I (Claire) have a group of walking friends and we do a "big" walk each year, plus some smaller training walks during the year (it's really just an excuse to get together for a girls only time away from husbands and children!) Much of the fun is in the planning - where will we go next time? How will we get there? What will we do afterwards? We always have a fabulous time.
Here are some of the walks we have really enjoyed.
The Milford Track - Probably our one and only independent great walk - those packs got pretty heavy by the end of the day... The rewards were the spectacular scenery and the immense sense of satisfaction at Sandfly Point!
Mimiwhangata - This was a regular holiday spot for years and also an area with lots of different day walks, ideal for training (and yakking).
Tora Coastal Walk - Our first private unguided walk, and also the inspiration for this business. Not carrying packs and having delicious food waiting at the end of each day seemed like heaven - plus gorgeous scenery and good company of course. By the third night my friends had convinced me I really could do this too and we bombarded our hostess, Jenny Bargh, with questions about how Tora had started. Shortly after this she found her husband Chris had fallen out of a tree while pruning. We were variously involved in keeping him warm and comfortable, shifting pigs, opening gates, directing the ambulance and gawking at the helicopter. Thankfully he made a full recovery.
Hurunui High Country Track - Dan and Mandy Shand have done something really special in each of their overnight huts (I won't spoil their secrets) and other lovely treats along the way made this another fabulous private walk. We thought we'd be clever and do this three day walk in two days - so we could go to the spa in Hamner - but too much walky-talky at the start of the second day meant we missed a turning. (This does not mean it wasn't well sign-posted, it was hard to believe we'd missed it when we eventually got back to it!) What it did mean though, was a very long walk. Luckily some deer hunters took pity on us as it was getting dark and gave us a lift back to base, thank goodness! And we definitely needed the spa the next day!