TA Days 87 to 89: Conclusion in Wellington

Although we stayed in Wellington for a few days, we had many errands to run; which means there is not much time to rest or sightsee.

On our first day of “break,” I got busy shopping for Christmas gifts, bought a new pair of sunglasses clips to replace the scratched ones I was using, and bought duct tape to make some repairs.

We also went over logistics for our next legs, did laundry and booked the ferry to start the Queen Charlotte track on December 26th.

With Christmas approaching, we were also desperate to mail our resupply boxes before the post office closed for the holidays. That night, I spent almost two hours at the grocery store buying food for our next section, along with two resupply boxes.

Unlike the North Island, where you typically reach the city every four or five days, the South Island is much more remote. Although we knew of a small store at each St. Arnaud and Arthurs Pass, we didn’t know what they would have in stock. The only certainty was that it would be expensive. Rather than risk it, we decided to mail a box of food to each of these locations.

On Tuesday morning, we shipped our packages while waiting for Distance Frog (which was a few days late) to arrive in town. Once it arrived, we were planning to walk the last leg of the TA through Wellington to finish the North Island together.

Later that day, we met Distance Frog downtown and began our hike to the end of the North Island. Team Chokolade only walked to Wellington Harbour, leaving Sarah, Distance Frog and I to climb Mount Victoria and towards the coast.

The trail went through Mt. Albert Park, down to Houghton Bay and finally into Island Bay. The truth is that the ending was a bit disappointing. There was only a small Te Araroa sign on a rock in the park. No congratulations for reaching the bottom of the North Island. Even the license plate seemed a little hidden.

Despite the unspectacular display, we went for ice cream to celebrate our achievement of traversing the entire North Island.

The North Island ending also felt a little different because Team Chokolade (our other tram members) weren’t there. Also, I was in a different mindset having been in Wellington for a couple of days preparing and resting.

Also, this hike was bittersweet knowing it was the last time we would hike with Distance Frog (at least for a long time). He would stay in the North Island with his family until January, which would leave him well behind.

The next day was Christmas Eve! In the morning, the team met to play a game of mini golf. Then it was time to say goodbye to Distance Frog. I’m really going to miss having him around, but I hope we see him later!

Then we had some ice cream before dispersing to run last-minute errands before our Christmas Eve hiker potluck dinner.

For cooking in a hostel with limited kitchen equipment (no knives, just a couple of good pans, etc.), we had an amazing meal!

I made mushroom risotto and some vegetables for dinner. We also had blueberry and brie pinwheels, German potato salad, potato fritters, a couple of different salads, strawberries with chocolate mousse, vegan donuts, baguettes, and gluten-free bread.

The theme of the evening was delicious food and fun; spending time with the people who had made the trail special over the past few months. With the holidays just around the corner, most would split up for the time being.

Tomorrow four of us begin our ferry trip to the South Island. In the coming days, the others will also move south.

Happy holidays and I hope we see each other again soon!

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