Reflections 2

Time flies! (also, the Porcupine Tree song). It’s already been over three days now since I arrived back, and it's felt rather surreal. One moment I was hiking into Te Kuiti, the next I was back home! It's felt like a rather abrupt end to my trip, and it's hard to believe that a few days ago I was still on the Te Araroa.

It was lovely seeing Paul and Rocco again, and settling back in to the comforts of home.  A day or so after I arrived home, Paul was off on a prearranged trip to see friends Darryl and Mark in Nelson, so Rocco and I have had the place to ourselves for the last couple of days. I've been taking my time, slowly unpacking and finding homes for everything; mailing my rented Personal Locator Beacon back to Trek 'n' Travel in Hamilton; and chipping away at completing my blog.

The unpacking ritual

Goodbye, PLB!

My memory of the last few weeks is already fading, so it's good to be able to read over this blog and remind myself of what I've done and where I've been. I notice though that this blog has been unusually light on maths so far, so I think it's time to correct that now.  Here is a summary of my trip, in numbers:

• 15: days on the road (though that includes the rest day in Hamilton).
• 292: km walked (limped, clambered, etc). In fact with detours and diversions it would be well over 300km - but my TA app tells me I am now officially 292km further down the trail.
• 5: TA walkers sighted. Much fewer than I was expecting. 4 going north (Emma, Graham, Rob and Wendy); 1 going south (Dan)
• 90: minutes walking in the company of others - with Paul as I left home on the first day, with Zoe in Papakura, and with Rosie's clan on Pirongia. The rest was just me. But, I like it that way.  
• 3: slightly illegal rough camps (Botanic Gardens, Mt William trig point, Honikiwi airstrip). 
• 2: kg lost. Is that all?
• 2: potentially major mistakes (lost my cards in Mercer, and lost my way in Pirongia). All ended well, mainly due to luck.  
• 888: km in total travelled down the TA so far, since I started last year in Cape Reinga.
• 2112: more km to go! (it's exactly 3000 km to Bluff).

I wondered, before starting out, if this trip would feel different from the previous one. And yes, I guess it has. Walking away from home, past places that were familiar, and seeing Paul daily to start with, I didn't feel as remote and isolated as I did at Cape Reinga. And with no definitive end, I felt able to decide to finish up when I wanted, rather than having to slog on to reach a particular goal. 

Also, I guess there wasn't as much breathtaking scenery this time - a lot of roads, forests, hills and farms. But for me it's not only about the scenery - it's about the challenge of doing something I'm slightly scared of doing. And I do have my moments along the way. Dad asked if there were a couple of moments that stood out for me - and yes, there were. Having a beer in the garden at the Backyard Bar in Whatawhata was one - an unexpectedly happy moment. And, sitting on the bank of the Moakurarua Stream on my second to last day was the other; just watching the stream, and having a cry. I said good-bye to the stream afterwards - but maybe I was also unconsciously saying goodbye to this leg of my big adventure.

I do wonder if I should have continued on for another week through the Pureora forest to Taumaranui - but the timing felt right to stop, even though it was a fairly quick decision. The last 15 days feel like a real achievement for me, and I'm satisfied with that. And I know what will be ahead if I do decide to rejoin the Te Araroa in the future. Will it happen? I'd like to think, yes it will.

Cheers, TA. We'll meet again some day...