Days 156-157: BLUFF!

Our feelings in Riverton, as depicted by my sister

Well, we've made it. We arrived at the much-anticipated signpost in Bluff yesterday, marking the end of our journey on the Te Araroa.

Days 148-155: To the Ocean!

This trail definitely doesn't want to end with a whimper. We knocked off our last forest sections, but they didn't go quite as easily as we had hoped. Now we're in Riverton, on the southern coast, and can just about see Bluff from here. Out of our entire 3,000 km journey, all we have left is a rounding error (we actually hit km 3,000 today, Bluff is at km 3,063).

Days 143-147: Side trip to the Routeburn & Milford

Our long-planned side trip with Karen to the Routeburn Track & Milford Sound came off without a hitch! It was great to see a friend from Boston, and despite somewhat uncooperative weather, we had an awesome time.

Days 139-142: Mavora and Mararoa

We've made it through to Te Anau, and it's time for our sidetrip with Karen, who is here on vacation from Boston! We're about to head back to Queenstown to start the Routeburn Track, then spend a day in Milford Sound, before getting back on the trail for our last week and a half to Bluff.

Days 134-138: Motatapu to Queenstown

Another 100km down, and only 320km left! We've caught ourselves already occasionally talking as if we've already finished, rather than still having 10% of the trail left. While I'm sure there are still some tough parts left, I think the Motatapu Alpine Track, which we just completed, was the last really challenging section.

Days 129-133: Across a River, Down a River, Up a Hill

What an up and down few days - both in terms of elevation and mood! We made it across the Ahuriri River, down the Timaru River valley, and over Breast Hill. We had some easy walking, tough walking and incredible views along the way.

Days 125-128: Tekapo to Twizel and Beyond!

We cranked out almost 100 km in three days - not a lot for some, but a lot for us! We found this section a bit boring and tedious, but we had some incredible views along the way to keep it interesting.