Welcome to Iowa
We spent 35 minutes in the state, as we are heading North to Minnesota. Might be back one-day.
Stephen
Lewis and Clark Recreation Area
We headed slightly South to visit Lewis and Clark Recreation Area where there were hundreds of free campsites. So, we got one of the best ones on the lake edge. Nearby trails allow Stephen to go for a walk and…
Palisades State Park
We decided to head to the nearest State Park to allow us to get Molly really ready for travel. Palisades SP is a lovely little park. We enjoyed a short walk around the park. It is good to be on…
Breaking Molly Out of Storage
We flew into Sioux Falls on Sunday evening and headed to our downtown hotel for the night. The next morning we headed to get Molly out of storage. Turned out there are three things we needed to get Molly rolling.…
Slack Packing Through Wellington
Day 70 and 71 (1,680 to 1,726 kms) The slack packing continues. The day started with a bus ride back to Porirua. Today was a longer day, with my objective to walk all the way back to Wellington. Wellington is…
Slack Packing the Kāpiti Coast
Days 69 and 70 (1,634 to 1,680 kms) Need toy to catch the train back to Waikanae and where I finished last time. Over the next 4 days I will be slack packing. This means walking without a backpack, switching…
Waikanae Civilization
Day 68 (1,608 to 1,634 kms) Very relaxed day today. The first 16 kms were through the bush followed by a very quick 10 kms to the train station. This is the end of of this stretch for me. I…
Big Day. Out of the Ranges.
Day 67 (1,590 to 1,608 kms) Today would be the only day with a little bit of bad weather. The forecast had low visibility, some moisture in the air but not rain, high winds and all clearing up by 11am.…
Nichols Hut
Day 66 (1,577 to 1,590 kms) Today would be a repeat of yesterday. Start the morning with a climb, follow the ridge line for a while, enjoy the native bush and slowly pull into the hut after a long day.…
Te Matawai Hut
Day 65 (1,557 to 1,577 kms) Today I really enter the Taurarua Ranges. Time for some up and down. It will be a short day in terms of kms, but a bit longer in terms of time. The first 5…
Enjoying the Forest to Makahika OPC
Day 64 (1,539 to 1,557 kms) Yesterday I wanted to push on, but there were no real good options for places to stay or ways to make the camping stops work. I felt like I made the right call to…
Bush Track to Ian and Franks Hut
Day 63 (1,524 to 1,539 kms) Very nice day with a combination of forest and native bush. The trail notes said the 15 kms would take 6 to 7 hours, but since we have had recent dry weather the trail…
Halfway!
Day 62 (1,494 to 1,524 kms) Into the hills I go. The trail notes provide two suggestions for how approach the next 140 kms through the Tararua Ranges. There are no convenient shops along the way. First, walk for three…
Palmerston North
Day 61 (1,470 to 1,494 kms) The Wanganui to Palmerston North stretch is coming to an end. Probably the most road walking in all of Te Araroa. The road is fast and I got to the holiday park Palmerston North…
Road, Road and Road
Day 60 (1,449 to 1,470 kms) Last night I made plans to stay with the family of a sister of my cousins wife. Which turned out to be a very good idea. It also meant that today was a shorter…