The last day...part 2...the 7km to the Bluff sign.

The whanau met us at the end of the road section (24km), where we started the final 7km walkway around the outside of the Bluff coast.  They had spotted Ed walking a wee way behind us, so left him a message and a peanut slab to spur him along.  Meg joined for us the last 7km section...and Nicki and Anthony met us about 1 km from the end.  How wonderful it was to finish with family.  Despite having each other, it likely would have felt quite anticlimactic without others to share it with. 

In the build up to finishing Hannah often pondered on what it would be like.  She joked that she expected a crowd of people cheering, waving pompoms, cameras flashing, awards provided, the real fame stuff.  Well there was none of that.  No big momentous finale, but the whanau did an excellent job at the enthusiastic crowd.  We were sprayed with bubbly, littered with party poppers, and seriously cheered on like champions.  Thanks so much to the de Reus whanau. 

Our feet were so painful by the end, the type of pain we haven't felt for months.  A fitting end for the trail.  A journey which has pushed us to our very limits, mentally, emotionally and physically.  There were definitely times where we considered stopping, overwhelmed by the task before us.  At these times the blog viewing and comments, and contact from friends and family spurred us along.  Thanks so much to those who have encouraged us, it kept us going.

We walked across the line, and stepped onto the platform with the famous Bluff sign.  What a moment.  There was no wiping the smiles off our faces.  An achievement we will never forget and memories we will hold onto for many years to come.  A few people stopped and asked what we were doing, others just continued on their way.  A good reminder for us that while this has been the whole of our lives for the past few months, the world continues to go round and at some point we need to figure out how to get back on board. 

For now, we will remain in our hiking bubble.  The end of this adventure...

A few snapshots of memories from the trail.

The last day...part 1...walking the 24km road section.

It is so hard to believe that by the end of the day we will no longer be through hikers, we'll be people who have finished the trail.  Everyone says it is bitter sweet, and of course it is.  We are so happy to be finishing, but equally you lose a sense of belonging and purpose at the end of such an adventure. 

Boots went on for the last time.  Both of us are so excited to never have to put those socks back on our feet.  There is a whole new level of hygiene/cleanliness that comes with through hiking.  Showering once a week is adequate, rinsing socks under the tap rivals a new pair, and washing dishes with cold water and your hands will suffice. 

We began walking at 6 am, as Nicki's flight meant we needed to finish walking soon after noon.  It was dark, but with our headlamps beaming we marched through the dawn.  At different times we would remember the enormity of the achievement, and felt overwhelmed with the moment.  Other moments we just wanted to jolly road walking to be finished, and wished the end to draw near.

Highlights and lowlights of the trail for the Cleland's:
Favourite part
S: Stag Saddle, the highest point on the the trail.
H: Stag Saddle too, amazing views, I just love anything that is high.
Least favourite part
S: Road walking.  Especially the stuff in the North Island.  Sometimes it would be road for 4 days straight...flat  and boring road.
H: Some of the farm sections, particularly around Te Kuiti.  Definitely biggest meltdown moment.
Best item in pack
S: Food! Apart from food it would probably be my hat.  Kept the sun out and the rain off my face.
H: Walking poles.  Those puppies stopped me from face planting numerous times.
Best and worst dehydrated meal
S: Beef stroganoff was the best...the worst would be the mishmash of flavours at the end of a stretch, all the leftovers just used up.
H: Satay beef...with a massive blob of peanut butter was my fav.  Really any meal would have been good with peanut butter.  Worst...maybe the lentil and tuna lunches with fake cheese flavour.  Gross.
Weirdest thing that happened on the trail
S: Little rounded man running on a crowded beach, holding his shoes, in very small speedos that had wedged upwards.
H: Walking by Pohutukawa bay, a male nudist beach...they were all just so naked.
Life lessons from the trail
S: there have been lots of different ones, but one that stands out would be trusting in God. There is nothing too big or small for God. 
H: So many.  Simplicity of living is a big one for me.  There is very little that we need to survive, and much of what we have is additional to our needs...which is OK, but it's about being content with little.  That's my lesson.
Food craving for the end
S: Fresh fruit and veges
H: Chicken stir fry.
What are you excited about post trail
S: Not having to be on the move everyday.  Just waking up and going to bed in the same place.
H: Clean undies and Selwyn having a shaved face.
Would you do it again
S: Tough, I'm pleased we did it, I have a real satisfaction to have completed it.  The satisfaction, the friendships made and the sights seen outweigh the tough times.
H: If I knew at the start what I know now...I'm not sure I would have started.  I might have doubted if I could do it.  But I'm so pleased I didn't know; if we knew how hard things would be we'd never do anything. 

The excitement is really mounting.  We set off early this morning and watched the sun rise over the water.  We watched as Stewart Island blurred and sharpened in the changeable cloud.  We walked as the tide crept in, lapping our feet with its reaches.  We walked and talked, reminiscing of days gone by on the trail.  The highs, the lows, the meltdowns.  So much has been gained, so much more than we could have ever planned or dreamed of.  Te Araroa has changed us.  Defining. 

These final few days are a perfect summation of the trail.  We've recently hiked through deep stinky mud, up and down mountains, through tussock, and then today we walked a long stretch of beach and tomorrow we walk the road.  Beach and road...we wouldn't say they are our least favourite memories of the North Island, but the beach and road sections were surely tough.  Seems fitting to finish with this as a reminder of what we have traversed.

Hannah's sister joined us for a solid 15km walk today, very impressive.  How amazing it is to have family close and enjoying this adventure.  We shared dinner and trail stories with everyone, the reality of the looming end setting in.  Selwyn likened the feeling to a young child before Christmas...such anticipation.  Longing to open presents but aware that once it's opened, that's it...it's over.  Part of us wants to hold on to this moment for longer, while other parts are ready to open the present and see what else is in store. 

Regardless of wanting to hold on or being ready to let go, tomorrow is our last day on the trail, and we will savour each moment in the day.

A day in Riverton doing some jobs, waiting for the whanau to arrive, and eating so much outrageous food.  To pass some time we had a couple of pool games, with varying rules and talent levels.  If anyone is planning on a trip to Riverton, a night at Globe Backpackers is a must. 

When we are in town we go all out, possibly too all out, but it's enjoyable all the same.  Here's an overview of the food adventures for today:

Pancakes, bacon, banana, yoghurt and spreads for a late lunch. 

Fresh (and free) Blue Cod and salad for an entrée, with a Mexican meal for dinner. 

Coffee and walnut cake for dessert. 

The main reason for the splash out was that it was Anthony's birthday, so we felt the need to prove that we still knew how to cook despite our bush escapades.  Not only did Anthony and Meg arrive...but a surprise addition to the duo turned up.  Hannah's mum!  Totally unexpected, a wonderful surprise for the end of the trip. 

There is quite a story to the fresh blue cod entrée.  We were hitching a ride to town for the day to do some chores, and met a really friendly lady who was the chef at the RSA in Riverton.  Not only did she lend Hannah a cake tin, she also informed us that we must come over to the RSA that evening for a taste of some famous southland blue cod.  We arrived for the entrée and found the lady furiously peeling potatoes and pumpkin for her birthday party hangi tomorrow night.  We jumped on in, got into the food prep and ended up also cooking some food for the RSA guests.  Good fun.  Unfortunately we couldn't take her up on the birthday party invite but had a great time prepping. 

Hard to believe but we have two days of walking to go.  Just 66km, spread over two days, and then we are finished.  Very exciting times.

The assumption of a mice less hut was a little ambitious, but the boys had a plan.  George the farmer had provided some tips on mice trapping...and we were eager to try them out. 

The strategy - a bucket of water on the ground, with a bottle above it.  The bottle must be a long necked glass bottle with some cheese in the spout.  The plan is that the mouse smells the cheese, walks along the neck of the bottle, can't turn around and instead falls into the water....

It took a few tries, and some unplanned feeding, but at some stage during the night we woke to a plop...mouse in the bucket.  Success.

We walked and walked, and then, we saw it. RIVERTON.  The town which signaled the true beginning of the end.  Two easy days walking to Bluff. Riverton was a good place to be.  A sweet backpackers, dehydrated food combined with some fresh veges, and chilling in front of the TV, made for happy hikers. 

The whanau arrive tomorrow.  It will be so good to see familiar faces and to share the end of the journey with them.  The excitement of the completion is overtaking sadness at the moment, but no doubt both emotions will sneak in over the next few days.  Once again, ahead of schedule, so we will share a day off with Ed, using our time to reflect on the pearls and perils of the trail.  A timely reflection to make the end even sweeter.

Regardless of the weather, we were walking.  And walk we did.  The rain largely held off for us as we embarked on a bit of road, a bit of forest, and a bit of bush, before heading into the Longwood Forest.  Mentally, the Longwood Forest was our last hurdle.  The last tough section before reaching Riverton and then walking beach and road to Bluff.  The Longwoods came with a bit of a reputation, a reputation for mud.  We decided that a bit of grotty hiking for the last few days would be good for us, a reflection on kilometers gone by. 

The plan at the beginning of the day was to head into the forest and walk until we dropped.  There were no places to officially camp, but it was highly unlikely that we'd be able to get all the way to Martin's Hut (15.5 hours was estimated), the only shelter in the forest.  As well as the long distance to the hut it was also a historic hut, with canvas bunks, over 100 years old and described as a good shelter is required.  Not trying to be overly fussy but that description wasn't hugely appealing.  However, as the day progressed, the Longwoods lived up to all of it's reputation.  The temperature dropped, the snow turned to sludge, and the mud reached groin height.  About this time the thought of a potentially rat infested, canvassed bunked hut was absolutely dreamy.  We just had to get there.

A quick conference between us all concluded that we push ourselves and walk in the dark in our best attempt to get to the hut.  Quick stops to refuel, take pics, look at views and listen to roaring stags and lots of speedy walking.  We were warned multiple times about hunters in the forest, therefore walking at dusk was a somewhat risky option.  As darkness fell the headlamps came out and the music went on in an attempt to remind hunters that we were walkers and not stags.  The music not only deterred gunshots but also lifted the mood, and we sang 80's songs all the way to the hut.

The cheeky little hut turned up sooner than we thought, much to our delight.  It took quite sometime to wade our way through the mud on our boots to find our laces and then even longer to try and wash our feet.  But, the apparent lack a mice, the dry room, the exciting bonus of actual mattresses, and the satisfaction of our arrival made it all worth while. 

Kia Ora koutou. Mihi nui ki a koutou mo o awhi, me o tautoko ki te kaupapa.  Ka mutu te korero te reo Turei.  I ahua pai ki maua korero Maori, engari, i waitara tenei.  Tena koe Ngaakete!  He tino awhina koe.  Ka nui rawe atu e hoa. 

He tino pai maua hikoi, he tino waitara maua hikoi.  Ka mutu te hikoi,  no reira, kei te harikoa maua, engari, kei te ahua pouri maua. 

Our last "Te Reo Turei" day.  To be completely honest these days have been really tough.  We have realized that when doing something as difficult as the trail, that we needed to encourage each other a lot.  And we just couldn't always speak enough Maori to only speak Te Reo all day.  But despite the bits of English we did speak on Tuesdays, attempting to use our reo has been a great challenge.  Inspired by our lovely classmates.  Kia kaha koutou!

Another zero day, these are becoming a bit more frequent than we anticipated, that is definitely not a complaint though.

As the snow continues to fall and the offer of a free warm bed was freely given we decided this was perhaps a sensible option.  Hannah was pretty determined to keep walking but with a bit of peer pressure from the boys she agreed to another day at the farm.  We had a few chores to do to pay for our keep, but once they were done we had a wonderfully relaxing day.  Well not sure about how relaxing Ed's day was, as George the farmer gave him lots of NZ farming experiences...which Ed loved...but Hannah loved the couch.

The group decision was made that in order to compensate for our zero day, that we'd push on and do what would have been three days of walking in two.  We have Hannah's sister and dad arriving to share the last three days of the trail with us, so there is a bit of time pressure to make sure we arrive in time.  We are making a conscious effort to savour these last few days, but at the same time there is excitement (and desperation) to finish in the air.  Four months ago we had just finished 90-mile beach, and now we are all the way down here, 2800km done...200km to go.  Feels fast and slow all at once.

But for now, it's a warm fire, a lamb roast, and a good book on the agenda.

A truly magical day.  We headed off in the heavy snow and loved hiking through in the different conditions.  We were so surprised to see such a heavy snow fall, far greater than any of our expectations.  We wondered if the novelty would wear off, but it didn't...we just kept loving the snow.  Our accommodation provider suggested we might want to stay the night again to wait out the weather, but we toughed it out instead.  An overall sense of satisfaction for the day.

We stopped and had a turn at making snow angels.  Hannah dug her feet in a bit too far and made the mud come through underneath the snow on her snow angel.  The boys teased that it was a snow angel with giardia.

As we trod through the snow we suddenly were instructed to stop by Selwyn.  He quietly told us that there was a wild stag right in the middle of our path.  Amazing.  We snuck around the tree and discovered the stag wandering on the snow.  He didn't see us for a few moments so we were able to watch and soak up an incredible moment.  He ran away eventually - one of those moments we will have etched in memory for the rest of our lives. 

The snow remained thick even after we entered the forest, quite unexpected as we thought the snow wouldn't have been heavy enough, but we were mistaken.  Definitely heavy snow and a fun experience for us all. 

Then we arrived on the road, and the farmer/hunter we had met yesterday came and fetched us for the night.  He then gave us the tour of the house, gave us a couple of chores in exchange for our keep.  A true storyteller was our host, full of adventures past and wildly hospitable.  Another day of great food, we need to do some walking to burn it off.

It's in the negatives...and it's snowing...

...And it's freezing!!!!

Right at the beginning of our trip we had a patch of absolute torrential rain, storms and flooding.  It is fair to say that it got our spirits down a bit.  Just over a week to go until we are finished and we have rain, hail, and snow on the horizon.  But this time, it's fairly difficult to dampen the mood and the overall excitement of the end. 

After smashing our way through tussock and a largely unmarked track yesterday we all (both of us and Ed) enjoyed the 4WD track and road walk.  Perhaps particularly enjoyable when a friendly couple of farmers/hunters stopped and offered us a lift.  When it's snowing and raining an unsolicited lift is definitely not considered cheating.  The back of the truck made a fine carriage for weary travellers.  In true kiwi style we discovered that these friendly folk happened to live just a few kilometers away from the trail, about the spot where we might be needing to camp the following night.  We enquired about a place to pitch the tent, they offered a warm bed and more fresh venison.  We had a deal. 

While road walking we had numerous conversations about what we would do for dinner with our gifted venison steaks.  A venison pie won the bidding. 

We all sat and laughed while we watched the weather forecast on the news...looks like we will be walking in the snow.  It almost seems the perfect finale for the trail...that is said from the warmth of a lounge...let's see the reality.