Day 70
Nov 9 day 70 Havelock to Pelorus River Bridge Campground 21 km 9:30-1:30 A leisure day before a long week up in mountains. Spent early part of morning packing, organizing gear/food, and watching the NFL Red Zone tv show. First American football I’ve been to see for any length of time. Packing out today with […]
Day 69
Nov 8 day 69 Portage Bay to Havelock 36 km 7:30-4:00 Day started as one simple move– make good time to Havelock to position for a long isolated trek to St. Arnaud. The queen Charlotte really is like a sidewalk on this part– some beautiful views, but also a path to make time, which I […]
Day 68
Nov 7 day 68 Furneaux Lodge to Portage Bay DeBretts Backpackers 34 km 8:00-4:00 There is something about the familiarity of this area that makes me both happy and nostalgic. I hiked the Queen Charlotte over ten years ago, and also parts of it a few years back with my colleague Greg. It is New […]
Day 67 South Island Odyssey Begins
Nov 6 day 67 Wellington (via ferry) to Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge 13 km 4:30-7:00 The South Island Odyssey Begins Caught the 9:30 InterIslander ferry to Picton. Absolutely crystal day, I could feel everyone’s enthusiasm for some warmth and sunshine. Crowded boat, but I found a seat on the back atrium sundeck. Good views […]
Day 66
Nov 5 day 66 Wellington. 0 km Quiet day, mailed boxes, caught up on correspondence. Just took some time to relax.
Point/Line/Plane/Vector
Traversing Space: Point/Line/Plane/Vector Homage to Deleuze and Guattari POINT When I began hiking the main Tararua Range, the weather was mild– the kind of day that makes you want to walk. Past the gate, the first stretch was up through a cattle pasture, fields that appear simple solid green grass until you try to cross […]
Day 65
Nov 4 day 65 Wellington Harbor to Island Bay 12 km 1:00-3:00 The Te Araroa ends on the North Island at a stone in Shortland Park at Island Bay, just south of Wellington. Not a long walk from the city, nor is it particularly difficult, though they manage to take you along trails that feel […]
Day 64
Nov 3 day 64 Porirua to Wellington 32 km 7:00- 2:30 Camp Elsdon had a school group staying, so the place was crawling with loud middle schoolers and their harried teachers. Lots of doors slamming, loud voices, but I slept through it all well and got on the trail early. The morning was supposed […]
Day 63
Nov 2 day 63 Paekakariki to Porirua 26 km 8:00-2:00 Woke in the middle of the night to a soft sprinkle on my tent. New Zealand more often than not has a heavy mist going on, particularly at night. Not quite rain, but heavier than fog. It makes a noise on the tent (the cuben […]
Day 62
Nov 1 day 62 Waikanae to Paekakariki 21 km 10:00-3:00 The Otaki Hotel is not the quietest place on earth. There were people and dogs bumping and thumping all night, and I definitely did not need to set an alarm. The place was rocking at 4:30 am, half the town came in for the game […]