Paddling the Whanganui
After a beautiful but tiring trek around Tongoriro National Park, a rest for the legs - but a relentless workout for the arms.
I guess I should post something just so that the map recentres if nothing else!
Have written copious notes over the last month / first month of the trail, but too lazy to collect them into coherent paragraphs. Can do retrospectively.
So right now, the morning sun is beginning to warm the earth, and I'm surveying the terrain ahead - after many days trudging through the city suburbs and industrial parks, had a windy camp on a panoramic hilltop last night. Worth it for the views, though had to be up early before the local joggers got here.
Feet are toughening up at the same rate as boots are inevitably wearing out, so planning in future replacements.
Have leaned on my mate Matt in Wellington again and sent off a parcel to lighten my pack and replace a few items with more sun appropriate ones.
Don't want to repeat myself here for all the earlier bits I haven't written yet, but in summary the scenery has been beautiful, the locals have been super friendly, and every shop sells hot pies. Onwards!
Have written copious notes over the last month / first month of the trail, but too lazy to collect them into coherent paragraphs. Can do retrospectively.
So right now, the morning sun is beginning to warm the earth, and I'm surveying the terrain ahead - after many days trudging through the city suburbs and industrial parks, had a windy camp on a panoramic hilltop last night. Worth it for the views, though had to be up early before the local joggers got here.
Feet are toughening up at the same rate as boots are inevitably wearing out, so planning in future replacements.
Have leaned on my mate Matt in Wellington again and sent off a parcel to lighten my pack and replace a few items with more sun appropriate ones.
Don't want to repeat myself here for all the earlier bits I haven't written yet, but in summary the scenery has been beautiful, the locals have been super friendly, and every shop sells hot pies. Onwards!
I first heard about the Te Araroa trail ten years ago, when I has just finished Lands End - John o Groats and was full of enthusiasm for what to do next - the Appalachian trail? The GR5 grand traverse des alpes? In the end I've chickened out / worked / been distracted by other stuff, and in the meantime Te Araroa has been developed from just a concept to an established and popular route, with circa 2000 people per year flocking to it's 3000km.
It has some lovely symmetry to LEJOG, in terms of distance, and location on the globe. That's all I really needed to know to be enticed to do it.
I have previously covered the north island while backpacking, but the south is all fresh, and obviously has a big reputation. I've tried to avoid looking at too many photos so as to preserve the sense of surprise, but have had to do some research in terms of logistics, as the route doesn't pass by many supermarkets, but does cross plenty of rivers.
It has some lovely symmetry to LEJOG, in terms of distance, and location on the globe. That's all I really needed to know to be enticed to do it.
I have previously covered the north island while backpacking, but the south is all fresh, and obviously has a big reputation. I've tried to avoid looking at too many photos so as to preserve the sense of surprise, but have had to do some research in terms of logistics, as the route doesn't pass by many supermarkets, but does cross plenty of rivers.
Disembarking late in the afternoon into the charming town centre of Ystad, I set off east along the coast, dodging a heavy rain shower to be rewarded with rainbows spanning the glowing fields of crops, and startling a badger at the side of the road, the first time I can recall seeing one in the wild
Aimed for and arrived at a "lägerplats" hikers shelter to camp, adjacent to the beach which stretches for miles in a plenty of room for all kind of way. Sweden has "Allemansrätten", the right to roam and camp anywhere (within reason), but also, in common with Denmark, provides designated free campgrounds not accessible to vehicles, usually with a roofed but open sided shelter and a drop toilet. This one was already populated by a German couple from the ferry, a french chi [...read the rest]
Aimed for and arrived at a "lägerplats" hikers shelter to camp, adjacent to the beach which stretches for miles in a plenty of room for all kind of way. Sweden has "Allemansrätten", the right to roam and camp anywhere (within reason), but also, in common with Denmark, provides designated free campgrounds not accessible to vehicles, usually with a roofed but open sided shelter and a drop toilet. This one was already populated by a German couple from the ferry, a french chi [...read the rest]
After a couple of days stop to visit Marta in Szczecin, an industrial city with a fascinating and turbulent history of changing hands and occupation, fabled to be criss crossed with underground tunnels, headed north again past the dockyards and wind turbine factory and into some nice nature reserves alongside the Oder river with a first sighting of families of wild boar, (but sadly no bison) and on up to the miles upon miles of sandy beach holiday resort coastline.
Back into Germany, and a cultural stop at Peenemunde "vengeance" weapons factory at, where the first rockets were developed (the doodlebug flying bomb and V2 rocket), and the museum attempts to celebrate the technological advancement whilst regretting the motivation and methods of achieving it.
Camped in the woods [...read the rest]
Back into Germany, and a cultural stop at Peenemunde "vengeance" weapons factory at, where the first rockets were developed (the doodlebug flying bomb and V2 rocket), and the museum attempts to celebrate the technological advancement whilst regretting the motivation and methods of achieving it.
Camped in the woods [...read the rest]
The weekend in Berlin was spent drinking copious amounts of beer and playing a football match, as Wandsworth Borough had flown out to play a summer friendly against a local team (THC Franziskaner) to the amusement of all.
I stayed for a couple of days extra sightseeing and bike repairing, but with sore feet from stomping round the city looking at things, it was nice to get back on the bike, especially as now has a full range of gears to choose from.
However, set off already late in the afternoon, so just a short stint to get out of the city and find somewhere to sleep - a nice little beach next to a lake, which when i subsequently read some signs turns out to be a nudist beach (FKK). No one else around though.
Next day, after an early pause to visit a decaying cold war era airfield com [...read the rest]
I stayed for a couple of days extra sightseeing and bike repairing, but with sore feet from stomping round the city looking at things, it was nice to get back on the bike, especially as now has a full range of gears to choose from.
However, set off already late in the afternoon, so just a short stint to get out of the city and find somewhere to sleep - a nice little beach next to a lake, which when i subsequently read some signs turns out to be a nudist beach (FKK). No one else around though.
Next day, after an early pause to visit a decaying cold war era airfield com [...read the rest]
Te Araroa 2024

Almost the exact mirror image of Lands End to John o Groats. Roughly 3000km from the Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff in the south. Many mountains and rivers in between.
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