New Zealand Trip | The Hiking Society

This section is purely dedicated to the adventures I’ve been on in New Zealand. I will be documenting the entire trip by way of preparation and post trip. While I wouldn’t expect many people to undertake a multi-day trek consisting of 270kms over 13 days, I think the core principles of organising a multi-day trek still apply, so I genuinely hope those of you who are at that stage, or are looking to get into multi-day hikes will get some value out of this.

We will be documenting everything from why we are doing this, how we are doing it, where will be on certain dates, our respective gear lists, and various other aspects of completing this trip.

Jan

January 9, 2019John FeeneyBlog, New Zealand

Hobbiton to Erebor: Day 13 – Mount Ruapehu Walking Track

9am. Monday, January 8th, 2018. It’s go time. After spending 12 days and some 260kms hiking on roads and through forests, experiencing scorching heat and icy cold wind & rain, it was time to finally do what we had come here to do – hike up Mount Ruapehu. After waking up at around 7:30am and...

Jan

January 7, 2019John FeeneyBlog, New Zealand

Hobbiton to Erebor: Day 12 – Tongariro National Park

Day 12 (January 7th) of our Hobbit-inspired trip in New Zealand would be the final day of hiking before we hit the Mount Ruapehu Walking Track. Check out previous days adventures here: Day 1-2, Day 3-4, Day 5-6, Day 8-9, and Day 10-11. Our morning started off in the mist and gloom of the final...

Jan

January 5, 2019John FeeneyBlog, New Zealand

Hobbiton to Erebor: Day 10 & 11

And just when we thought we had seen the end of walking on the road, the start of Day 10 saw us back on the road as made our way south to the town of Owhango (pronounced O-fan-go) and the start of the 42 Traverse. You can read all about our previous days of this adventure...

Jan

January 3, 2019John FeeneyBlog, New Zealand

Hobbiton to Erebor: Day 8 & 9

As Day 7 was a rest day and we really did nothing but hang out, play cards and talk a whole lot of rubbish, I’ve decided to spare you all the pain of reading a blog about me slaughtering my mates in card games. If you’ve yet to read the previous blogs regarding this Hobbit-inspired...

Jan

January 1, 2019John FeeneyBlog, New Zealand

Hobbiton to Erebor: Day 5 & 6

The final day of 2017 and the first day of 2018 were two of the easiest days we had during our New Zealand adventure. December 31st, 2017, was only a 14km day from Kakaho Campsite to the aptly name Bog Inn Hut (located almost directly in the centre of the North Island). And January 1st,...

Dec

December 30, 2018John FeeneyBlog, New Zealand

Hobbiton to Erebor: Day 3 & 4

Day 3 & 4 of our New Zealand Trip was equally as long and arduous as it was exciting for a number of reasons. To begin with, by the end of day 4 we would be off the road and into the forest sections. As I mentioned in my blog regarding day 1 & 2,...

Dec

December 27, 2018John FeeneyBlog, New Zealand

Hobbiton to Erebor: Day 1 & 2

It’s 6:30am on December 27th, 2017. This is the very beginning of our 13 day, 270km trek across a section from New Zealand from the filming location of Hobbiton in Matamata to one of the filming locations of the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit trilogy. This location is also known as Mount Ruapehu in the Tongariro...

Feb

February 19, 2018John FeeneyNew Zealand, Tracks & Trails

Mount Ruapehu Walking Track, New Zealand

The main event for our trip to New Zealand was undoubtedly the hike up to Mount Ruapehu in the Tongariro National Park. After spending several days in New Zealand forests, which included the Timber Trail and the 42 Traverse, we entered the volcanic area of the Tongariro National Park. The park itself, home to the...

Feb

February 8, 2018John FeeneyNew Zealand, Tracks & Trails

The 42 Traverse: New Zealand

The second of three main trails we hiked during our time in New Zealand, the 42 Traverse was a 2-day walk through the quiet Tongariro Forest. Often used by 4WDs, hunters, mountain bikers, motorbikes, horse riders, and fishermen, the 42 Traverse is also used by hikers; particularly those who are hiking the Te Araroa trail....

Jan

January 28, 2018John FeeneyNew Zealand

The Timber Trail, New Zealand

Despite the fact that the Tongariro National Park is the jewel in the crown of our trip, the Timber Trail comes a close second in its own right. An 85km trail in the Pureora Forest in the North Island of New Zealand, this is a trail designed for mountain bikers and hikers alike. It is...

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