We Finished the Trail. Now What?

1200 kilometers and 75 days later.

Maddie's parents joined us for the final four days along the coastal Queen Charlotte Track. Part of the reason we walked northbound was to finish on Queen C, a track that’s well groomed and rolling, weaving through unspoiled coastal jungle and along turquoise bays. The trail also conveniently passes by beachfront resorts that can only be accessed by foot or by boat. We ditched our tent for comfy beds, showered daily, and ate delicious hotel food. If you remember our first few days on trail (Road, Beach, Mud), we think we made the right choice on when to send the parental invite. 

Once again the TA surprised us with completely new terrain, the four of us in awe of the lush Marlborough Sounds. Brilliant blue sparkled below, the pristine views occasionally interrupted by rogue cicadas that would fly straight into us as we walked. 

Then all of a sudden, it was over. 

Highlights & Lowlights:

Highs: 

• There were several moments climbing up steep peaks that I'll remember. Feeling the strongest I ever have, leveling out at the ridgeline and marveling at the expanse below. Feeling like I was made to do this! (Maddie) 

• During lunch of our big dawn mission over the Rintouls, there was still about 2 hours of walking left to the hut. I was completely checked out and the last thing I wanted to do was heave my pack on and climb over one more ridgeline, but alas, a hut was waiting for me and I couldn’t stop now. As I finished the final climb of the day, I saw Nelson and the ocean sprawled out in the distance in front of me. I was flooded with endorphins at that moment. First time seeing the ocean in over 1000km! And it hit me that it’s literally right there! (Anna)

• Jumping into the Greenstone River and racing down the path toward Queenstown. A significant turning point for me, overcoming the brutal first 14 days and feeling acclimated to trail life for the first time. Also the day I decided it was just easiest to leave my shoes on when I swam. (Maddie) 

• Camp Stream Hut: Late start, blazing hot day, exposed trail: a recipe for a tough day on trail. Exhausted, we arrived at Camp Stream Hut with three sobos already settled in. As the evening progressed, a few day walkers turned up and met our first nobo in a long time! We spent the evening on our sitpads and cheffing up our different variations of ramen noodles. It was the perfect crew and the instant connection that thru hiking creates revived our aching bodies. Tough day turned amazing. (Anna)

Lows: 

• Arriving sopping wet to a jam packed hut, puddles on the floor, no space for us. We pitched our tent in a rain and windstorm, woke up the next day and discovered our gas canister was faulty. Cold breakfast and coffee, and we had to bail out to the road because Waiau pass was a no go. 

• Waking up at 1am to the sound of a roaring engine and headlights flooding our tent from all sides. A rogue ATV circled us, rounding up loose sheep. Anna remained in fight or flight mode the entire night while Maddie fell right back asleep. Exhausting walk out the next day through dagger-like Spaniard plants that hide in the grass and cut your skin when you’re least expecting it. 

• Getting obliterated by sandflies.

Favorite Gear: 

I think the main reason thru-hikers are obsessed with gear is because when you have so few things, each item holds incredible value. In our case, some of the most simple, unexpected objects became the things we treasured the most. 

Maddie: 

• Sit pad. Just a butt sized square cut out of an old, cheap accordion sleeping mat. Wet sharp rocks? Spiky weeds? Cold mountain summit? Any spot along the trail was now my comfy living room.

• Clothespin. I alternated between two pairs of hiking socks, clipping one pair onto my pack to dry while I wore the other.  Even though my feet got wet everyday, I always had dry socks for the morning :)

Anna: 

• My trekking poles were my most trusty companions. The only things preventing me from breaking my ankles, slipping into mud or completely falling off the trail. They may have bent but never broke. Unfortunately I couldn’t collapse them down completely due to the bent aluminum so it looked like I was carrying around a weapon in the supermarkets. Received some questionable looks. Trekking poles also make amazing props to kill time and stimulate your imagination (it can be your broomstick, your baton or a sword)! 

• My spork quickly became my least favorite item as it stood no chance when scooping peanut butter. Three sporks later, I ended up buying a separate fork and spoon.

Snack Roundup: 

Anna: 

• My never ending nut bag. Each resupply I topped up the ziplock with different types of nuts and dried fruit (honey roasted, salted, maple covered almonds, cranberries). I’m sure some nuts made it all the way across the island. Good in oatmeal, perfect for tortilla wraps, made for constant munching. The mice also enjoyed it and nibbled through the bag on 4 different occasions. I never want to eat nuts again. 

• Cookies disguised as high protein bars. Dense oat bars that are equivalent to an entire meal. Yum.

Maddie: 

• Spicy beef jerky. Usually not a beef girl, but NZ changed me I guess. I would hide a pack at the bottom of my bag, then gift it to myself during tough times. (Eg. waiting for a hitchhike at a scorching gravel pullout with 10 minutes between each passing car) 

• Salt and vinegar peanuts. Protein + fat + electrolytes(?). The perfect tramping snack doesn't exi一

Still doesn’t beat salt n vinegar chips though. I ate a big bag to kick off each town feast. 

• Sour gummy candy from the bulk section. The bags got bigger and bigger. Consumption became more and more frequent. Lollies for breakfast please! And it felt great! 

Meal Roundup:

Everyday we ate oatmeal with peanut butter and cranberries for breakfast. Never got tired of it! 

For lunch we’d eat wraps. In times of abundance we’d fill them with salami, cheese and jam. In times of scarcity we’d fill them with peanut butter and nuts. 

We alternated between two main dinners: 

1. Noodles and tuna 

Sidenote on tuna - while we can’t speak with conviction about the state of the tuna offerings in the American or European grocery store, the tuna cans and packets here in New Zealand slap. They are seasoned and spiced, with real pieces of ginger and chili, tomato basil, or salsa verde. Whatever flavor profile you crave, you can find it somewhere on the tuna aisle in the NZed supermarket. 

2. Mashed potatoes with lentils and gravy

We cold soaked our lentils during the day to speed up cooking time at night, usually in an old pb jar. After a few days the vessel would start to stink real bad and we'd switch over to random leaky ziploc bags - equally questionable. 

One time we had the idea to add crispy fried shallots to our lenty potatoes! Once at the store however, we made the economical decision to buy “dried onion pieces” thinking it was basically the same thing for a fifth the price. We even bought a few extra bags to send in our resupply box! But when we opened the opaque packaging, instead of beautiful golden crisp shallots as we (stupidly) expected, we received a whole bag of yellowed toenail clippings. Not tasty or crispy. And then we received two more whole bags in our box later on :)

Some of the more memorable dinners included 

• Rice noodles with coconut milk powder, dried peas, curry seasoning and lentils!

• Mashed potato tuna quesadillas. Fried up in the oil from the tuna packet. 

After more than 50 days, we treated ourselves to some dehydrated meals. High on the flavor and nutrient index, but not very satisfying to make. The longest 10 minutes to exist is the time spent waiting for these meals to rehydrate. 

Favorite Huts:

Hamilton Hut, Arthur’s Pass

Camp Stream Hut, Two Thumb Range

Rintoul Hut, Richmond Ranges

Harper Bivvy, Arthur’s Pass

Taipo Hut, Mavora Lakes

Will we ever thru-hike again?

Anna: I would see occasional posts about past PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) finishers and think to myself “that’s awesome but I would never do something like that.” And here I am. Te Araroa was my first thru-hike as well as my first overnight backpacking trip. Go hard or go home. It was incredibly rewarding walking an island that we had driven the length of many times before, and reshaped the way I want to explore a new place. That being said, shorter thru hikes sound way more attractive to me, such as the Colorado Trail (about 30 days) or the Slovenian Mountain Trail (about 35 days).

Maddie: I hope so. I loved the challenge of getting from point A to point B. But that and many other aspects of the trail were things I knew I’d love. The sheer act of walking all day everyday for over two months? I wasn’t so sure. 

Before walking the TA, when I said I loved hiking, I meant the nature, the views, the challenge, and the people that hiked along with me. The act of walking for hours on end wasn't at the top of my list. 

So upon starting the traiI, I was honestly a bit nervous about the mental aspect of walking for 6+ hours a day. Would I be bored out of my mind? Would I have an existential crisis? 

Everything about the first two weeks of the trail was tough. Pain and restlessness and questioning what the heck we were doing. But then things magically changed. My body adapted and my mind entered a state of walking flow, the closest I’ve ever gotten to meditation. 

After being heavily dependent on podcasts and music to get me through three months of agricultural labor jobs last year, I thought I’d once again reach for my earbuds while on trail. But I didn’t. I barely had the urge. And in the times where we did listen to stuff, it was as a treat, not an escape. 

Some mornings I’d wake up and dread the long walk ahead, but most of the time I really looked forward to it. Some of my favorite times on trail were the cold quiet mornings, walking in silence, not thinking about much at all. 

So yes, I’d really like to do another thru hike sometime. 

Anna and I hadn't seen each other in five years before meeting up in New Zealand. Meet in five for another big walk? 

A reflection by M

I had never really met a thru-hiker before walking Te Araroa, but now that I have, I’ve learned that people walk one trail and never stop. How they are both able to dedicate many months to this hobby as well as fund it remains a mystery. But I do understand why thru hiking becomes addictive. Because it contains so many core elements that bring humans joy! 

Thru-hiking things that made us happy: 

• Waking up early and going to bed early (9 hours of sleep usually)

• Spending all day outside in nature 

• Rigorous exercise 

• Eating all the time

• Tangible, achievable goals each day

• Routine

• Meaningful connection with strangers 

• Having few belongings

• No mirrors or worries about appearance  

• Reflecting about each day through conversation and journal

• Sipping on pure water and breathing clean air 

• Living off the grid 

The list goes on

Oh how modern life has strayed so far from these simplicities..

I hope to hold onto a few wherever I find myself next. 

So What’s Next?

After travelling for over a year together, we’re parting ways to make back the money we spent on trail snacks. Don’t worry - we had a big post TA relax in our favorite city Wellington, spending quality time with Anne and Jim (Maddie parents), seeing friends old and new, and soaking in all that city good stuff. But now Maddie’s heading to Marlborough to make a gazillion bottles of wine and Anna’s returning to Dunedin to make beautiful latte art for tradies. 

Beyond that? We have no idea.

---

 Stats! 75 Days of Te Araroa 

Total distance walked: 1140km / 708 miles

Walking days: 57 (averaging 20km per day)

Most elevation gain in one day: 1730m / 5676ft (Rintoul Hut → Starveall Hut)

Longest walking time: 7h45m (Goat Pass)

Longest distance day: 35.5km / 22 miles (Bluff → Invercargill) Day 1! 

Total ascent: 37,857m / 124,203 ft

Days of dry feet: 7 

Number of showers (Pre Queen Charlotte): 11

Total hitchhikes: 65

Ranging from 2 minutes to 2 hours 

(We promise we didn't hitchhike the whole thing!)

---

We want to give a big thank you to all of our readers for supporting our journey, the ups, the downs, and everything in between. We literally could not have done it without you.

Signing off,

Maddie & Anna

Highlights of a recent roll of film. Nelson Lakes and Richmond Ranges.