Expedition Summary

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Trip Summary

Where to begin. I’ve waited a couple of days since arriving back home to write out a summary of the trek in hopes that it would all have begun to set in and I would know what to say about the whole thing. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and I think it may end up taking quite a while for the experience to fully set in. What I can say is that it was great, without a doubt the most fun and excitement I’ve ever had in my life so far. It was three months of living completely different from anything I’ve known, and it was strangely addictive.
Eric and I set out with the goal of walking in a continuous north-south line across the country, but found ourselves changing the plan many times along the way, so much in fact that by the end of it we pretty much had no plan and were instead going basically “wherever the wind took us.” As much as I came in to this trip as the kind of person who wants to have a plan and know where I’m going, I’ve realized that traveling without a plan is much more exciting, and really an ideal way to travel.
This trip was about hiking (tramping as I now call it) and that is exactly what we did. We tramped approximately 290 hours in full backpacking mode, which translates to about 1,100 kilometers at our pace of 3.8 kilometers per hour, or just under 700 miles. We completed this distance in under three months. This isn’t the amount we intended to do from the start, but we did all of the backcountry walking we set out to do and much more. Along the way we adopted hitchhiking as a major mode of transportation, which helped us cover the distances between our backcountry tramping. I cannot say enough good things about hitchhiking. We did have a couple of strange encounters with this method, but overall it was one of the best parts of the experience. Eric and I caught sixty-one rides together, and after parting ways I caught six of my own in one day to get back to Auckland. As far as getting a feel for local culture and meeting new people goes, these rides and conversations with the drivers were extremely beneficial. I learned so much more about New Zealand through these people than I ever could have on a bus ride with a bunch of tourists.
Not only were people who gave us rides a big part of the journey, but the people we met along the trails also greatly shaped my view of the country. Many people went so far as to invite us to stay at their homes, which was amazing considering they barely knew us. We took some of them up on their offers and were always very pleased with our decisions to do so. I’d like to thank everyone we met like this, especially Jim, Helen, Rowan, Karen and Mark, Jacob and Lidy, and Nigel and Tamara. You’re all people who will stand out in my memories of New Zealand, and hopefully won’t mind me stopping by again in the future.
I’m also grateful for the Department of Conservation of New Zealand for making the trails what they are and for providing the huts and campsites along the way. Living out of a tent for three months would not have been nearly as enjoyable as sleeping in huts occasionally (which we did for forty-one nights.) Other countries could really learn something from New Zealand in respect to making the national parks accessible and user friendly. Good job, DOC!
I went through many injuries and periods of physical discomfort over the course of the journey, but most of them were only temporary. I have a couple scars and my knees are still in the healing process, but overall I am glad to have avoided any serious injuries over the distance we covered. I adopted the philosophy that pain is temporary, blisters heal, muscles repair themselves, but the memories of places we hiked to will remain with me forever. I also lost about ten pounds over the three months of walking, but came home in probably the best shape of my life. My endurance is extremely high and I feel like I really know what my body is capable of doing.
The tramping itself was incredible. Getting to climb mountains, cross a desert, go through jungles, touch glaciers, and everything else I encountered along the way are things that just aren’t part of everyday life. I was looking through my pictures yesterday and realized that it was almost everyday that I had a view worthy of being on a postcard. There is so much beauty out there; it’s just too bad that so few people get to experience much of it firsthand. But going on this journey has definitely inspired me to seek out more experiences like this, and hopefully I’ve inspired someone else as well.
Which brings me to my final two points for this journal: First, I would recommend that everyone get out and experience nature whenever you can. There’s something about being immersed in the outdoors that gives you a sense of peace and a feeling of being connected to something larger than just yourself. And last, get out of your routine as often as possible to do something exciting. Life has a way of creating routines that we can lose ourselves in if we're not careful .Normal life is good, but the greatest memories come from stepping outside of that and experiencing the unknown. There is so much adventure out there, don’t let life pass you by without getting some of it.
Thank you to everyone who has read my journal over these past three months. Being able to share this experience with you has made it all the more enjoyable. Cheers.

-Chad-

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