🗓️ February 16, 2026

🏁 Kilometers : 2538

I set myself a slightly crazy challenge for today: a 56-kilometer walk. The route seems to follow roads and gravel paths and is relatively flat. I set an alarm for 4:00 AM, but wake up around 2:30 AM and, unable to sleep, I start the hike around 3:30 AM.

It's pitch black. I use my headlamp to help guide me and keep my hiking poles in hand in case a dog attacks me… unlikely, but in the dark, the imagination runs wild! Around 6:00 AM, the sun gently rises, revealing a cloud ceiling that has persisted for two days and is bringing cold air. The scenery isn't the best, the weather isn't the best… but it was the perfect day to erase 56 "boring" kilometers from the route. I pass the 2500 kilometers mark during the day, 600 km left up to finale city Bluff.

I listen to a few podcasts, some music, let my mind wander, and the walk becomes automatic. I only take one break during the day and arrive in the final town of Twizel at 3:30 PM, meaning it took me 12 hours to cover the entire distance. And I am surprised to find that I am not even that tired; the body definitely has hidden reserves!

Yvan cycled the distance, and Natalie, who had started later, joined us around 7:00 PM. Hats off to her too!

🗓️ February 17, 2026

🏁 Kilometers : 2568

We have time this morning; it's raining anyway. We have breakfast in a café, play cards, and then go to stock up on supplies for the next four days of hiking. We start hiking around noon, without much enthusiasm since the day is still cloudy and will be along gravel paths. We finish the 30-kilometer hike around 7 p.m., reaching the shores of Lake Ōhau.