Tales and adventures of a Belgian lady and her fourteen furry friends
We left the hotel together at 8 in the morning. It was drizzly and windy outside. While we walked from the city center to the start of the track a big rainbow appeared over the Invercargill estuary.The sun started peeping through as the clouds passed. What better weather to have for the finish than the… Continue reading Bluff
One last resupply. One last heavy pack loaded with 9 days of delicious food. We rather took it on the safe side for the final rough tracks with unpredictable weather and tired bodies. Up and down, up and down, up and down we went, until we stood on the beach. The TA challenge is not… Continue reading To the Southern Ocean
A little detour with a great result. Routeburn, one of New Zealand's nine Great Walks, is officially not a part of Te Araroa but connects so perfectly to its route that we couldn't resist the temptation of covering it. Patrick joined in too. Because, really, what are an additional 54km when you've almost walked 3000?… Continue reading Routeburn, Mavora Lakes & Mararoa River tracks
Along the lines of a historical Maori route Te Araroa winds its way from Wanaka to Queenstown. Motatapu is a fantastic track. It is not characterized by your typical dramatic mountain landscape - glaciers, snowy peaks, blue lakes - yet there is something inherently impressive about it. It is different from any other mountainous place… Continue reading Motatapu Alpine Track
If there is one thing that characterizes the last few days it is definitely a mixture of emotions. I've rewritten this post 3 times and rewrite it now once more according to the mood and emotion of the moments passed, being enthusiasm, tiredness, cold and back to enthusiasm. We've spent a lot of time thinking… Continue reading Summer’s Over – @ Wanaka
After crossing the Rangitata river we immediately started going up Two Thumbs Track. We wanted make it as far as possible that day, to Royal Hut, right before Stag Saddle, so we would be in pole position to get across if the opportunity arose. The terrain was more challenging than we anticipated. The section between… Continue reading Caught in the storm – Two Thumbs Track
A few natural barriers form breaks in Te Araoa's continuum. The Cook Strait is one, the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers are two of the others. Water from the Southern Alps is drained in their endless braids, filling up their huge shingle beds measuring up to 10km across. Both of them are Hazard Zones and unpassable… Continue reading The Big Two
Now that our journey to Bluff has become under a 1000km long, an optimistic mood set in. Only a few mountains, a couple of valleys here and there, a river or two to deal with, we'll be there in no time! Yet we feel that our bodies are tired, and our heads too. There is… Continue reading Life on Trail
There are few things more satisfactory in life than enjoying lunch in the sun on top of a remote alpine pass. Waiau Pass Track is my number one favourite track on the TA so far. It's landscapes are high up with the other highlights, with the wonderful addition that it is a quiet place. Rugged… Continue reading Nelson Lakes National Park: Waiau Pass Track
Nice as it was, the Queen Charlotte Track was merely a warm up to the rest of the South Island, an easy stroll along the coastline leading us to the mountains ahead. This is it. The 700 roughest, wildest, most physical kilometres of our journey across New Zealand. It's exciting, slightly intimidating, somewhat astonishing that… Continue reading Pelorus River and the Richmond Ranges
Lost in the Hills 