Sue's long walk

I was up really early and walking by 6 30 am as I knew I had a long day. The first 10 km were along a 4 wheel drive track above lake Mavora. The next bit was a long the lake fronting the beech trees. It was really pretty. Mavora was absolutely full with people camping. People 4 wheel driving, kids on dirt bikes, people fishing, kayaking, boating and generally enjoying themselves. I crossed the swingbridge at the end of north Mavora and met up with Cheryl and Malcom who had left at the same time I did and we're having breakfast. We had been told there was a lot of windfall trees on the next part and it was hard going. I decided to walk south Mavora lake. I met up with a group of day walkers who told me the track to south Mavora swingbridge was good but after that to Kiwiburn was slow going. I crossed at south Mavora swingbridge, had lunch and walked the gravel road. One of the day walkers picked me up and saved me about 4 km. As I was early I decided to walk into kiwiburn hut and no...

I was up fairly early and cooked breakfast by the ablutions block as I didn't want to disturb others. Cheryl and Malcom leftwell before me. I expected a hard day and a climb over the Passburn but it wasn't too bad. I crossed the boundary between Otago and Southland. The day was a mixture of beech forrest, some alpine and some tussock grass lands. There was a creek crossing that was fairly swift and some rocky terrain that I had to pick my way carefully. I arrived at the hut about 1pm. Nichole a Swiss woman was there for lunch but soon left. The hut was fenced as cattle graze the valley and had a turnstile to enter. It had the widest bunks ever for a 4 bed hut but you would have been very close if it was 8 beds. I slept and chilled out for the afternoon. Jorge a guy from Austria going north arrived for the night. It was only a 10 km day and my body is holding up.

This summer I decided to walk some of the Southland Te Araroa trail. On 27 December Chris kindly took me to the Greenstone carpark on the far side of Lake Whakatipu. It was a hell of a long way past Queenstown. Fortunately we took the Ute.The scenery up past Glenorchy was lovely with snow still in the mountains. The carpark at Greenstone was packed and it also had toilets and a shelter. We picked up a TA walker hitch hiking. A kiwi Nicholas. I started walking about 1 30 and Chris had the long drive home. The track was initially beautiful underfoot and all the river crossings were bridged with several swingbridges. The track opened out into some grassy flats. There was a bit that was quite rocky and uneven. There were lots of people on the track as it is part of the McKellar and Caples track and also a loop walk to lake Rere. The hut was very flash, lots of people and a hut warden. It has flush toilets. I had the only been able to book a tent site. The walk was 12 km and I was pleased t...

Last Kings birthday I walked from Invercargill at Stead street to Bluff for some TA training. I didn't take any photos. It was a bit of a miserable day so I just road walked to Bluff and missed out the Bluff hill section. I was a tad tired and foot sore after 26 km most of it on the shared cycle way. Chris and I had travelled in convoy and left the Suzuki at Stirling point then Chris dropped me at the Stead street wharf. The walk along the estuary was lovely but when I got to the sewerage ponds I got a bit off track and ended walking along the road till Kekeno place where the track runs parallel to the highway. Really appreciated all the toots. This year I decided to do the bit I left put. Parked the Suzuki by the Bluff sign. The walk was through farmland towards the coast.The wind was horrendous and it was really cold. The track was well marked although a bit muddy. At the monument for those who died in a plane crash it joins the millennium track and heads up to Bluff hill. Saw a ...

Reflections. Tomorrow I have a  flight home. I want to thank all off you who have been following and supporting me on my long walk. It started as a dream and now over 1000km later I have completed what I set out to. I was never going to be a purist or walk every f... inch. It was my walk and it had to be both achievable and enjoyable for me. Catching up with a lot of our North Island family has been an added bonus. The TA has been an amazing experience and it has reinforced just how beautiful our country is and also the kindness of everyday people. When asked why I wanted to do the walk I was never really sure of my answer. To see if I can, to rediscover NZ one step at a time, to honour my parents, to be an inspiration for my grandchildren. If you have a dream then life is short and you need to make it a reality. The TA is a gem kiwi,s have yet to really embrace. It is the only continuous trail in the world that goes from top to bottom of a country. It has you walking on beaches, n...