11km Day : 500km Total
11 JAN 2015

After 6 weeks of resting my legs and sitting on my butt, I’ve returned to the trail.  As can be seen from the title of the post I have not returned to the point where I left.  Since there is no longer enough time for me to complete a thru-hike, I’ve become a section hiker.  The section I walked today is Wellington’s City to Sea Track, which took me through various parks in Wellington down to Te Araroa’s Southern terminus of the North Island.

I given a lot of thought to how I want to continue the hike of New Zealand.  For the first couple of days after my shins gave out, I strongly considered just ending the hike.  But after allowing the initial disappointment to subside and after some suggestions from a good friend, I’ve decided to continue the hike on the South Island, with the thought that I can return to complete the missed North Island portions over the next several years in sections.

My frame of mind has changed considerably since the day I arrived at Reinga Lighthouse.  I plan to take a more measured pace with longer rests as I continue the hike.  It is likely that I will also take side trips along the way. This may mean not making it all the way to Bluff by April, but this is no longer a priority for me, as long as I can enjoy the hike and continue without additional injuries.

I’ll be taking the ferry across to Picton on Tuesday.  Today’s short hike was a test of my legs (which held up well) and a test of my frame of mind to determine if I’m mentally ready to get back on the trail.  For some reason it has been more difficult to mentally prepare for the return to the hike than it was to begin it in the first place.  The excitement is still there, but it is a gear lower than it was the first time around.

Below are a few more photos from today’s walk.