Getting fit: crosscountry skiing, snowboarding, running and kayaking. Oh.. and some hiking.

Part of my "Te Araroa Getting Fit Plan" consisted of running a marathon. Since march I have been training for this by running the trails in and around Wanaka. We ran a marathon at the 31st of august along this route:

The trail was amazing: one of the most scenic marathon runs in the world I quess. This is a picture of me and my friend Willi finishing in Lake Hawea.

These are some other pictures taken during the winter in Wanaka:

Te Araroa

Being raised in the Netherlands, I have never spend much time in real wilderness. I am more at home in cities, buildings, shopping malls, trains and cars... My passion for nature and tramping aroused in 1999 when my dad took me on a trip to Ladakh in India, and on a multiday hike through the Hymalayas. It was a great experience. The scenery was nothing like I had ever seen!! It made me want to spend more time in nature.

In the following twelve years I enjoyed multiday hikes in various countries. Switzerland reminded me to be prepared for snow in the middle of summer. Spain took me on a walking pilgrimage and taught me that walking helps to realise what is important in life. Australia showed me the beauty of hiking in an extremely dry landscape where the rocks are orange and the skies always blue. And in New Zealand my travel buddies taught me some important lessons: that to them nature is more exciting and wonderful than any amusement in a city could ever be. Every mountaintop was a challange to them to climb, every waterfall an invitation to jump, and passing a cave on our route meant at least an houre break to explore...

So, my plan is to hike the length of the North Island along the Te Araroa trail (meaning 'the long route' in maori) between september 2011 and january 2012. I would love to hike the length of both islands, but because of a booked flight this is not possible. I would be very happy anyway to cover the length of one island. The distance from Cape Reinga to Wellington is 1636 km. I have never hiked such a long distance before, neither alone, and I realise I am not the most experienced tramper you could find. On the other side, my physical condition is not bad, I am persistent to do this and I am aware of the hazards and dangers that I might come across (bad weather, high rivers, getting lost etc).

The Te Araroa trust was founded in 1994, and since that time they have worked very hard to construct the full 3000 kilometres of trail. At the end of 2011 the trail will officially open. I always have to smile when I read the stories of all those efforts to complete the trail and the simple down-to-earth reason for it all... 'Because it wasn't there...'

A wise tramper stated: 'There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear'. I agree with these words and that's the reason why I am collecting a bag full of goodies that should get me through the next few months.. It takes a lot of time to organise, but I am enjoying the process. I am learning about satellites, bidding on TradeMe, grids, down, merino, rainresistance of tents, waterfilters, river crossings, locator beacons etc. It's fun!

At this blog I will share my experiences of the hike with you. It would be very nice if my story would inspire everyone to also take time off  to dwell in nature, and to take initiative to protect nature and true wilderness. And for those who are planning to hike the Te Araroa trail, my blog might become a source of information. I hope you will enjoy reading my story.. :)