Tātou Araroa — Episode 1: Our Long Pathway
On Saturday 3rd October 2020, my wife Sarah and I will embark upon walking Te Araroa. From Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua in the Far North of Aotearoa/New Zealand, to Bluff/Motupōhue in the deep South, this 3008km journey will see us travel along endless beaches, through dense, unforgiving and muddy forests, across towns and cities, over and around mountains, between volcanoes, down rivers (which are also people….), over exposed and remote saddles and so much more of our rich geographic tapestry. It offers us a chance to immerse ourselves in all that Aotearoa/New Zealand has to offer.
What’s in a name?
Te Araroa (TA)— The Long Pathway, is the name given to the unbroken journey over land and sea from the furthest Northern and Southern points on Aotearoa’s two main islands. For Geoff Chapple, founder of the TA, his own te araroa to connect the hundreds of trails, private farms and routes that make up TA began in 1994, with the official opening of the trail in 2011.
We’ve chosen to name our journey, and our blog, Tātou Araroa, meaning Our (more than three people) Long Pathway. Although it will be Sarah and I’s walk, we will share time on trail with friends, with fellow TA walkers, with “Trail Angels” (the hearty band of good folk that offer their gardens, their houses, their time and often, their showers too to TA hikers) and with you all too.
Aotearoa, “The land of the long white cloud”, a quip from the explorer Kupe’s wife upon seeing land after their long waka (canoe) voyage from their Pacific island home, is the Maori name for New Zealand, I will interchange both names as we go.
T-9 Days
We’re nine days out from the start of our journey. We both have one day remaining at work and we’re both in utter denial that we’ve accepted we will leave our comfortable, if rapidly emptying home, in search of adventure and that we’re trading our warm bed for a tent, a sleeping mat and bag.
I am not one known for being effusive with my emotions and envisage this blog to continue that trend, but I would love to share my biggest feeling right now: Curiosity. I’m curious how it will feel to leave the lighthouse at Cape Reinga, curious how our first night will feel, curious to see how the body holds up to our first section (94km of beach walking), I’m curious in seeing how we will deal with the fatigue, the change and the unknown.
Start with the Why
Sarah and I have shared stories with each other about our varied answers to the inevitable question of “Why?”, why would you give it all up and walk 3000km? Why would you spend the next 5/6 months in a tent? The short answer is, to quote English mountaineer George Mallory, is because it’s there. Sarah and I moved to New Zealand in 2011 and have found a place we proudly call home. I speak for myself when I say that, as we’re due to become citizens 4 months after the end of our walk, what better way to honour our adopted land but by walking the length of it.
I hope that you’ll join us all the way, I suspect come Day 131 these entries will become simply “In the tent, miles from anywhere, knackered” but I hope to keep you entertained, informed and amused as we go.
Ngā mihi nui (thank you very much) in advance for your support. Please ask any questions you may have in the comments and I’d love to answer them for you.
Bill
Check out the next chapter in our journey HERE