The day before.

It’s a weird feeling, knowing you’re about to begin something you’ve been planning, researching, strategizing, training for, for the better part of a year. In the last week everything has fallen into place but definitely admitting it’s been a stressful, overwhelming week to get here. All the last minute triple checks making sure you have absolutely everything. Everything is working as it should. Ferry is booked, boat transfer confirmed, groceries ordered, hut passes bought, phone plans put on hold, phone storage cleaned up, subscriptions cancelled and will written. I had to do it sometime, so it may as well have been now. Add in spending two hours on hold to Commbank to sort out accounts. I must say, that finally my finances being in disarray with money in accounts across multiple countries has finally paid off and means I can just use my NZ bank account from now on. I fly out tomorrow at 6:00am. I’m probably a little stupid but I’ve only ended up having a couple of hours after landing in Wellington, to divvy up all the food for the coming week and to send up to twenty days worth of food in two bounce boxes to pick up along the trail. I blame the ridiculous overpriced airfares for this. When should you ever be paying $1200 for a one way fare from Australia to New Zealand?! Luckily, I snagged a sale fare for $250 so we had to run with that date. The flight home, well that’s to be decided...

Because I don’t have a lot of time at the start to grocery shop, we’ve placed an online click and collect order at Countdown in Wellington. But that couldn’t be done until the timeslots opened a week out. Also challenging because how do you plan for food for a months time. How do you even know what you will want to eat or more so what will I be so over eating by then. I dare say 2 minute noodles will be up there however I also know that I will probably be so hungry and tired that I will eat anything and future Renay will certainly be thankful for the unnecessary amount of blocks of chocolate and the tub of nutella.

I’ve decided to send on two bounce boxes. One to a camp ground in St Arnaud and the second to a ‘Trail Angel’/landowner in Arthurs Pass. This will save on having to hitch a ride out to restock or knowing that its over the Christmas/New Year period, the supplies at the two corner shops may be limited so I'd hate to be stuck without food. The boxes will each contain 9 days supply of food. It’s as I write this that I pray I have calculated my food quantities correctly otherwise I’m going to be one hangry girl, eating nutella straight from the jar with my fingers.

In the Arthurs Pass bounce box I’m also going to be including a new (worn in) pair of trail runners, new shirt and a pair of socks plus extra medical supplies that we may need to sub out.

With a day to go, I’ve done the obligatory thru-hiker gear flat lay. Nothing like a flat lay to put it into perspective just how little clothing you’ve got. Or anything else of that matter. It is literally the bare essentials to not freeze and survive. It makes me nervously laugh but also really like that reality, that these are my possessions for the next 3 months. Plus there is this feeling of satisfaction seeing ever bit of research and planning I've done laid out in front of me. Choosing not to think of the money spent in this photo.

I am fully aware of how tough this thru-hike is going to be but even so, I still know it’s going to surpass what I think it will be like. It's not just a walk, its climbing mountains, forging river crossings, navigating, reading weather forecasts and making life and death decisions daily. And all I think now is bring it on!

As per all my adventures, yet again it’s the people around me who seem to be more scared for me than I actually am. If I am completely honest my biggest fears for this walk are as follows: 1. Earthquake. Without a doubt my number 1. Maybe because I’ve worked in that space that I know the major fault lines across the South Island and their recurrence periods. I’ve also seen first hand the damage and loss they’ve caused. Crossing all my fingers this never happens. 2. Being washed away in a river crossing. I would have loved to have had time to do an OENZ River crossing course but sadly dates and my holidays didn’t line up. Instead I have read up, researched and watched countless tutorials on how to read rivers and how to attempt to cross them safely. 3. Injury. Pretty self explanatory. I do have a PLB with me at all times so can use in an emergency.

4. Blisters. Blisters are the absolute worst! The blisters upon blisters I got walking the Camino I wouldn’t wish on anyone. So I am fully prepared for them/expecting them even when doing everything possible to avoiding them.

4. Possums and rats. I have heard and seen other hikers who have come under attack of hungry mice and rats who chewed their way through the tents to get to the food. If I end up being woken up by a rat gnawing its way in, I will freak and attempt to kick it as far as possible. Also they better not touch my food!

What I am not scared of, which people have asked if it worries me is: 1. Being alone. I don’t have an answer why, but that doesn’t overly worry me. It is almost a lesson or test in survival. When you are on your own, it is completely up to you to make the decisions, and face everything head on and the feeling of overcoming these is pretty darn amazing. 2. Being so remote. This is the best part! Getting to go to places and see scenes that hardly any other people will in their lifetime. 3. Being attacked by an eel while in the rivers. Honestly… 4. Wearing the same clothes day in day out. I’ve done that for 5 weeks on the camino, it wasn’t that big a deal. Everyone is in the same position and you honestly wake up and just walk, your biggest concern is where you are to end up that night, not the state of your clothes.

How am I feeling right now?

Very excited with a touch of nervousness (but that’s good) and I wish I could just teleport to being dropped off by the boat at Ships Cove in Queen Charlotte Sounds and standing on that jetty at the start of the hike because I know that feeling of relief and excitement, that smile that just automatically creeps across your face, that thought of ‘you’re doing this! It’s all up to you now’. And it is the greatest feeling. So all that’s left now, is for me to enjoy my last day with family, eat delicious food and have that last hot bath!

Ren x