I did a thing
Today is February 20, 2026. Exactly one year ago, I completed Te Araroa.
Wow. The speed at which time flies is almost equal to the sheer weight of what that accomplishment means to me.
It’s not lost on me that I have said very little about the biggest adventure I’ve chosen in these last four years—215 words to be exact.
According to this blog, it was an insignificant event. A massive blank spot in the timeline from November 2024 to March 2025.
It’s not for a lack of trying. In all honesty, its the complete opposite. I started writing about it days after it finished. And I’ve been writing about it for the last year. I’ve written approximately 70,000 words already.
I’ve written about everything. The gear, the landscapes, the emotions, the people. I’ve made spreadsheets to plot the kilometers and the associated stories. I’ve edited 100s of photos.
Thing is … that’s not nearly enough. The sheer scale of it, the number of stories I want to tell, the emotions I want to explain. It’s overwhelming.
I’ll just say that I miss it, every single day since it ended. I miss the views, the mud, the rain, the mountain passes, the struggles. Most of all I miss the people. These people that I suffered and triumphed with. These people that live forever in my heart.
While this post isn’t going to be the avalanche of words I’ve written, I did want to acknowledge that it happened.
So I’m here today to do just that—acknowledge it. To reflect on the profound journey it was. To be grateful for the chance to see Aotearoa in such a raw and unfiltered way. To reminisce about idyllic days spent with friends.
And frankly, to say … Job well done!
The trek took 110 days to complete, so here’s 23 photos, day one and every fifth day on trail after that. A snapshot of the adventure.