“Do I really have to keep going like this?” Dragging my aching right foot, thirty kilometres, each step an ordeal.
The tendons on top of my right foot began to throb severely as I approached Kerikeri. A day of rest hadn’t helped, but I was determined to leave town and reach Paihia, the seaside holiday town, for a proper rest. Yet once I set out again, I found myself constantly wondering if I should just pitch camp right there.
When I got lost in the muddy forest, I never once thought of quitting. But now, with my foot throbbing, I couldn’t stop asking myself: was I abusing my own body? Had I been naive to think that without any experience, I could really handle a thru-hiking challenge like this?
Along the quiet, flat forest trail, I had no heart to appreciate it—every step was an ordeal. When I finally emerged from the forest and found myself on what I thought would be a dull asphalt road, suddenly a beautiful bay with waves appeared before me, and my spirits instantly lifted.
Beautiful sights are part of the journey, but so are the difficult moments and struggles. Accept the good; accept the difficult. There is no path that’s always smooth—only how we choose to accept and face what comes.
I know that by going slowly, step by step, I’m still moving forward. Still walking this path.
(Reflections from 9 December 2016)
Everyone who walks New Zealand’s Te Araroa Trail has their own reasons for taking on this path.
For me, it’s not just about spending time with nature—it’s a journey where my feet carry me through different towns and let me experience New Zealand’s culture and people. That’s why I scheduled more rest days in towns than most TA hikers, and whenever I found a museum, I’d spend a whole day immersed in it.
On day twelve of my walk, I arrived at Waitangi, the important place where Māori and the British signed their agreement. I slowed my pace and entered the Waitangi Treaty Grounds museum, where I followed a Māori guide through this pivotal chapter in New Zealand’s history.
From the initial assumptions of trust, through the conflicting interpretations of the treaty, Māori dissatisfaction and resistance, to the respect and government protection of Māori culture today—in those few hours, I gained a deeper cultural and historical connection to the beginning of my journey, and felt the land beneath my feet become more familiar.
It ended with a powerful performance of Māori tradition, te reo Māori from the haka still echoing in my ears. Yet my mind kept turning over what the guide had said: “Te reo Māori became an official language and a compulsory subject,” “free courses are available for anyone who wants to learn,” “most place names are preserved in te reo Māori,” and just how much Māori culture is respected. Watching their pride in preserving their own heritage, New Zealand’s inclusivity and equality struck me once more with awe and admiration.
When I think about it, the more people respect each other and treat each other as equals, the fewer conflicts and problems arise—whether between people or with nature.
(Reflections from 11 December 2016)
Walking three thousand kilometres across New Zealand on foot is no simple matter.
On uneven gravel roads, my feet slip, my shoes wear thin, and my feet take a beating—especially with my right foot still throbbing even after three days of rest. I was eager to keep going, yet anxious about each painful step.
But what’s magical about the Te Araroa Trail is that every day brings something fresh and something to look forward to. In a single day, the scenery might shift from beach to water taxi crossing to road to farmland to forest, and the new hiking companions you might meet along the way add variety to the journey.
I’d parted ways with a Belgian woman I’d hiked with for over ten days because of my foot injury, but that day, because the route required taking a Water Taxi across the bay, I ended up with two Canadian women who’d previously hiked the PCT, a British woman who’d completed the PCT three times, a French man who’d been my camping companion on the 90-Mile Beach, and an American woman. We gathered together and, walking at our own paces, agreed to meet up at the same campsites.
This path is never lonely.
(Reflections from 13 December 2016 diary)
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