So many time zones
5 November 2019
I arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday evening last week, or rather early Thursday morning. By that time of course, I had crossed so many time zones I didn’t know what hour it was, or whether I was coming or going. Greg (my brother-in-law) very kindly fetched me from Auckland airport, even though by the time we got back to Hamilton, he had about an hour’s sleep before he had to be up for work. What family will do for you!
I had a fairly unpleasant flight back from New Zealand the last time I did this trip, so I wasn’t looking forward to it this time around — but it went surprisingly ‘quickly’. Before I knew it the captain was asking the cabin crew to ‘prepare the cabin for landing’ and we were touching down in Sydney on a sunny afternoon. Just a short layover there, and then the final leg of the amazing race to Auckland. I didn’t sit next to anyone obnoxious, prone to drunkenness on a plane, or a heavy snorer — all things I am very grateful for. And being a Qantas flight, there was an endless supply of TimTams — happiness!


Catching Up
The time here so far has been a mix of catching up on sleep, catching up with family, trips to the shop to finalise some of my gear, and finishing up some work/life admin before I head off. I desperately wanted to have finished off all my client work before I left South Africa. I had hoped to be able to say, okay everything that needs to be done is done, and now I can take a moment to acknowledge the journey ahead and focus on all that is to come. Instead its been a mad dash to the finish, hoping I haven’t dropped any balls, realising I have, trying to figure out what to do about that, paying bills, sending off final invoices, canceling monthly subscriptions, sending final emails, finishing off websites, and the type of chaos that happens when you’re trying to do everything at once. In some ways it will be weird to leave my work behind— not having any fixed commitments for the next four to five months feels both liberating and a little bit scary! Work — and earning enough money to fund this trip and pay my way for the next few months without any income has occupied my thoughts so solidly for the last while that it will be strange to suddenly be without the familiarity of all of that.
Food Things
My sister, Janine, is a great planner (among her many other wonderful qualities), and a good person to have in your corner when there are lists to be made, logistics to be sorted out, and menus to be organised. We’ve had a few trips to Countdown (I suppose a local version of our Pick n Pay?), to have a look at menu options while on the trail. And today I did my big shop for the first five or six days when I start from Cape Reinga. I probably overdid it, and kept going back to the snack aisle — What if I get hungry? What if I feel like a treat? We picked up each item, trying to balance the nutritional value against the actual weight allocation, to figure out whether it would be a good thing to take along. I have so many resupply trips in the weeks and months to come that I’m sure I’ll figure out what works and what doesn’t work. For now here are a few of the food options I’ll be taking along as I start:
- Breakfasts are Futurelife oat sachets (I brought them with me from South Africa), coffee and a nut bar
- Lunches are wraps with peanut butter, vegemite, or cheese (or some combination of the above)
- Dinners are tuna and smash (surprisingly tasty — smash has come a long way!), or quick cooking rice with salami, or pasta
- Snacks are my own version of scroggin*
- Drinks are water, peppermint tea, coffee sachets, and a few ‘rehidrat’ sachets I also brought along from home
*Scroggin
This deserves its own paragraph. I don’t know where the term comes from and my scant research turned up some ideas I’m not sure I trust. In short scroggin is the Kiwi word for trail mix — that combination of nuts, seeds, raisins, and other bits and pieces you throw in a bag and snack on as you hike along. The Kiwi version usually has chocolate mixed in, which I really like. I’ve made my own version from cashews, almonds, raisins, cranberries, liquorice, and broken bits of gingersnaps. I split them into small ziploc bags over the six days.

Spring is here
Hamilton is in full spring splendour. The fruit trees are in bloom, the roses are abundant, and everyones gardens are a riot of joyful colour. Just walking around the neighbourhood is a treat! I will try to get to the famous Hamilton Gardens just once more before I head out, the grounds are just incredible!




A Trip to Raglan
We also did a trip through to Raglan, nephews, dog and all — and it was, well, arctic! Beautiful, but so very cold. As we walked along the dark sands, wind whistling past our ears, everyone adding more and more layers to keep warm (except for my nephew Caleb, he doesn’t feel the cold, it seems), all I could think about was ‘Is this how the 90 mile beach is going to be?’ The 90 mile beach makes up the first five days of the Te Araroa — a looong stretch of beach down the west coast right at the start of the trail.







I’m taking note of all my “lasts” for a while — my last shower, the last hot meal eaten on a plate, with a knife and fork, the last time sitting on a couch, my last time sleeping in a bed. I’m well aware these things that are so normal right now will become absolute luxuries in the days and weeks to come. Tomorrow is mostly likely my last day here, then I jump on a bus and head to Kaitaia, making my way north to the start.
