Four Million Steps
Te Araroa is a 3,000 km walking and paddling path connecting the top of New Zealand’s North Island to the bottom of the South Island.
This was my first long distance hike. I completed most of the trail in the Summer of 2014/15, before breaking my ankle a week before my planned finish. After surgery and six months of recovery, I returned the following Summer, in December 2015, to successfully complete the walk.
This walk was a transformative experience for me. The journey changed my life, my way of living, and how I look at the world around me. Four Million Steps documents the journey and my spiritual shift.
North Island
1,968 km | November 1, 2014 – January 25, 2015 (64 days)
132,546 steps | Cape Reinga to Ahipara (101 km)
290,026 steps | Ahipara to Kerikeri (120 km)
514,436 steps | Kerikeri to Reotani (172 km)
776,235 steps | Reotani to Auckland (200 km)
933,857 steps | Auckland to Mercer (120 km)
1,039,947 steps | Mercer to Hamilton (81 km)
1,118,331 steps | Hamilton to Te Kuiti (111 km)
1,372,626 steps | Te Kuiti to Taumarunui (143 km)
1,516,699 steps | Taumarunui to National Park (110 km)
1,791,749 steps | National Park to Wanganui (210 km)
2,001,310 steps | Wanganui to Paradise on a Hillside (160 km)
2,096,922 steps | Paradise on a Hillside to Waikenau (73 km)