We can walk it out
When Clarissa Hirst joined a Harder Hike, the conversations were meaningful, the good humour – and snacks – bountiful.
Need a boost to your wellbeing? You might need to get out on a long, hard walk with a bunch of strangers. It’s certainly something that’s proven successful for members of the Got To Get Out community over the past year.
The nationwide social enterprise, founded by Robert Bruce in 2015, helps Kiwis experience the physical and mental health benefits of getting outdoors through organised activities such as hiking, mountain biking, skiing, running and rock climbing.
Turning 2020 around
Bruce usually organises a multi-day hiking adventure to Nepal at the end of each year, but with overseas travel off the cards in 2020, he arranged one closer to home. Starting on January 1 this year, a group of intrepid adventurers walked the first 10 days (280km) of the Te Araroa Trail, a track that in its entirety extends the full length of the country.
Among the keen adventurers who signed up for this challenge was Molly, a carer from the UK who’d moved to New Zealand last year for a month of travel. Covid changed those plans and after spending lockdown in Auckland, she felt she needed to get out, joining a hike with the Got To Get Out Waikato Adventurers.
‘‘I didn’t know anybody,’’ she recalls. ‘‘But I showed up and there were a lot of friendly faces all keen for a hike and keen to get out.’’
Since that first trip, Molly has joined several Got To Get Out adventures, including hikes, rock climbing sessions, mountain bike rides and ski trips. When she saw the Te Araroa trip pop up, she knew it was something she wanted to do.
‘‘I wanted to challenge myself,’’ she says. ‘‘What drew me to it was the adventure and to be able to say I’ve done that and start 2021 in that way.’’
The journey wasn’t a walk in the park; there was the physical difficulty of an injured ankle and four days spent walking along Ninety Mile Beach without any landmarks proved mentally taxing. Luckily, Molly had plenty of support to keep her motivated.
‘‘What will always stand out for me is the team and how we bonded in that time,’’ she says. ‘‘I thought it was just the walk really, but it’s much more than that. It’s the people that you’re with and the people you meet. They inspire you and keep you going.’’
Auckland-based IT professional Aaron was another member of the Te Araroa group. A breakup, cancelled travel plans and lockdowns made for ‘‘a terrible start’’ to last year, so he similarly felt the need to get away. With winter approaching, and no mates keen to join him on snow adventures, he found Got To Get Out and didn’t look back.
‘‘I’ve found it’s an amazing community,’’ he says. ‘‘I’ve met so many amazing friends that turned last year around for me.’’
A short film at the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival was the catalyst for Aaron’s decision to push himself on the Te Araroa.
‘‘One film in particular that stood out to me was Elina Osborne’s trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. That really planted the seed that a massive thru-hike is quite achievable. As soon as Rob mentioned Te Araroa for New Year’s I was like, ‘That could be a bit of me!’
‘‘It was amazing, it was tough. The trail broke me but put me back together daily – physically and mentally.’’
Clearly, the benefits outweighed the hardships, as Aaron is keen to tackle the Routeburn Track and some other Great Walks, along with the Waitangi-Auckland section of the Te Araroa Trail, which is about 15-20 days of walking.
Tougher trails are in demand
Not all hikes organised by Got To Get Out are as gruelling as their Te Araroa adventure, but Bruce has certainly noticed that more challenging hikes are growing in popularity. After the shutdown of international travel last year, he saw that ‘‘Kiwis wanted to have harder activities at home’’.
As a result of this growing interest, Bruce decided to start offering a new series of ‘‘Harder Hikes’’, and has had such a positive response that he will continue to offer them this year.
I joined the Got To Get Out Auckland Adventurers for the first of their Harder Hikes last year – a day trip up Mt Pirongia in Waikato. Like many others, I was feeling restless and socially disconnected after lockdown, so I signed up for the trip, waking up bright and early on an October Saturday to meet Bruce and his bus outside Archie Cafe in Ponsonby.
On the bus ride to the mountain, I got chatting to Lauren, a well-travelled and outgoing graphic designer. I probably shared more about my life with her in the space of an hour than I have with many people who’ve known me for years. I’d go on to have many more great conversations that day, and was blown away at the camaraderie that was fostered among a group of strangers in just a matter of hours.
Those in the group were of very different ages, career paths and backgrounds, but we all clearly shared a love of getting outdoors for a hard day’s hike. The conversations were meaningful, the good humour bountiful and the snacksharing generous. I returned to Auckland on a high.
‘‘There are huge benefits to people getting outdoors,’’ Bruce explains. ‘‘There’s a lot of research that human interaction, talking and making friends is really good for mental health, particularly if people are feeling lonely or isolated.’’
After experiencing this first-hand, I absolutely concur.
Keen? Give it a go
It’s shaping up to be an exciting year for the Got To Get Out community, with new partnerships and adventures in the pipeline.
A current partnership with Auckland Transport is offering a range of free and cheap hikes, cycling adventures and learn-to-mountain-bike sessions around the Auckland region. Every month, there are free activities around the country that anyone can come along to. Upcoming events are posted at facebook.com/ gottogetout/events.
Northland’s Cape Brett Track, the Around the Mountain Track in Taranaki, Hirakimata/Mt Hobson on Great Barrier Island and the Tongariro Crossing are among the hikes that will be offered this year.
There are walks and hikes for all levels – the important thing is to just give it a go. You’ll likely notice a positive impact on your wellbeing.
As Bruce says: ‘‘You can have a thousand friends on Facebook and not get the same benefit as one afternoon hiking with a bunch of strangers.’’