Te Araroa - New Zealand

Die ersti section vom te araroa het ganz im norde, am cape reinge agfange. Am morge früeh ischs in Auckland mitem bus losgange, bis uf Kaitaia. Und denn zäme mit 3 andere wanderer miteme shuttle bis as cape. Die erste 12km (mit de einzige 200 höhemeter vo dere section) hämer denn no am gliche obe gmacht. I bi denn öpe am 8i am twilight beach camp acho.

Die nöchste 4 täg (ca. 90km) ischs denn alles im ninety mile beach entlang gange. Es isch wunderschön gsi. Aber zwei 30km täg idr pralle sunne und mit nid vill abwächslig heis in sich gha. I ha mi unterhalte mit hörbüecher und podcasts lose, sprochnochrichte mache, i mine gedanke versinke und miteme holländische päärli gegesitig strand kunst mache (je nach däm wär vorus gange isch). Usserdäm hani d möwe beobachtet wie si muschle hei lo gheie vo so 5m höchi zumse ufbräche und vo zit zu zit ischme dur chlini bächli wo is meer gflosse si.

Die erste täg hani mi bitz lo stresse vo de andere wanderer wo super früeh und schnäll gluffe si. Aber das hani zum glück chöne loslo und i ha die zit mit mir und dr wildnis chöne gniesse.

Hörbüecher:
- "A Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control", Kathrin Morgan Schafler (Danke Vera füre Tipp!)
- Outlander Buech-Serie: "Drums of Autumn", Diana Cabaldon

Musig:
- "Australian Indie Mix" uf Spotify

Podcasts:
- "Alles klar Amerika?"
- "Beziehungskosmos"

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The first section of the Te Araroa started right up north at Cape Reinga. Early in the morning, I took a bus from Auckland to Kaitaia, and from there a shuttle to the cape together with three other hikers. We covered the first 12 km that same evening (including the only 200 meters of elevation gain in this whole section). I reached the Twilight Beach Camp at around 8 p.m.

The following four days were spent entirely walking along Ninety Mile Beach. It was stunningly beautiful. But two 30 km days in the blazing sun and with not much variety definitely had their challenges. I kept myself entertained by listening to audiobooks and podcasts, sending voice messages, drifting into my thoughts, and creating beach art together with a Dutch couple (depending on who was ahead). I also watched the seagulls drop shells from about five meters up to crack them open, and from time to time crossed small streams flowing into the ocean.

On the first days I let myself get a bit stressed by the other hikers who started very early and walked super fast. But thankfully I managed to let go of that pressure and simply enjoy the time with myself and the wilderness.Read more

Dr Travers Sabine Circuit isch e wunderschöni tour im nelson lakes nationalpark und isch bitz e abgändereti section vom te araroa. D rundi startet und ändet im dorf saint arnaud, am lake rotoiti, goht s im travers river entlag s tal ufwärts, übere travers saddle und denn s sabine tal abwärts zum lake rotoroa und denn nomol übere bärgkamm zrug uf saint arnaud.

Nacheme lange reisetag vo christchurch zerst mit bus uf blenheim und per autostöpple uf saint arnaud, starti am mentig, am 5i zobe die ersti etappe - 3h em see entlang zu dr lakehead hut. Dört erwartet mi e riisigi familie wo e übernacht usflug zu dr hütte gmacht hei. D stimmig isch guet und es längt grad no zum znacht ässe bevors dunkel wird.

Scho gli isch klar gsi, dass am donnstig e grossi rägefront chunt mit rägewarnig ufem travers saddle. Optimalerwis sötti also vorem start vom räge drüber si. Das het bedütet dasi am zischtig ha müese e doppetappe mache und bis zu dr hütte (upper travers) grad unterem saddle ufstiige. Es isch e wunderschöne tag gsi und ha mit vill energie und gueter luune dä wunderschön ufstiig gmacht.

Am mittwuch isch denn dä lang tag übere travers saddle agstange. Am morge hets scho e bitzeli tröpfelet, aber mir hei eus nid lo ischüchtere. I hami mitere finnin wo dr TA uf dr südinsle macht zämegschlosse. Dr höchsti punkt hämer denn scho so nach 2 stund erreicht. Es isch e chalte wind gange, was nid zu langem verharre iglade het. Bim erste teil vom abstiig hetme e wunderschöni ussicht ufs sabine tal gha (dört unge isch irgendwo die nöchsti hütte). Dr abstiig isch lang und steil gsi. Mir si aber früe idr hütte gsi und mini begleitig isch a däm obe sogar no witer zum blue lake (wo d TA etappe dure goht).

I dere nacht het denn dr gross räge agfange. Es isch aber e erlichterig abem mittag in ussicht gstange (via garmin inreach grätli hämer dr wätterbricht via satelit empfange). Wäge däm hani bitz chöne usschlofe und ha denn dr "churz" tag (ca. 5 stund abstiig zu dr sabine hut am lake rotoroa) öpe am 11 gstartet. Dr churz tag het sich als rächt asträngend usegstellt. E sturm e paar wuche vorhär het zimlich schade am wäg gmacht und mehreri teil über chlini bächli si wäg gspüelt worde (inkl. Brugge). I bi also vill über bäum und stei gchlätteret und durch bächli balanciert. Drfür hets am ziil e schwumm im see gä.

Durch das dasi mim plan e tag vorus gsi bi, hani mit gedanke gspiilt die planti 9h etappe und a däm tag nume dr 5 stündig ustiig zu dr speargrass hut zmache. E paar vo de andere idr hütte hei das au in betracht zoge. I hami also ufe wäg gmacht, duch e wunderschöne buechewald mit schwarze rinde (das entstoht durch e biologische prozäss wo insekte honigtau us dr rinde suuge und s wachstum vomene schwarze pilz verursacht). Richtig magisch isches gsi. Wili aber scho am 2 am nomitag bi dr hütte gsi bi und widr räge agstande isch (do isch e warmi duschi und e trochnigs hotelzimmer schoni verlockend), hani dr 4 stündig abstiig denn au no gmacht.

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The Travers–Sabine Circuit is a beautiful loop in Nelson Lakes National Park and a slightly altered section of the Te Araroa. The circuit starts and ends in the village of St Arnaud at Lake Rotoiti. It follows the Travers River up the valley, crosses the Travers Saddle, then descends through the Sabine Valley to Lake Rotoroa, before climbing back over a ridge to return to St Arnaud.

After a long travel day from Christchurch — first by bus to Blenheim and then hitchhiking to St Arnaud — I started the first stage on Monday evening at around 5 p.m.: a three-hour walk along the lake to Lakehead Hut. There, I was greeted by a huge family who had come up to the hut for an overnight trip. The atmosphere was lively and warm, and there was just enough time to eat dinner before it got dark.

It quickly became clear that a major rain front with heavy rain warnings for the Travers Saddle was expected on Thursday. Ideally, I needed to be across before the rain arrived. That meant hiking a double stage on Tuesday and climbing all the way up to Upper Travers Hut, just below the saddle. It turned into a beautiful day, and I tackled the stunning ascent with lots of energy and a great mood.

Wednesday was the big day over the Travers Saddle. It was already lightly raining in the morning, but we didn’t let that intimidate us. I teamed up with a Finnish hiker who is walking the Te Araroa on the South Island. We reached the highest point after about two hours. A cold wind was blowing, which didn’t invite lingering for long. During the first part of the descent, we had gorgeous views down into the Sabine Valley, where the next hut lay far below. The descent was long and steep, but we reached the hut early, and my hiking partner even continued on to Blue Lake that evening (where the Te Araroa section passes).

That night, the heavy rain set in. However, the forecast showed an improvement from midday onward (we received the weather update via satellite on the Garmin inReach). Because of that, I was able to sleep in a bit and didn’t start the “short” day — about five hours of descent to Sabine Hut at Lake Rotoroa — until around 11 a.m. The short day turned out to be surprisingly demanding. A storm a few weeks earlier had caused significant damage to the track, and several crossings over small streams had been washed out (including bridges). I spent a lot of time scrambling over fallen trees and rocks and balancing through creeks. The reward at the end was a swim in the lake.

Since I was now a day ahead of my original plan, I briefly considered splitting the planned nine-hour final stage and only hiking the five-hour climb up to Speargrass Hut that day. A few others at the hut were considering the same option. So I set off through a beautiful beech forest with blackened bark — caused by a biological process where insects feed on honeydew from the trees, allowing a black fungus to grow. It felt truly magical. But since I reached the hut as early as 2 p.m. and rain was moving in again — and the thought of a hot shower and a dry hotel room was very tempting — I decided to continue on and also complete the four-hour descent that same day.Read more