Tongariro Northern Circuit: Day 3, Bush Poop, Afternoon Naps and Freedom Camping

I have a morning routine, it is miraculous and simple. I get up and wash my face with water. The colder the better, and the chlorine tightens my pores like an expensive BB cream. On this morning, the water hit my face, feeling as though I had rubbed my head on the side of a …

Tongariro Northern Circuit: Day 2, The Tongariro Crossing and Flute-Playing Elves

I woke up...alive! Ahh the small things we are grateful for every day in the wilderness. To be frank I think it would be hard for many hikers to die on a walk this popular. If it was too cold, you would have caught me crawling to the DOC hut and scratching on the door, …

Tongariro Northern Circuit: Day 1, Tussocks and Warm Welcomes

Getting ready always takes weeks of preparation. Especially when you have knee anxiety, that's right, a special form of anxiety that situates just around the patella. This type of anxiety manifests in weeks of Google-led research into miracle herbs, exercise routines and positive aspirations to help one through an overly ambitious hike. For this hike …

Another white girl inspired by ‘Wild’?

Ki ora/Hi! My name is Lili. I'm a 29 year old Pakeha (white girl) from New Zealand. Born and bred in Whakatane, the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and now living in the big smog, also known as Auckland or Jaffaville. This blog/site/page...whatever you call it, documents the overly ambitious tramps, hikes and walks I have …