AT 13CM TALL AND COVERED IN FEATHERS, OLLIE ISN'T YOUR AVERAGE TE ARAROA WALKER.
With one crippled leg and sporting a snazzy hand-crocheted harness and leash, you'd be hardpressed to find another on Te Araroa quite like him. You could argue he's more of a passenger on this journey as he is usually found perched on the shoulders of his adoptive parents, Robyn Chappell and Andy Williams. The trio, who are section-walking Te Araroa, are raising funds for Te Araroa Trust. When I caught up with Robyn she was busy planning their next section, keen to pick up where they left off in Kerikeri but aware of the trail conditions due to recent floodinq and wild weather.
But what makes too self-described ‘ageing Teletubbies’ head out on a 3000km walk with their beloved pet cockatiel?
“I really needed to get off the couch,” says Robyn. “I wasn't fitting my clothes and I needed to get fit and I thought, how can I do this in a dramatic way?”
Not one for the gym, Robyn pondered the idea of walking
