Land down under
It’s all getting so close now. In one month, I’ll be walking Te Araroa. It's surreal.
But in this moment? I'm in the land down under! A place I honestly never thought I’d reach, forever feeling so far away.
The longer-term plan looked like this … Go to Australia for a month. Unbox all the new hiking gear and do a test hike with it all to make sure it was good, and more importantly, I knew how to use it. Then go to New Zealand and hike for months on end.
The Australian visa is a one-year, multi-entry visa. So I was planning to return after the hike to fully explore the country. Even with the longest estimates for the hike, I would still have about six months left on the visa.
Arriving in Sydney, I was immediately smacked about by the insanely high prices. Even as an American, it’s expensive here. I’ve enjoyed having the dollar as my income currency in most countries. Even in Euro was nearly 1:1 when I was last there. And the dollar is pretty strong here at basically 1:0.5. But the cost of things here is really high. As a reference, the cheapest “decent” hostel I could find was $50/night. I usually book a hostel at around $15-25/night.
But I set that aside and got to doing what I do … wandering around and drinking coffee. Australia is known the world over as a coffee wonderland. And while Sydney had more excellent coffee shops than I could possibly visit, I was left wanting.
Firstly, it’s a very “grab ’n go” vibe. Secondly, it’s extremely milk-based. Neither of those is particularly terrible; it’s not my jam. I’m a single-origin, hand-pour, slow bar nerd, and I adore coffee shops that invite you to relax and stay a while. Chill in a window seat, read a book, edit photos, vibe. All while noting hints of blueberry cheesecake and milk chocolate from my Ethiopian natural pour over.
When it comes to coffee, I’m nothing if not persistent. So I tried lots, and lots, and LOTS of places. Plenty served pour over, few were comfortable to relax in. Bummer.
Probably didn't help that I wasn't vibing with Sydney much either. It was giving me lots of "just another big city" energy. It was pleasant enough, but it just wasn't grabbing my heart like other places have.
I did my usual wandering, checking out all the nooks and crannies. I even did some touristy stuff. And don't take this the wrong way, I was enjoying myself, its a lovely city.
I hooked up with my buddy Michael just south of Sydney in Austimer. He had so graciously allowed me to ship package after package of gear to his doorstep. We caught up over a beer and then I had the unboxing session to beat all unboxing sessions.
Like Christmas morning, I ripped through package after package. Many of the items I’d forgotten I’d even purchased. Backpack, tent, quilt, sun hoodie, bidet and on and on it went.
While there, we plotted our upcoming hike a few hours south. That vital chance for me to test all the gear. This was sandwiched around a few days with my friend Hugo, whom I met at the coliving in Tamraght, Morocco, last year. We went for a hike up an aggressive escarpment, a run along the beach, a swim in the ocean and a “night out” in Wollongong.
Murramarang South Coast Walk
Michael is a connector. One of those people whose natural joyfulness brings people together. When I said I wanted to do a couple of days' hike to test my gear, he put together a plan and assembled a crew.
His plan was ingenious. No one in the group knew each other. Our only connection was Michael. He brought together friends from all his different worlds and we had a blast.
Over four days, we would walk 30km along the southern New South Wales coastline. I mentioned to the group that the total distance we covered in our four days would be my average on Te Araroa. The AVERAGE!
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, we drove south, making a couple stops to pick up the fellas. We also stopped for pies (savory ones, not sweet), coffee, and beers and pool at a brewery.
That night at camp, I became acutely aware of what I was about to get myself into in New Zealand. And I became overly grateful for this little shakedown hike. We spent a hilarious 45 minutes figuring out how to set up my tent. Five dudes, stood around some fabric, scratching their collective head, making wild suggestions about what the process was to get the thing setup.
After far too many attempts, it was finally pitched, and we stood to admire our success. That’s when a fellow camper came over. She had noticed my tent was a Durston and surprised to see one here in Australia. I said I was getting ready to go hike Te Araroa and she about lost her mind with excitement. She had done the TA the year prior and had nothing but good things to say about the experience. That got me super hyped, but first we had a couple days of Aussie hiking to do!
The Murramarang track is pretty cruisey. No big climbs, plenty of beaches to rest and relax at along the way, and plenty of camping spots. It was insanely beautiful, and so incredibly different to anything I’ve ever hiked. The flora and fauna are so unique, I was in awe of my surroundings the entire time. If New Zealand was anything like this, I was going to love it.
We kept the days casual, stopping often and enjoying the nature that enveloped us. Lots os snack stops, a beach hang and a few dips in the ocean. Michael made it his personal mission to make a bigger fire each night in camp.
At the end of our four days, I wouldn’t say I felt prepared for what was coming in the months ahead, but I was more stoked than ever to try. I felt like I’d made the right choice on all my gear. Everything felt comfortable and intuitive to use. I realized there were a few things I wouldn’t need and a few things still to acquire.
After a few days back in Sydney, I wanted a change of scenery again. I hit up my friend Claudia to see if she was available to hang, and up the Gold Coast I went. I spent a couple of days in Goldie, trying to avoid poor weather while enjoying the beach.
Then I randomly decided to head further north and check out Brisbane. I was already up this way, so why the heck not? And so glad I did. I really enjoyed it, to the surprise of everyone I talked to. It was much larger and more modern than I expected. Massive skyscrapers and modern architecture abound. The Brisbane River weaves its way through the city, providing a plethora of gorgeous viewpoints to take in the city.
Between coffee and project work, I spent my days aimlessly wandering the city. I loved the Botanic Gardens and the miles of riverside walking paths. The city even has a river ferry system, which I thought was awesome and super useful.
Brisbane also had some of the most vibrant sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. Each night was a cornucopia of blues, pinks, and purples set behind the city and reflecting off the river.
I headed back to Sydney and spent my last few days wrapping up the last-minute items before heading to NZ.
In these last few days, I felt like I cracked the code to Sydney. Some cities are "center cities", some are "neighborhoods cities". Sydney is a neighborhoods city. All the good stuff is tucked away in different neighborhoods. I was staying in the CBD and just not vibing with it. Then I started exploring the hoods. I had gone on a date a few weeks prior, and the lovely lady had given me tons of suggestions of places to check out. All of them were in different neighborhoods.
And this is when I discovered one of the best cafes in the world, Brighter. It’s out in the Stanmore neighborhood, about a 10-minute train from Sydney Central Station. It’s everything I want in a coffee shop. Great single-origin coffee. Cozy, relaxing vibe. And an amazing staff and ownership.
I got to chatting with the team about coffee (duh). Eventually, we got onto other topics, and I mentioned I was from the US and traveled full-time. Turned out that one of the owners’ wives was originally from Medford, Oregon. So random.
Needless to say, this was now the go-to spot for me. I went back the next day, and as luck would have it, they were about to do their weekly team cupping. I was invited to join and honored to take part!
And then, it was time. All the talk, research, prep and testing was done.
I boarded, for sure, the sketchiest plane I’ve ever seen for my flight to Auckland. From my window seat, I was shocked to see duct tape seemingly holding the wings together. I couldn’t believe this plane was cleared to fly, and I couldn’t believe no one else seemed concerned by this. Everyone just went about getting to their seats and settling in. There was no way this plane was going to reach Auckland, let alone its final destination across the Pacific in Chile. I had to rationalize that this plane had been thoroughly reviewed and cleared by experts. So I closed my window shade and tried to ignore it.
If I made it to Auckland alive, I was about to start the journey of a lifetime!
This was a strange chapter in the adventure. As I slow down more, the time in place seems to shrink. At first, a week in one place felt like an eternity. That became two weeks and now, “only” a month in a place seems like no time at all. This sums up my time in Oz, both long and too short.
But as I sat in the airport, waiting for this big adventure, I felt in two places. I hadn’t been able to see as much of Australia as I had hoped. My visa is a year long, and all my stuff is staying here while I tramp across New Zealand, so I’ll be back.
See you soon-ish Oz.