🗓️ November 22, 2025

🏁 Kilometers : 687

Back on the trek after two days of rest. I'm starting from where I left off at the Auckland Botanical Gardens. I'd like to cover between 25 to 30 kilometers today, but I don't have a specific plan; I don't yet know where I'll sleep tonight. I tried contacting two hosts, but they're already booked for the weekend. I'm going to go with the flow, walk, and see if an idea comes to me during the day. I'll have time to think about it; today's walk promises to be quite tedious, being entirely on asphalt. To pass the time, I'm listening to radio podcasts. People who see me laughing to myself must think I'm crazy.

After about 6-7 hours of walking, I arrive in a small hamlet called Bombay. I decide to end my hike here and find a place to pitch my tent, but first and foremost, I need water. I spot some people in front of a house; they look like they are moving. I go over to ask if they could fill my water bottles and also take the opportunity to ask about a possible place to pitch my tent. After a moment's hesitation, they offer me their garden! They explain that they are moving from one house to another, as the two houses are next to each other, one family wanting a smaller house and the other a larger one. I'd never seen anything like it! I offer to help them, which earns me a shower, a bed, and even an invitation to their evening barbecue.

My hosts are Jenny and Henry, around fifty years old. They had known each other for about ten years but had only been a couple for six months. We get to know each other, and among other things, they ask me what I used to do for a living. I tell them I was based in Dubai as a flight attendant for Emirates. A brief pause follows, then a reaction of surprise. They tell me that their son is also based in Dubai as a flight attendant for Emirates! What were the odds of that happening?! What a small world!

We are having a wonderful evening around the barbecue, fueled by beer, wine, and laughter. Their love is a joy to see; they are like teenagers experiencing their first romance. I go to bed late, around 10:30 p.m.; on the trek, that's the equivalent of a good 2:00 a.m.! We usually go to bed very early. I thank my lucky stars and fall asleep instantly.

🗓️ November 23, 2025

🏁 Kilometers : 719

I wake up early this morning, having had a good night's sleep at my hosts' house. They wake up just before I set off to say goodbye. I walk for a few kilometers along a road before turning onto a pleasant path that winds through hills covered in grass dampened by the morning dew. It only takes a few seconds for my shoes to get wet. Gaining a little elevation, I can see several hills in the distance, which, like an optical illusion, overlap in different shades of blue. Patches of mist drift in the hollows between the valleys. The morning air is still fresh, the best time of day for walking. On the way back down, the path zigzag through a small forest of fern-covered trees where I meet the first early morning hikers, probably some locals enjoying their Sunday.

For most of the day, the path then leads between numerous farm enclosures; The first enclosure marks the 700th kilometer of the trek. The farms are immense; some fields must stretch for kilometers. Calves, cows, and bulls are my companions for the day. I take a break, sitting by the side of the path with my back to the fence. After a few minutes, I want to take a selfie; I burst out laughing when I see about fifteen little calves suddenly appear in the picture; I hadn't heard them coming! A farmer approaches me and warns me that the next river to cross had overflowed the previous week due to heavy rains in the region. And indeed, facing the river, the level seems much higher than described, but there's no current. I had read on the group WhatsApp that some hikers had crossed it yesterday. It hadn't rained in the meantime, so I sling my pack over my right shoulder and use my walking stick to feel the bottom with my left hand. The water is brownish, making it hard to see the depth; it comes up to the top of the waist, but the crossing proves relatively easy.

After that, I walk along the river through fields of grass that sometimes reach my shoulders. Seeds detach from the plants and stick to my wet clothes, quickly covering me in them.

The walk continues along a road before reaching the banks of New Zealand's longest river, the Waikato, which stretches for 425 kilometers. The route will follow the river more or less for the next three days.

I am out of water, and there is no houses in the area, so it’s gonna be a good opportunity to test my water filter. I lean over the river, collect two liters of water of a somewhat dubious color, and filter it. The water is clear and supposedly free of viruses and parasites, but I decide to add a water purification tablet just to be safe! The test clearly works, as I had no problems afterward.

I have not yet decided where to sleep for the night, but I am confident I will get lucky. And indeed, I meet Sadie and Tuu, two Maori people around 65 years old. They are maintaining part of the trek and offer me a place to stay. They are simple, incredibly kind people with hearts of gold. Sadie prepares a meal with lots of vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, and breaded sheep's liver; I'm not usually a fan of offal, but the way she cooks it, I find it quite good.

We go to bed early, I fall asleep with the happiness of realizing that this world is not right for many reasons, but that we can also continue to be inspired by beautiful encounters that make your heart flutter.

🗓️ November 24, 2025

🏁 Kilometers : 752

33 kilometers planned for today! My hosts drop me off at 6:00 a.m. at the spot where they had picked me up the day before. They want to say a short prayer of gratitude before I start my day's walk, which I find very touching. Their kindness and humility will stay with me for a long time.

The sun rise gently over the banks of the river that will accompany me all day. The air is fresh and the grass lade with morning dew, making me want to inhale deeply and exhale contentedly. The path is just a track through the meadow on the riverbank, sometimes running right along the edge of the river. A few cows block my way, refusing to let me pass and forcing me to take a slight detour. The scenery is magnificent, with the bright green of the meadows and the blue of the river reflecting the clouds.

I walk for a few hours through these landscapes on the left bank before crossing a bridge to reach the right bank. On this side, the trail runs in a straight line along a small dike that helps control the river's flooding.

As the day wares on, I feel myself getting tired, so I put on some music to motivate myself and keep up a good pace. Passing a small house about 5 kilometers from my destination, a man waves me over and offers me a cold beer. I gladly accept, and we spend fifteen minutes chatting and resting—another wonderful moment thanks to the kindness and spontaneity of the Kiwis!

At the campsite that evening, I meet up with about ten other hikers I'd already met, including Greg and Ashley. I waste no time pitching my tent, showering, and eating so I can go to bed early.