A little overwhelmed by Wellington city life, I was looking forward to leaving the hustle behind and walking towards Island Bay, which is south of the city and not far from the airport.
After a sumptuous breakfast at the excellent Café at Manners St, we set out towards the Wellington Harbour promenade and followed around the bay towards the west. There was an open water swimming competition, and once again, I was just amazed by how naturally Kiwis enjoy the outdoors and the elements. From what I could see, all ages and kinds of people participated, cheered on by a small crowd of other open-water swimmers and possibly their families. The waters were pretty rough this morning as Wellington enjoyed its usual wind. We left the promenade to climb up the trail to a green belt that would bring us over the various humps of Mt Victoria towards the southern terminus. We only had day packs with snacks and water with us and really enjoyed going uphill. The higher we got, the better the views over the city, the turquoise waters of Wellington Harbour and towards the hilly surroundings. Nestled into the hills, many posh houses appeared with very likely fantastic views over the scenery. The first major stop was the summit of Mt Victoria. Surprisingly, TA doesn’t go over the summit, but we didn’t want to miss out on the panoramic views over the area. As the lookout near the summit is easily accessible by car, it is a significant spot for tourists and locals alike. So suddenly, we found ourselves among many people enjoying the views. After taking the usual pictures, we headed to the true summit with a cell tower. There was no viewing platform or any sitting place, so we had the summit to ourselves and enjoyed a long break, during which we watched planes starting and landing at the nearby runway of Wellington airport. After some time, we continued our way towards the south. Today felt slow but nice as we enjoyed exploring the green spaces of Wellington while being on TA. We crossed yet another cricket field (the third along TA on the North Island; I don’t remember the trail crossing any on the South Island), made our way over yet another hump of Mt Victoria, and eventually descended towards Island Bay. Arrived at the shore, we walked on a sidewalk along the road toward the terminus of TA. This was when it started to become a little emotional for me: the end of my journey was near. The day was overcast, the sea rough, and a little less blue than usual. We passed some run-down-looking houses and then entered the little settlement of Island Bay.
In the corner of a playground was a big rock with a metal plaque indicating the southern terminus of Te Araroa – The Long Pathway on the North Island. At the terminus, we met a guy who turned out to have hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, TA, and various trails in Europe and also works for DOC (Department of Conservation in Aotearoa). Naturally, after he congratulated us, we had quite a lively conversation about hiking Te Araroa, and we exchanged our experiences on the other trails we hiked. He offered us a ride back to the city center, which we gratefully accepted. However, in hindsight, we should have turned his offer down because I especially felt I needed more time to say farewell to Te Araroa in Island Bay. I did not take the time to also emotionally finish the trail, sit there in silence for a while, and contemplate the journey. I felt rushed, and this was not how I wanted and needed to finish a trail. It is still something I regret. Fortunately, I am sure I will be back in Wellington sooner rather than later, and then I will go back to Island Bay and touch that plaque again. So, this is it! It is done; Te Araroa is in the books. It is the first time that I am happy to finish a trail. But at the same time, I am sad that trail life is over for now, and John continues by himself on the South Island. It was quite a ride!
