The Adventures of Jeff and Sarah

Jeff and Sarah prepare for the Nelson Lakes section of the Te Araroa Trail by getting some much needed RnR in Hanmer Springs. The forecast is looking ominous for them in the upcoming section, so they know time is of the essence to get over Waiau Pass. Will they make it? Will the day after day of heavy rain finally take its toll on them? Tune in to this episode to find out...

Oh, and they also take you on a tour of the nicest string of huts on the TA (Anne Hut being Jeff's favorite), and you'll get an up close view of the clearest freshwater lake in the world (Rotomairewhenua / Blue Lake).

Check out the links below for more info, enjoy! More technical videos for future TA hikers will be coming out, stay tuned!

Number of trail days: 8

Start: Boyle River Outdoor Education Center

End: St. Arnaud

Spreadsheet of our schedule including distances: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1roAVCkKbNj_rmOq2ciWdJ2dox1NJbQe6/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102095432100779645178&rtpof=true&sd=true

Blog article here: TBA

Song Credits:

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

Persephone by Allison Russell

Mountain to Move by Nick Mulvey

Both Hands by Ani DiFranco

Existor by Hot Water Music

Loner by Nikki Yanofsky

This Too Shall Pass by Jamestown Revival

Sleepless Night by lofi hiphop study beats

Disclaimer: we tried our best to pronounce names and places as accurately as possible. Alas, we are Americans and have our shortfalls. If we mispronounced anything incorrectly or got our facts wrong, please feel free to kindly let us know by sending us an email at adventuresofjeffandsarah@gmail.com, and we will do our best to fix it. Thank you!

Jeff and Sarah survived the midnight hike to Ohau and were able to wait out the storm while enjoying the greatest nachos that could possibly exist in the world and beer. They walk and hitch their way to Tekapo where their halfway-there supply box is waiting for them. Another fun storm rolls in, and it covers the highest point on Te Araroa (Stag Saddle) with snow. They make their way to Arthur's Pass where they wait out more snow and meet three more fellow NoBos (an endangered species). As they follow Harper's Pass through Lake Sumner Forest Park, they get to enjoy several more days of rain and rainbows. :)

Check out the links below for more info, enjoy! More technical videos for future TA hikers will be coming out, stay tuned!

Number of trail days: 12

Start: Ohua, NZ

End: Hanmer Springs, NZ

Spreadsheet of our schedule including distances: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Blog article here: TBA

Song Credits:

Sunny in the Making by Steady Holiday

Factory Girl by Rolling Stones

I'll Take You There by the Staple Sisters

Blue Ridge Mountain by Hurray for the Riff Raff

Ripple by Grateful Dead

Long Walk by Jill Scott

Real Love Baby by FJM

Iko Iko by the Dixie Cups

Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric

Old Canary Gaslight by Marty O'reilly

Sadie Hawkins by Doomtree

Disclaimer: we tried our best to pronounce names and places as accurately as possible. Alas, we are Americans and have our shortfalls. If we mispronounced anything incorrectly or got our facts wrong, please feel free to kindly let us know by sending us an email at adventuresofjeffandsarah@gmail.com, and we will do our best to fix it. Thank you!

Christmas came early for Jeff and Sarah on Te Araroa when they received their new, lightweight packs from Fiordland Packs. They soaked up the sunshine and showers in Wanaka and made their way towards Lake Hāwea. The combination of hitches and hiking allowed them to enjoy dinner in town and relish the views of Lake Hāwea which is more untouched and less touristy. Hiking from Lake Hāwea, they became well acquainted with the Breast Hill and East Ahuriri Tracks and ended this section at Lake Ohau. Along the way, they enjoyed 360 degree views on Breast Hill Track, slipped up, down, and into the Timaru River, and discovered the meaning of every rose has its thorns. The cherry on top was the 25 mi / 16 hr hike from Tin Hut to Ohau Lodge that included night hiking on poorly marked trails (even if it was during the daytime), fording through their biggest river yet (Ahuriri River), and enjoying, you guessed it, more rain. While hiking till nearly 1:00am was not the original plan, that grueling day was worth it given the storm that rolled in and how slippery and more miserable the trail conditions would have been. Last but not least, they were able to enjoy Ohau Lodge’s legendary nachos.

Check out the links below for more info, enjoy! More technical videos for future TA hikers will be coming out, stay tuned!

Number of trail days: 6

Start: Wanaka, NZ

End: Ohua, NZ

Spreadsheet of our schedule including distances: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Blog article here: TBA

Song Credits:

The Beths - Little Death

Against Me! - Cavalier Eternal

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II

The War on Drugs - Thinking of a Place

Misfits - Where Eagles Dare

The National - 90-Mile Water Wall

Our packs: https://fiordlandpacks.nz/

Disclaimer: we tried our best to pronounce names and places as accurately as possible. Alas, we are Americans and have our shortfalls. If we mispronounced anything incorrectly or got our facts wrong, please feel free to kindly let us know by sending us an email at adventuresofjeffandsarah@gmail.com, and we will do our best to fix it. Thank you!

Jeff and Sarah start to feel more like Te Araroa hikers after they survived the maw of the Longwoods and rainy Takitimus. They cruise through the Mavora Lakes and meet an incredible family, take some time off in Queenstown (though it is not quite as restful as they hoped), checkout a golf tournament (New Zealand Open), march upstream of the Arrow River, and conquer the Motutapu Mountains that seem to be on repeat.

Check out the links below for more info, enjoy! More technical videos for future TA hikers will be coming out, stay tuned!

Number of trail days: 8

Start: Mavora Lakes

End: Wanaka, NZ

Spreadsheet of our schedule including distances:

Hiking stats or nerds

Blog article here: TBA

Song Credits:

Camera Obscura - Lets Get Out of This Country

Sundowner - 100 Resolutions

The Toadies - Someone Great (Cover)

Jungle - Casio

Disclaimer: we tried our best to pronounce names and places as accurate as possible. Alas, we are Americans and have our shortfalls. If we mispronounced anything incorrectly or got our facts wrong, please feel free to kindly let us know by sending us an email at adventuresofjeffandsarah@gmail.com, and we will do our best to fix it. Thank you!

Jeff and Sarah get ready for the first true test of the TA, the Longwood Forest. The Longwoods live up to their name for being a rough two-day slog through dense trees and deep mud. They then zigzag through private farmland in Southland and meet Tosh, an awesome fellow NoBo hiker whom they journey with for almost the entire rest of the trek. The trio then makes their way through the Takitimu Mountains where they face fern gullies, washed out trails, 6 ft (2 m) tall tussock, and driving rain. As they exit the forest, the sky clears, and they make their way to civilization for needed R.n.R. in Te Anau.

Check out the links below for more info, enjoy! More technical videos for future TA hikers will be coming out, stay tuned!

Number of trail days: 7

Start: Car park at Long Hilly Track

End: Te Anau, NZ

Spreadsheet of our schedule including distances:

Hiking stats for nerds

Blog article here: TBA

Song Credits:

The National - Baby We'll be Fine

Mt Joy - Sheep

Echo and the Bunnymen - My Kingdom

Wavves - Linus Spacehead

ExZac Change - Puddles

Disclaimer: we tried our best to pronounce names and places as accurate as possible. Alas, we are Americans and have our shortfalls. If we mispronounced anything incorrectly or got our facts wrong, please feel free to kindly let us know by sending us an email at adventuresofjeffandsarah@gmail.com, and we will do our best to fix it. Thank you!

Jeff and Sarah begin their first thru-hike in Aotearoa, a journey that they have dreamt about for years. With no gradual introduction to Te Araroa, they hiked along the coast, road, and even asked a stranger for water. They will never think of "long walks on the beach" in the same way again. While it can be a lovely stroll during low-tide, beach walking is more brutal than it appears after several miles and during high-tide. Check out the links below for more info, enjoy! More technical videos for future TA hikers will be coming out, stay tuned!

Number of trail days: 4

Start: Bluff, NZ

End: Car park at Long Hilly Track

Spreadsheet of our schedule including distances:

Hiking stats for nerds

Blog article here: https://www.adventuresofjeffandsarah....

Song Credits:

You Drive - Royal Blue

Sundowner - This War is Noise

Bill Withers - Lovely Day

Frightened Rabbit - Holy

Blind Melon - No Rain

Waxahachie - Fire

Disclaimer: we tried our best to pronounce names and places as accurate as possible. Alas, we are Americans and have our shortfalls. If we mispronounced anything incorrectly or got our facts wrong, please feel free to kindly let us know by sending us an email at adventuresofjeffandsarah@gmail.com, and we will do our best to fix it. Thank you!

Jeff and Sarah spend their time in the States to prepare for the thru-hike ahead.

Take a seat and join us back in time, eons ago, to learn about the creation of the Te Araroa trail.

In short, the trail consists of multiple existing tracks connected together with new routes on both public and private land. Collaborating since 1975, Te Araroa officially opened in 2011. Now that the trail is a teenager, it can be temperamental and change routes depending on private land disputes or trail conditions.

Unlike most childhood stars as they age, Te Araroa is only gaining popularity with time. People across the globe travel to Aotearoa to tramp “The Long Pathway,” the trail’s meaning in Māori. Starting from Cape Reinga and hiking to Bluff, the trail spans more than 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles). The spectrum of tracks includes backcountry wilderness, beaches, paddocks (say hi to your new friends, sheep and cows), and even highways (the sections gotta connect somehow).

Subscribe for upcoming trail videos and checkout our website for trail adventures and mishaps: https://www.adventuresofjeffandsarah....

Disclaimer: we tried our best to pronounce names and places as accurate as possible. Alas, we are Americans and have our shortfalls. If we mispronounced anything incorrectly or got our facts wrong, please feel free to kindly let us know by sending us an email at adventuresofjeffandsarah@gmail.com, and we will do our best to fix it. Thank you!