Days 84-89: Wellington and South Island Planning

Hooray, we've finished half of the islands! We arrived in Wellington, and have spent the last few days planning for the south island.

Days 78-83: The Tararuas

We made it through the much anticipated Tararuas! They were tough, dangerous for the unprepared, and amazing.

Days 72-77: Back To Walking

We're finally back to what we came here to do: walking. We spent about a week walking from Whanganui to Levin, the last resupply point before the Tararuas. Most people are not very excited about this stretch of trail - there's a lot of road, and much of it is not particularly scenic. However, the entire stretch stays pretty close to civilization, and the terrain is not very challenging, so it was a great section to use to get back in shape and go easy on Liz's foot.

Days 64-71: Whanganui River Journey

Finally back on the trail! The river journey was a perfect place to pick back up on the trail - we spent 5 days paddling about 160 kms down the Whanganui River, ending in Whanganui city. We went with a group of 8 people - 6 TA walkers, and 2 people crazy enough to hang out with 6 TA walkers for a few days - so it was like a big party most of the way.

Days 56-63: Christmas In Wellington

We took a detour to spend Christmas in Wellington, the capitol city of New Zealand. There's quite a bit to do there, and we welcomed all the distractions around the holidays.

I'm waaay behind on blog posts, so I'll try to keep this one short and sweet.

Days 51-55: Pureora Forest

Back on the trail! Well, sort of, and only temporarily. Liz rested her foot in Te Kuiti with Donna and Brett, while I headed out to hike about 80km through Pureora Forest, ending up in Taumarunui. It was a great forest - possibly the best so far. I was sad that Liz missed it, but happy to have something to do for a few days.

Days 46-50: New Friends And Some Foot Healing

We've spent the last five days in Te Kuiti, staying with Donna and Brett, and making some great new friends! Liz has also had the first real improvement in her foot after some reflexology and visiting the "physio" (NZ for physical therapist).