So we decided to hike the 265-km-long Great South West Walk. This is a loop in the south-west of Victoria. It was established as a trail in 1981 by two lively residents of Portland. Later, in 1984, a volunteer group known as the “Friends of the Great South West Walk Inc.” continued to extend, realign, maintain, upgrade, and promote the GSWW on behalf of the Glenelg Shire community and in collaboration with Parks Victoria.
Spending time in the shoulder or off-season in the Appalachians is much more appealing to me than hiking there in summer. Summers under the canopy of the Appalachians‘ mostly deciduous trees are pleasant and shaded, but it is also quite humid and stuffy. Having hiked the Benton Mackeye Trail in April and June back in 2019, and having done numerous day hikes along the US-American East Coast in summer, gave me a pretty good impression of the specific challenges hiking in this region, beyond the continuous ups and downs of the rolling mountains.
Well, another one of my favorites in the Hauraki Gulf is Aotea Great Barrier Island. Whenever things get a little much, I dream myself away to Aotea, and now and then, I make the time to head out there. I am not sure whether it is the remoteness of the last barrier before the vastness of the Pacific Ocean (hence the name), the time travel aspect of feeling to go back in time to an Aotearoa from 20 years ago, the plentiful hiking opportunities or if it is the characters you get to meet and with who I, to some extend, share the fascination of a place so out of the way.
Back in November, when I hiked through Northland while on Te Araroa, I had to skip the stretch between Ruakaka and Mangawhai. I attended a conference then and needed to return to Auckland for a few days. As we knew it would be much easier for me to return north and hike the section during a long weekend, my partner John continued hiking. Well, it took almost a year to go back and close the section, as it turned out a little harder to actually make the time to hike it.
The last time I was on Tiritiri Matangi, the bird sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, I noticed a bunk house. This facility is run by the DOC (Department of Conservation), so you can stay on the island. Staying in the bunkhouse is in high demand as it is popular among volunteers staying on the island, but it is also for bird-watchers as nocturnal birds cannot be seen during a day trip.
The further north we got in Vermont, the more the landscape changed: pine trees became deciduous trees and hilly forests eventually made room for flat farming areas. It was a dreary day when we passed into Canada. Our passports were quickly checked and soon we were on our way to Montréal.
After a stressful week in Bonn, I made my way from the conference center to the airport the night before my flight to Boston was scheduled. A few hotels are conveniently located next to Frankfurt Airport, so I checked into my 8-hour flight with Condor relatively relaxed. Being used to flying long hours as I am giving in New Zealand, these 8 hours felt like a quick hop over the Atlantic.
The flight into Christchurch from New Plymouth was uneventful. After landing, I made a beeline towards the exit and took a taxi through the cold and dreary city to the Intercity bus terminal in the city center. As the bus was a little late, I enjoyed a coffee at a coffee shop opposite the bus stop. I expected to experience some of Canterbury’s and Otago’s scenery along the coast. However, after boarding the bus, the ride went through endless fruit plantations, flat farmland, and rather dull countryside towards the south.
John was making good progress towards the end of Te Araroa, and I planned on joining him in Invercargill to hike the last stretch with him to Bluff. As I had some flexible time workwise ahead of me, I wanted to take it a little slower and make it a worthwhile trip going south. As I have never been to New Plymouth but always marveled at Mt Taranaki when flying south from Auckland, it was time to visit this volcano.
The last day on Te Araroa!
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.