Wilderness

LETTER of THE MONTH

TA'S MUDDIEST TRACK DEPENDS ON THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL

I read the article ‘Which is the muddiest track of them all?’ (April 2024) with fond but very different memories. As one of the rarer northbound walkers on Te Araroa, my impressions were so different that I can only put them down to the fitness, skills and preparedness that we all gain across the 3000km. The TA walker starting the trail is a very different beast to the one finishing it. In my case, I regret not taking photos of how my body shape changed across the walk!

Longwood's mud is etched in my memory as a gruelling and formative experience. I literally had

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