Day 61/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
Longwood Forest Track
ℹ️Stats: Friday 1st March
Weather: cloudy ☁️
From: Longwood Forest Track 2912
Start time: 8am
To: Colac Bay Holiday Park
End time: 9.30pm
Accommodation: private room - bed 🛏️
Terrain: forest track, gravel road, forest mud & roots. Road.
🥾Km: 26.1
🦶Steps: 33,103
Total Km: 2949/3028 = 97% ✅
💰Costs: $30 room
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 3/10
Fatigue: 3/10
Ease of terrain: 8/10
⭐️Highlights: trail magic at Turnbulls hut - coke cola & chocolate bars. I’ve run out of food so this was really nice.
Finishing the forest section before it went dark. But then I had a 4K road walk in the dark - which wasn’t the best.
Reaching the campsite and having a hot shower and getting rid of all the mud!!! Well most of it!! Probably need another shower to Get rid of it all.
🏔️Challenges: cobwebs 🕸️ to the face, mud, mud, mud. Broke one of my poles on a fall. Have fallen a few times and been up to my knees in mud. it’s the wet mud which sucks you in as well.
💭Thoughts: I wanted to finish the forest section today I could not come back and do more walking in this mud. It’s just horrendous. So glad to make it to the holiday park and to have booked accommodation in Invercargill for 2 nights. The end is in sight. 45km tomorrow- big day. 👊
Day 62/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Saturday 2nd March
Weather: cloudy ☁️
From: Colac Bay Holiday Park
Start time: 7am
To: Invercargill
End time: 6pm
Accommodation: Southern Comfort Hostel - female dorm.
Terrain: gravel road, pebble beach, farm land, cobweb 🕸️ corridor. Hard compact sand.
🥾Km: 49.8
🦶Steps: 63,646
Total Km: 2994/3028 = 99% ✅
💰Costs: $40 accommodation (really nice place - good value)
$28 food resupply - chocolate, crisps, yogurt, blueberries, water, nectarines x2, fruit sweets.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10
Fatigue: 3/10
Ease of terrain: 5/10 - flat walking but hard on the feet
⭐️Highlights: after Riverton the beach walking was solid, I was super worried it was going to be soft sand. Which would have made the day brutal.
Destroyer is at the hostel and we will both finish the TA tomorrow 🥳🥳🥳
🏔️Challenges: the first beach walk - was on pebbles - it was hard going at times.
🐶a playful dog - jumped up at me and clawed me - down the back and front of my left leg. actually really painful and adds to the rest of the scabs and scars I’m currently sporting!
🦶my feet are so sore! Hope they are ok for the 34km day tomorrow.
💭Thoughts: it seems fitting to have a big beach walk at the end of the trip. It brings it full circle to the start way back in November on 90 mile beach.
I don’t know where to put this - but I stopped to have some food outside of a supermarket. And I was sat on the ground in the sunshine, getting my feet and stuff dry and someone threw money at me. I think they must’ve thought I was homeless… I didn’t know how to respond, so I gave the money to some children to buy sweets 🍭
Day 63/64 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The South Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
Final Day 🥳🥳🥳
ℹ️Stats: Sunday 3rd March
Weather: dry
From: Invercargill
Start time: 8.15am
To: Bluff
End time: 4pm
Accommodation: Southern Comfort Backpackers - Invercargill
Terrain: gravel roads, roads, concrete cycle paths.
🥾Km: 42.3
🦶Steps: 54,256
🚗 hitch back to Invercargill 🥳
Total Km: 3028/3028 = 100% ✅
💰Costs: $40 accommodation
$4.50 crisps
$20 2x G&T
$17.80 chicken noodles with vegetables
$22.80 - crisps & 2x chocolate 🍫 😋
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: catching up with Destroyer & Rosie on the trail.
Watching other hikers also finish their journey. I think I was more happy for them - than myself!
Celebrating 🎉 with a pink G&T at the pub!
Getting a hitch with other hikers (so I didn’t have to hitch drunk and in the dark!) back to Invercargill.
🙌Such good vibes at the end watching others finish. 3000+ km. what a journey!
🏔️Challenges: the cycle path way - was brutal walking. So hard on the feet. My left shoe - got a hole (which I covered with a compeed pad!) my feet are done in. It’s the worst my feet have been for years. I think it’s the past 3 big days - with all the elements- all day walking in mud, all day walking on sand and all day walking in concrete.
💭Thoughts: what have I learned? What do I want to share? Did i enjoy it? How did it challenge me? How can i help and support other women achieve their adventure goals?
🎙️All will be shared…. I’m doing a solo tough girl podcast episode to talk about the challenge in more detail.
ℹ️ I’ll also be sharing all of the stats from the North Island, the South Island and both islands together in the coming days
3000 km journey complete! ✅🚶♀️✨
🦶After countless steps and endless adventures, I’ve reached the finish line of the Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand. 🥳
🇳🇿 From rugged mountains views to muddy forests, each step was a testament to determination and resilience.
Grateful for the breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable moments along the way.
Here’s to the end of one journey and the beginning of many more. #TeAraroaTrail #NewZealand #AdventureCompleted 🏞️
A massive thank you to Zoleo who sponsored this challenge 🙌 #ChallengeWithZoleo