A Dangerous Business

Date: 6th December 2023 Start: Pahautea Hut (km 816.4) End: Jo’s Funny Farm (km 831.4) Distance Travelled: 15 km Total Distance Completed: 828 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Enter Sandman by Metallica Soup: good soup The trouble with huts is that you never want to leave them but you always have to. Inside is…

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Date: 5th December 2023 Start: Kaniwhaniwha Campsite (km 808.1) End: Pahautea Hut (km 816.4) Distance Travelled: 8.3 km Total Distance Completed: 813 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Fernando by ABBA Feet Status After All That Mud: completely dry! We have a new shortest day record! It may have been short but it was definitely…

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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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