There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart.
– Washington Irving
Brad last did a blog posting on December 12 from Waipu. According to my calculations he has approximately 100 miles to hike before arriving back in Auckland. At 20 miles a day he should be in touch again on about the 18th of December. Of course, he might have detoured for more cave exploration or surfing. Or he might have treated himself to a zero day (no hiking) or hiked fewer than 20 miles each day. But, however long it takes, I am looking forward to an e-mail contact and chat time with him in the not too distant future.
Auckland will be a time for Brad to tend to some business too, like getting his Visa finalized and refreshing his trail information for heading south from Auckland. He also should have a pile of mail to pick up.
The Te Araroa Trail is from tip-to-tip North Island to South Island. The North Island beginning at Cape Reinga is made up of seven trail sections:
Brad has finished the Far North section and is working on the Whangarei Section. He will soon be arriving in Auckland for beginning the Auckland to Waikato section.I have never done a long distance walk or hike, but I've traveled a number of miles across several states by bicycle, and what one can see and experience on a bike vs. a car is amazing. Walking must make the views and experiences several degrees more intimate. Walking the entire length of New Zealand will, in some ways, make Brad more of a foot-to-soil expert on NZ than many citizens.
"There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast." ~Paul Scott Mowrer, The House of Europe
| As Brad hikes he gives us a nice video image of what he's seeing. The view is of Poor Knights Islands and definitely looks spectacular in all directions. In fact, the entire Tutukaka Coast is full of things to do and see. Brad has selected an amazing country to spend his winter. And, it's warm there. It's cold on Whidbey Island. As I follow Brad's travels on the Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand and see in his photos the sun and surfing and kayaking and short sleeved shirts and shorts, I do have to tamp down my jealously. I want a sunny day in the 40's, never mind the 60's. I'm beginning to understand the snowbirds (a term thought to come from the Snow Bird song by Anne Murray), so sing along to pretend, if you're cold like me today, that it's really warm and sunny. The National Weather Service reports Langley weather to be cold and more cold. Our nights will be in the low 30's and high 20's this week, with the day time temperatures maxing out at 43 later in the week. |
