Seb on TA

Into Tekapo village. Tareks family came to feed the hikers. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, lunch, Swedish sweets. Christmas party at the lake. Everything is closed except for one fish&chips. Lake smells extremely like weed. Can't explain it. Stealth camp in the pines. Lake Pukaki. Boring along the canal. Read a book while walking. Rain closing in from far. Hide out under small birch trees. Rabbits hide next to me. Finally make it until Lake Pukaki. Meet Maartje from the Netherlands. Bath in the lake, camp in the pines. Ohau River. Slept in. Empty rolling hills and white Mt. Cook in the distance. Catch up to Melissa and Chris in town. Food, laundry, charging, WiFi, resupply. Twizel Salmon Farm: Some people go to heaven after death. Anglers go straight to this canal. Camp at the river. No tent. Just stars and sandflies and dew in the morning. Ohau river, Ohau lake. Thausands of rabbits. Cold morning, hot day. Vast gras lands as usual. Eventually a pine forest and Huriri...

Around Arthurs pass. Foggy morning. Down the valley, couple river crossings, state highway. Pick up a parcel at Bealey Hotel. Some food and new shoes: Vibram Five Fingers. Convinced two new people to hike Te Araroa. Lake Coleridge. Business as usual: Get up, get wet feet. Dozen river crossings. Gravel road. Strong winds. Dust devils dancing. Boring roadwalk. Furthest daily distance on my trail so far. Stealth camp. Fall asleep while writing this. Rakaia River. Nobody can cross it. We walk 25km to the next bridge, then hitch to Methven for resupply. Camp along the road on the way back to trail. Double Hut. Awesome sunrise behind the clouds. No single tree since the road. This is Rohan! Dusty hills, rocks, grass, almost no trail. Walk the cold riverbed or fight through thorns. Epic speargras flowering higher than a man. Makes the thorns and thistles look poor. Hut is dark and old. Light a candle. Possum climbing the roof at night. Creepy. Rangitata River. All day through the gr...

Are you prepared for Travers Saddle? 500m uphill through speargrass. Cold, chilly wind. Patches of snow where I cross at altitude 1800! Thousand selfies later: descend into misty beech forest. South Island Robin eating the sandflies around me. West Sabine Hut at altitude 700. Sabine river is white. Blue lake is blue. Beautiful beyond comparison. Push onwards to Waiau Pass because of bad weather. Lake Constance. Extremely steep climb on sharp edged loose rocks. Walk on snow at altitude 1900. Steep descend on solid rock. Can barely see the vertical poles. Join a friendly Kiwi camping at Waiau river. He already has a campfire going. Sportiest day I had so far. Annes Hut. Walking through meadows along the Waiau river. It's like Rohan in Lord of the rings. Workers at a new hut invite me for smoko (tea break). Clouds of sandflies. Grass, grass grass, dead dragonfly. Metzli and Alex from Mexico, Camille from France and Enrico from Italy. Magdalene Hut. Along the valley. Meadows, swa...

Out of Queen Charlotte track. Sun rising fast in the bays. Cormoran nesting close to the water. Pukeko on the meadows. No clouds, no shade. Umbrella saves me until Havelock. Resupply, WiFi, siesta. Owards alone. Easy gravel road to Pelorus Bridge. Walk into the sunset, camp in the dark forest. Middy Creek Hut. Gravel, gravel - barefoot devil. Into the forest before it's too hot. Tramping track. Wash&bath in the river. Shady beech forest, cold streams. Sweat anyway. Goats around the hut. Hacket Hut. Wake up at 5am. Full moon guides me until sun takes over. Easy climb in the cold morning. Rocks hut: Martin the Australian - still in his sleeping bag - is quite surprised, when I enter at 7:30 am. Breakfast together. Trees, no trees, trees. Rest at a little creek. Old Man Hut. Alone. Across the river, along the river. Rough big boulders. Starveal peak. Spear grass is spiky. Epic view of awesomeness: Tasman Bay, woods and mountains and mountains and woods. 14 hours of sunligh...

Otaki forks. Up before sun. Above the clouds. Airplane mode. Mt. Crafford 1462. Can see it all: Mt.Taranaki, Wellington, ferrys, south island with snowy mountains in the distance. My eyes explode! I am so grateful! Down into mossy trees, lovely beach forest, Waikato river - clear as. Brown trouts. I take a bath and wash my clothes. Onwards through the forest. Still every few meters I have to use my hands. Finally less steep and rough. Parawai Hut? Nah, I prefer my tarp. Morning dew, tui singing, foxglove flowers. Up and down through forest, then four-wheeled track, road, street. Guy stops his car and hands me six muesli-bars! Decline five ride offers. Kiwis are awesome! Find a hat with broad rim. Ditch the old one. Push on to Paraparaumu to catch up Rob&Tris. Beach walk, holiday park, shower, delivered pizza! Just another perfect day! Porirua: Once more along the beach. Coast guards practicing. Escarpment trail, very scenic. We get free chocolate bars! Confess to the boys tha...