2019-05-01 Wilderness

17

AFTERWALKINGa handfulofdayhikes

aroundGlenorchy,TinaSpinlerdecidedtocommit

toNewZealand’slongesttrail.

Shehadlittletonotrainingunderherbeltwhen

shesetofffromCapeReingatowalktheinfa-

mouslygruelling 90 MileBeach.

“Myfirstfewdaysof walkingreallysucked,but

thelastdaysofroadwalkingtowardsBluffwere

supereasy,as I hadthemotivationto finish,”she

says.

“I’mhappyI startedinthenorthsoI wouldbe

preparedfortheSouthIsland– ifI wenttheother

wayI wouldn’thavebeenready,fitness-wise,but

myfitnessimprovedquickly.”

Onceadjustedtothewake,walk,sleeproutine,

Spinlercametoenjoythesimplelifestyle,but

admitsstrugglingtogetthrougharduousroad

walkingdays.

“Therewerea lotoftimeswhentheroadwalk-

ingwashardonmyfeet,butattheendoftheday,

youforgetaboutit– youjusthavetogetthrough

theday,andby eveningyou’refine,”shesays.

Meetingpeoplefromaroundtheworldandem-

bracingnaturewerethehighlightsofthetrailfor

Spinler,whosaysshe’sfinishedwithlong-distance

trailsfornowandisbackatworkinQueenstown.

She’shappytobereunitedwithherfavourite

steakrestaurant,whichshemissed more than

anything on her journey.

“TOBEHONEST,beforetheTe

Araroa,I wasn’treallya hiker,”Julie

‘TinyTramper’Staceyadmits.

“Youbecomea thru-hikerwhenyou

thru-hike– evenfortheexperienced

trampersoutthere,nothingcanprepare

youforthetrail.”

Staceywas 45 whenshetookonthe

trailtocommemoratehernewcitizen-

ship.

“Icouldn’tthinkofa betterwaytocel-

ebratebecominga Kiwithanwalkingthe

lengthofNewZealand,”shesays.

Duetoa spateofbadweather,her

routewasan unconventional“flipflop”

whichsawherfinishthesouthernmost

sectionbeforereturning for the trail she

had missed.

Sheofficiallyfinishedin Tekapowitha

groupofwalkers,andsaysifitweren’tfor

planstovisitfamily,shewouldhavekept

onwalkingtoBluff– suchwasherenjoy-

mentofthetrail.

“Itwasa reallyoverwhelmingfeeling–

youfeellikeyoubecomepartofa special

community,oneofjusta fewpeoplereally

whohasdonethis.”

Newtohikingwhenshesetoff,Stacey

hascomeoutoftheTeAraroaa seasoned

hiker.

“It’sgivenmetheconfidenceto facemy

fearsinthebackcountry.I wasa novicebe-

fore,afraidofcrossingrivers,mountains

andheights,butI’vecomeoutsomuch

moreconfident.”

Aswithmanywhocompletea thru-hike,

Staceyfoundithardtohangupherboots

onceshestopped.

“Peopletalkabouttheposttrailblues,

andI definitelyfeltthat.Allof a sudden

you'renotpartofa community,andyou

don'thavethispurposeyou'vehadevery

dayforfourmonths,”shesays.

IntheyearsincecompletingtheTe

Araroa,StaceyhastickedoffmanyofNew

Zealand’sclassictramps,andhopes to

walk more long-distance trails.

Name:JulieStacey

Age: 47

Nationality:UK/NZ

Packweight:12kg(includingfood)

Weightlostontrail:5kg

Longestday:42km

Trailbreakfast:Porridgewithfruit

Favouritedinner:BackcountryCuisine

Luxury item: Inflatable pillow

Name:TinaSpinler
Age: 30
Nationality:Germany
Basepackweight:8kg
Weightlostontrail:5kg
Longestday:37km
Trailbreakfast:Oatswithchocolate
chipsandproteinpowder
Favouritedinner:Beeftwo-minute
noodleswithpotatomash,peasandtuna
Luxury item:Vietnamese coffee maker

A lackof tramping

experiencewas

nobarrierfor

TinaSpinler,who

finishedtheTA

this year

JulieStaceywalkedtheTAto celebrate

becoming a New Zealand citizen