I hastened toward the quaint autumn-hued town in the distant valley, quickening my pace with a spring in my step—not entirely because the scenery was so breathtaking I’d only seen it in films, but more because someone was waiting for me there.
Five months earlier, when I stood alone at the starting point of the TA Trail, facing the wilderness and an intense yet unfamiliar physical sensation with each step, I kept asking myself: ‘What was I thinking? Was I out of my mind? How could someone who’d never even climbed a mountain attempt a long-distance hike like this?’ Back then, I had zero confidence I could walk for more than ten days.
After limping through the first day, we had a brief encounter early the next morning, only to arrive at the same campsite that evening. By the third day of hiking, we’d both decided to have company for the long journey ahead.
She was Marjolein, a Belgian woman, and my first Te Araroa Trail partner.
We sang and danced across the monotonous endless beach, wrestled with the muddy forest until we were covered in dirt, and sat together at camp laughing over hot dinners. We cheered every milestone, and when either of us felt defeated, we lifted each other up.
Those first ten days—the most physically and mentally demanding—felt less grueling because we had each other. On the stretches we walked separately, we kept going through messages.
Months later, hampered by a foot injury, Marjolein chose to reach New Zealand’s southernmost point by bicycle, then explore northward. At that moment, I still had three weeks before the finish line. This autumn-filled town was exactly where our paths crossed again.
I arrived with trekking poles, she with her bicycle, and we met again. Those first ten days came flooding back.
Before we parted, she said this: ‘You and I set out on this trail for different reasons, moving at our own pace, taking different approaches, yet working toward the same goal.
Even though I had to use a bicycle to finish the Te Araroa, and couldn’t follow the original route, I still believe I walked the TA. I completed this trail.’
‘When TA becomes more than just a trail name—when it’s a belief that propels you forward, when you give everything to get closer to the finish no matter how hard, then that journey is a true experience, and that trail becomes your own path.’
I’m proud of my partner.
—–
(Looking back at diary entry from May 7, 2017)
📍 Te Araroa Trail | New Zealand 3,000-Kilometer Hiking Diary| Back to Full Series Directory
