View from the North Mararoa River along the Te Araroa trail in Southland. So close to the finish line. Almost there with Dan to Bluff.
I’m a hardcore fan of JRR Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, which was a big inspiration for my move to New Zealand and Te Araroa. At the start, along Ninety Mile Beach, I picked up this beautiful scallop shell, initially to carry as a souvenir of my journey and then throw away at Bluff, and I started calling it “My Precious”. Like Frodo, I’m being taken over by my precious, and the temptation to keep it is increasing day by day. With just about 150km to the finish line, every day has been a battle getting to Bluff, but I hope I HTFU and let go of the precious.