Huge walk helps Nepal rebuild
After six months on the Te Araroa trail a British couple are about to finish walking the length of New Zealand as a fundraiser for earthquake relief in Nepal.
Adele-Ivy Harris and Carl Hutchinson have endured many hardships including blisters, shin splints, sore muscles and sleeping in a tent in minus 10 degree temperatures.
But with the end only a couple of weeks off they also feel elation and a sense of accomplishment.
They have raised more than $10,000 of their $15,000 target to help rebuild Nepalese school classrooms.
The couple were travelling in Nepal last April when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck, killing almost 9000 people and causing widespread devastation.
They volunteered to help residents clear rubble from their homes and help build emergency shelters from bamboo.
But after they left the country to come to New Zealand they felt they needed to do more.
‘‘We felt the need to be more selfless,’’ Harris says.
The duo teamed up with The Himalayan Trust and chose to walk the length of New Zealand to fundraise money for the rebuilding.
They started their journey from Bluff on January 22 and plan to reach Cape Reinga by late July.
They have planned stop overs at Opua, Kerikeri and Ahipara.
The trip is self funded using the money they saved working on Waiheke Island and a loan from Hutchinson’s mother.
The first three weeks of walking were the toughest as their bodies coped with sore muscles.
They’ve crossed farmland, navigated the Southern Alps and Richmond Forest Park, walked across the Tararua Ranges and along beautiful beaches, fallen in holes and thorn bushes and ‘‘have the scars to prove it’’.
But they have also had the ‘wow’ moments.
‘‘It wasn’t just the breath taking vistas, but the unique landscapes, the light through the forest trees... it felt surreal,’’ Hutchinson says.
Another highlight was the generosity and hospitality of Kiwi families.
It’s also been a time to reflect on the important things in life.
The electrician and beauty therapist who live near Manchester in England say they have learnt tolerance, patience ‘‘and how happy you can be with so few material things’’.