A Dangerous Business

Date: 4th December 2023 Start: Village Cafe, Whatawhata (km 784.4) End: Kaniwhaniwha Campsite (km 808.1) Distance Travelled: 22.5 km walked + 1.2 km hitch (23.7 km total) Total Distance Completed: 804.7 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: just Andy Serkis doing various LOTR voices Tomorrow’s Forecast for Mt Pirongia: little bit wet, but otherwise quite…

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Date: 3rd December 2023 Start: Backpackers Central, Hamilton (km 768.7) End: Village Cafe, Whatawhata (km 784.4) Distance Travelled: 15.7 km Total Distance Completed: 781 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: The Shire by Howard Shore Is it Sweat or Rain Inside my Rain Jacket: honestly I can’t tell, hopefully not both Hamilton offered up another…

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Date: 2nd December 2023 Start: Ngaruawahia (km 747.3) End: Backpackers Central, Hamilton (km 768.7) Distance Travelled: 21.4 km Total Distance Completed: 765.3 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: nothing playing, too much anxiety over the Pirongia Traverse Amount I’m Overthinking the Pirongia Traverse: a really unhealthy amount Wake up time today was 5:15am. Let me…

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Date: 1st December 2023 Start: Rangiriri (km 713.4) End: Ngaruawahia (km 747.3) Distance Travelled: 33.9 km Total Distance Completed: 743.9 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Who the Hell is Edgar? by TEYA and SALENA (poepoepoepoepoepoepoepoepoe) Mental Energy Left After Today: next to none I think I deserve a round of applause, because I finally…

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Date: 30th November 2023 Start: Mercer Motel (km 687.6) End: Rangiriri (km 713.4) Distance Travelled: 25.7 km Total Distance Completed: 710 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Move Your Feet by Junior Senior Track Visibility: worse than my eyes Guess what? I still suck at waking up in the morning. It’s always slightly demoralising when…

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Date: 29th November 2023 Start: Bombay (km 669.6) End: Mercer Motel (km 687.6) Distance Travelled: ~2 km shortcut + 18 km trail (20 km total) Total Distance Completed: 684.3 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: American Pie by Don McLean State of the Levee Track: lumpy By morning the rain had passed, leaving a cold,…

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Date: 28th November 2023 Start: Drury (km 651.8) End: Bombay (km 664.3) Distance Travelled: 12.5 km Total Distance Completed: 664.3 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Duel of the Fates from Star Wars Episode 1 Number of Dogs at Farmstay: I lost count, at least 5 A little over a month ago I flew into…

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Dates: 25th-27th November 2023 Yessir, you’re getting a special edition of my journey over the next few days, thanks in large part at how I’ve planned how I’m going to walk through Auckland’s suburbs. If you haven’t read about my plan in my previous posts, here’s the rundown. On the 24th of November, I arrived…

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Date: 24th November 2023 Start: Orewa Beach Holiday Park (km 542.4) End: Browns Bay (km 570.8) Distance Travelled: 21.4 km walked + 7 km hitch (28.4 km total) Total Distance Completed: 570.8 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: willow by Taylor Swift Auckland Noisiness: uncomfortable Guess what I had to do this morning? I had…

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Date: 23rd November 2023 Start: Stu’s Woolshed (km 513.5) End: Orewa Beach Holiday Park (km 542.4) Distance Travelled: 19.6 km walked & kayaked + 8.3 km on bus (27.9 km total) Total Distance Completed: 542.4 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Ian McKellan acting as Gandalf saying, “Hobbits really are amazing creatures.” Buses Missed: 1…

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