parts were covered with thick bushes meaning I  couldn’t see where I was placing my feet. I began to feel quite anxious and was not in my usual relaxed mind set.

Close to the bottom the vegetation becomes thick and covers the track. These valleys are water courses so it becomes mushy underfoot and there are underground water ways.  So I had to concentrate to ensure I didn’t step into any of the holes into the water which would have been disastrous. There are high drop offs sometimes on both sides of a narrow track which made me unusually uncomfortable.

DOC needs to get in here and do some track maintenance,  cutting back the vegetation so we can see where to walk.

But then we would climb out again and be in the short tussock grass on a narrow ridge track.

We met along the way a Dad and son, a church group of 4, and mum and daughter. They were all going the opposite direction to s and give us a good excuse fir a long stop and chat. The SOBOS are always interested in hat is coming up and we are the same.

Today I was again doubting my sanity. Should I be going forward with RA again? Do I really need to put myself through the risks that I know it will present? This time I know what is coming up. I know how how much it will hurt if I fall. My body is another 2 years older and in good shape; do I need to risk accidental damage? Am I stupid to carry on? Maybe I should just do some easy stuff instead and there is lots of that in the South Island.

I was thinking this throughout the day to Furn Burn Hut.

We arrived early in the day and I had Granny nap before a Mother arrived with a huge pack full of fresh food. I was on the last of my food supply having no dinners left I ate a wrap with cheese and carrot for dinner. Mum was a but worried because 25 year old Daugherty daugher was late arriving but it turned out that daughter had been taking her time and having a nice day on her own. Mum and daughter time needs to be managed well I think!

It rained lightly from a 4am so woke to wet tents and hastily packed up. Last time I did this section we took the highly dangerous upper tracks so this time I was walking up the river come hell or high water. The rain had only been light and was the first for weeks so we decided we would be okay.

Left at 7.15am up the river. I had on my new rainskirt fashioned from a black rubbish bag.

All good for about 1.5 hours. We were in and out of the river following in the footsteps of those who had made obvious trails to lead us in and out of the river. The rain was light and the water warm so we were a happy couple of old ducks.

Eventually we came to a gorge too deep and swift fir us to pass through as neither if us were ready to end our lives at this stage. So we made the call to try and climb up the ciff and get passed the gorge. So we went straight up until we got as far as our comfort level allowed. (Actually probably a bit higher). We found a relatively safe place to stop and decided we needed to go down and get into the river. Going down was even more scarey than going up!

There was a lot of thick Matagouri that we had to scramble through.

But by good luck rather than good management we found a way into the river and it was above the risky gorge part.

We walked along the edge of the river clinging to bushes along the bank for about a kilometre, pleased to be making progress against the flow of the river.

We met 2 girls on the other side of the river who were going the other way (SOBO). We tried to talk to them above the noise of the raging river but couldnt hear too much with our old ears. However we deduced that they were alive so it couldn’t be too bad. So off we went. Eventually w9e had to climb up another sheer cliff to find the track to Rose’s Saddle. A bit mean we thought .

So up we went in river out of river, then up hill saw pole. Looked too steep but went on anyway then saw the sign sitting there in middle of prickly bushes. Good on the right track

2.5 km straight up hill. Easy to follow track but steep and needed lots of stops. I was doing better than Kay which made me realise that I had gained some fitness from my 15 days on trail. I also always feel better when I am not the slowest one.

Kay completed a full SOBO the same year I did mine but she was a few weeks ahead of me. However she had missed this section because of bad weather hence her coming to join me. I was enjoying her company and I was particularly glad to have her along on the river section.

Signal at top then down for 2.5km. Seeing hut all the way. Arrived 3pm tired but happy.

Dried clothes etc watched 5 people take about an hour come down big hill we will climb tomorrow.

We play the game. Who is this? Walking fast, big packs, no walking poles, so not TA walkers. As they git lower we decided they had to be young, maybe hunters, no they look strong and I reckon they are army boys.

Yes 5 young army kids with huge packs at least 25kg plonked themselves down on the front steps. They were on holiday and decided to do Te Araora from Tekapo to Queenstown. Not owning any lightweight tramping gear they were using their extremely heavy army gear. I think they were very impressed with Kay and I.

I packed up my little home and wandered down to fund a coffee while I waited fir Kay to arrive. Again a sad wee town with only one coffee bar open and I overheard a conversation between 2 business owners who were closed 2 to 3 days a week because of lack of staff and lack of customers.

Kay arrived and I very quickly liked her and was sure we would enjoy our next few days together. A retired lady from Waikato, Kay had done a SOBO Te Araroa the same year I did, but missed this section because of injury. So via the TA Facebook page we organized to do this together.  The shared experience of Te Araroa and  children and grandies gave us plenty of fodder for conversation over the next 5 days. I think our lips moved faster than our legs most of the time!!

The 12 km walk up a 4Wd track was punctuated by 25 river crossings. Being a hot day we were only too pleased to get our feet wet. There was an alternative track that went up and over Big Hill but we knew we had enough big hills to come so took the easier option.

About 2km from the end one of the Dads who had camped next to me came by and gave our packs a ride to the road end as they were getting a bit tired bumping around on our backs in the scorching sun.

We reached the relics of an old gold mining town and stopped in the shade with a father and son who were doing part of Te Araroa together. We quizzed them about the track ahead and gained some good Intel.

We made camp and had an early dinner and retired to our beds as there was some light rain and many damn sandflies. Funny last time I camped here I had a very similar experience.