That day I walked alone, worrying about the river mouth flowing into the sea along the beach ahead—unsure if the water level would be too high or if I could safely cross.
After finishing lunch in a small town and preparing to continue, a man talking on his phone stopped to greet me, kindly warning that the stream on the beach wasn’t safe and suggesting I take the road around it instead.
Following this local’s advice, I successfully reached the safer side of the beach. Just then, another man warmly greeted me and asked if I was hiking the Te Araroa Trail. He changed his original walking route and accompanied me for a long stretch.
It turned out he’d helped many TA hikers safely cross the stream by kayak. A lover of simple living, he earned his income by guiding kayaking tours for tourists, and spent his free time paddling around to travel and birdwatch. Helping TA hikers cross streams and even offering free camping in his backyard was his way of connecting with people from different countries.
So there I was, sitting with him on the beach for two hours, listening as he enthusiastically described New Zealand’s endemic bird species and shared the past and present of the region before us. In that moment, I wasn’t rushing through my schedule or counting kilometers—listening to stories and learning about the land around me was what I truly cherished.
Life doesn’t need to be complicated. Living each day with happiness and contentment, truly connecting with the people and things close to you, understanding what you are and why you exist—that was my greatest takeaway from those two hours.
(Diary entry from 2016/12/19)
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