The lighthouse behind me marks the starting point of the Te Araroa trail and the (symbolic) northernmost tip of New Zealand’s North Island.
My mind was blank. A sudden decision three months ago had overturned my original plans for coming to New Zealand. After three months of planning and preparation, the closer I got to the starting point, the more nervous I became.
Leaving my comfort zone, quitting my job? Sort of. Coming to New Zealand? Sort of. But stepping into this journey—moving tens of kilometers every day on foot, hiking up mountains and down to the sea, walking into uninhabited wilderness—this time I really entered my crazy world!
But how would I know how far I could go without setting out? How would I know why I’d stop if I only sat at home wondering and doubting?
I chose to turn worry into thorough preparation and fear into caution. So my journey began on November 26, 2016.
For the first time in my life, I stuck out my thumb to hitchhike in the far north of New Zealand’s North Island, to reach the northernmost lighthouse and begin my 3,000-kilometer hiking journey…
I was nervous, very nervous. My head told me to smile and make myself trustworthy, but my nerves were uncontrollably tense. I could only force a stiff smile, standing on the main road.
One car, two cars, many cars passed. Twenty minutes went by, and I was still standing there. Only a young guy shaking a drink cup stopped, but I politely declined for safety reasons.
Safety was the most important thing. But within minutes of declining, I started doubting myself and regretting it…
I wondered if I should head back to the backpacker hostel and try again the next day, or wait for the bus that would run in two days. But then the first trail angel mama appeared, giving me a ride for a stretch. Then a second mama, then a German couple. Luckily, after three rides, I successfully reached Cape Reinga lighthouse, the starting point.
The arrow at the lighthouse pointed to the endpoint, The Bluff, 3,000 kilometers away. But with patience, even moving just a little, you keep moving forward. And don’t easily give up, just like my first hitchhiking experience.
The beach before me was my first challenge, but it wasn’t the full picture.
The beautiful scenery temporarily made me forget the slight unease and tension in my heart. I happily walked down the stairs onto the trail, heading toward the long-missed coastline. Of course, since it was the first day, I was still fresh and excited about the beach.
The Te Araroa Trail, which spans 3,000 kilometers across New Zealand, enters endless beaches right after leaving the lighthouse at the starting point, and you must watch the tides while walking.
I arrived at the lighthouse by hitchhike at 4 p.m., an hour past the lowest tide. Even though it stays light late in New Zealand’s summer, could I reach the campsite 12 kilometers away before sunset and high tide?
The first sunset on the Te Araroa trail made me take a long, deep breath. Half the breath was because the scenery before me was so beautiful, and the other half was because I was still 3 kilometers away from the campsite…
Starting at 4 p.m., I raced against the sun and against the tides. Every big wave ate away at the beach.
By now the light was fading and the waves grew higher. I couldn’t see how wide the walkable part of the beach was ahead, so I chose to walk on the elevated sand dune and grassland beside it. But this slowed me down dramatically—500 meters took me an hour as I navigated by direction through bushes taller than my shoulders.
If New Zealand had snakes and scary animals, I would never have dared do that!
Although I could have camped on the sand dune beside me, I had a small stubborn streak that didn’t want to just “wild camp” on the first day. But why did I make the first day so difficult for myself?
Finally, my feet returned to the flat trail, and I saw several tents camped together. I arrived exactly two hours late. Setting down my backpack, pitching my tent, and hiding inside my shelter, everything felt safe at last…
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