Reset and Recharge in the Kauaeranga Valley
Irene, Karen, Lietta and Sharon at Edward’s Lookout, Kauaeranga Valley. The founding Reset and Recharge Walk, May 2026
Every idea has a beginning. This one had four women, a Coromandel valley, and a very cold river.
On a golden autumn day, Sharon, Lietta, Karen and Irene gathered at the Kauaeranga Valley for the very first Freewheeling Kiwi Reset and Recharge Walk. They came from across the North Island, from the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Northland. They arrived as strangers. They left as friends.
This is the story of that day.
The Valley
The Kauaeranga Valley sits in the heart of the Coromandel Peninsula, one of those places that feels like it exists outside of ordinary time. Rocky-bottomed streams run clear and cold through ancient native forest. Ferns spill over the track edges. Vines loop through the canopy. Tui call from somewhere overhead, always somewhere you can't quite see them.
We walked without hurry. That was the whole point.
There was no distance target, no pace to maintain, no fitness benchmark to hit. Just the track, the trees, and the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other in a place worth paying attention to.
Into the forest. Kauaeranga Valley, Coromandel
What We Noticed
Autumn in the Coromandel is extraordinary if you stop long enough to look.
We stopped often. For the fungi emerging from the forest floor in colours that seemed too vivid to be real. For the mosses and lichens carpeting every rock and root. For the autumn leaves drifting down through shafts of light. For the river running alongside us, cold and clear and entirely persuasive.
This is what a Reset and Recharge Walk is designed to do. Not to cover ground, but to notice what's already there. Most of us move through landscapes at a pace that makes them blur. Slow down and everything sharpens.
What happens when you slow down enough to look. Kauaeranga Valley
The Lookout
The track climbed to a lookout with views across a vast native valley, the Coromandel Ranges stretching out in every direction, Table Mountain rising above a canopy of unbroken green. It is the kind of view that puts things in perspective without asking you to think too hard about why.
We stood there for a while. There wasn't much to say.
The Kauri
Then there were the 700 steps.
Up and up, through the forest, to the Cookson Kauri. Nine hundred years old. Standing there long before any of us were born, long before any of us had problems worth worrying about. One of those trees that makes you feel small in the best possible way.
Around the base of the Cookson, young kauri rickers are regenerating in the forest. New growth emerging under the protection of the ancient. There is a metaphor in there somewhere and we all felt it without needing to say it out loud.
The Cookson Kauri, 900 years old and still standing. Kauaeranga Valley, Coromandel
The Swim (and the Billy)
A couple of days before the walk, the group received a quiet heads up. There might be a swim at the end. Optional, of course.
Two of us swam. The Kauaeranga River is beautiful and absolutely, gloriously freezing. The kind of cold that empties your mind completely and leaves you feeling more alive than you have in months.
The other two, wisely and warmly, stayed on the bank and set up the camp billy. By the time the swimmers emerged, gasping and laughing, there was hot tea waiting, and biscuits, and the best kind of company.
That moment, wet hair and warm mugs and all of us laughing in a river valley in the Coromandel, was the Reset and Recharge Walk at its most itself.
Fully committed. The Kauaeranga River lives up to its reputation.
What Gets Talked About
There is something that happens when women walk together in nature. The conversation goes places it doesn't go anywhere else.
We talked about all sorts. The big things and the small ones. The stuff of real life that doesn't often get aired in the ordinary rush of the week. By the time we reached the car park the four of us had covered more ground emotionally than we had on the track, and that's saying something given the 700 steps.
Two of the group are coming to Nepal later this year, one to Everest Base Camp and one to Annapurna Base Camp. A third is already planning for Everest Base Camp in 2027. Karen left planning for the next Reset and Recharge walk. All of them left, I think, feeling a little lighter than when they arrived.
That's the point of it. That's always been the point.
What They Said
“Thank you so much for yesterday Sharon! It was the space I needed, it has shown me a lot”
“On Sunday I stepped out of my square box and drove four hours to spend the day with three complete strangers. We spent the day laughing, talking and walking in silence. Highly recommend getting out of that square box!”
“Thank you for sharing the Reset and Recharge Walk with me, Sharon. The day was beautifully organised and thoughfully planned, which allowed everything to unfold with ease. i loved the unhurried moments - stopping to look at fungi and mosses, and ending with a delicious afternoon billy tea by the waterhole. The pace, the place, and the care you brought to the day were a gentle reminder that slowng down creates space for clarity and that time in nature bring you back to yourself”
The Kauaeranga River. Beautiful, clear, and absolutely freezing
Join Us on the Next Walk
The Reset and Recharge Walks are small by design. Unhurried, intentional, and genuinely restorative. No fitness level required. No pace to keep up with. Just a beautiful place, good company, and time to breathe.
If this sounds like something you need, keep an eye on upcoming walks or get in touch directly.
Find out more and register your interest here.
Sharon Evans is the heart behind Freewheeling Kiwi, adventurer, storyteller, and guide. Based in New Zealand, she leads small group adventures including Himalayan treks and Reset and Recharge Walks across Aotearoa.
