🗓️ January 05, 2026

🏁 Kilometers : 1736

Today's plan: a 43-kilometer trek to reach the town of Porirua. It promises to be a beautiful summer day, hot and sunny. I have 15 kilometers of beach, 10 of cliffs, and 18 along a bike path. It will take me 10 hours and 30 minutes of walking to reach the campsite for the night, I am exhausted!

🗓️ January 06, 2026

🏁 Kilometers : 1768

32 kilometers to cover on this day's hike, which begins immediately with a series of 750 steps to climb through a forest. Upon reaching the top, the unobstructed view allows a glimpse over the capital Wellington in the distance. The path winds along the heights and is very exposed to the winds, which is not surprising since Wellington is considered the windiest city in the world. Located on the Roaring Forties, the city also borders the Cook Strait, which marks the separation between the North and South Islands, creating a kind of wind corridor. On average, wind speeds there exceed 60 km/h for 175 days a year.

We booked a room in a hostel and are spending the evening in a fantastic pizzeria!

🗓️ January 07 and 08, 2026

🏁 Kilometers : 1780

These two days were dedicated to organizing our trip to the South Island. Booking our ferry tickets, reserving campsites for the first four days, preparing boxes of supplies to be shipped in advance to places without supermarkets, replacing some clothes and accessories that are falling apart… in the end, these two days were anything but restful!

We also hiked the last 12 kilometers to reach the end of the North Island trail, at the very southern edge of town in a charming little seaside neighborhood. To celebrate crossing the entire North Island, we jumped into the water, without even checking the temperature, which turned out to be freezing!

The odometer now reads 1780 kilometers!

A quick mid-trip recap: the North Island offered a variety of magnificent landscapes but also left me a little disappointed by the amount of road we had to travel. The locals were incredibly spontaneous and welcoming. But my real surprise, the one I wasn't really expecting, was meeting such kind and genuine hikers. I thought I'd be doing most of the hike alone, or maybe with a companion for a while, but I never imagined I'd become so attached to a group, feel such a strong sense of belonging, and make such real friends!

South Island, we arrive with our pockets full of excitement and friendship!