Te Araroa - Fear Doesn't Disqualify You
What the Richmond Ranges Taught Me About Asking for Help
There's a ridgeline in the Richmond Ranges on Te Araroa where I sat for a long moment, certain one wrong step would be the last one. Just wind, exposure, and a not so quiet voice asking if I could really do this.
Day 80 on Te Araroa
By the time we reached the Richmond Ranges, Andrew and I had been walking nonstop for 80 days. We'd covered nearly 2,000 kilometres with no rest days. When in towns during our resupply stops, we were always racing against time, doing the thru-hiker shuffle: laundry, food, refuelling, life admin and preparing for the next push.
The first 1,000 kilometres had been brutal. My feet were injured, damaged in ways that made every step hurt and I simply dealt with it because you have to on a thru-hike. You push through pain because the alternative is stopping, and stopping feels like giving up.
But there was more than physical pain eating away at me.
While walking the length of Aotearoa, I was also running Freewheeling Kiwi remotely. Creating daily content. Responding to comments and DMs. Managing brand partnerships. Answering emails.
The trail wasn't quiet, it was a constant low-level roar of notifications, obligations, and the weight of other people's expectations.
Andrew was carrying his own load too as he was managing his farm via his phone. We were both running on fumes.
Day 80 started strong, I was feeling great and powered up that mountainside with everything I had but while stopped for lunch at the Starveall Hut, all the accumulated weight caught up with me at once.
The 80 days of relentless pushing, the lack of sleep, the constant content creation and business running, the zero rest days culminated in overthinking the next stage.
Sitting there in near perfect conditions, I spent far too long gazing out along the ridges and overthinking what lay ahead.
The anxiety hit hard; the weight of everything accumulated not only in the last 80 days but also in the lead up to the start, the rushing to get organised, the trail preparation and having to put everyday life on hold before we left home finally caught up.
The Choice to Step Back
Putting a lid on the noise and determined as always, we set out for the next hut, the weather was perfect and we had the best opportunity to succeed. Our trail family were ahead of us and we were looking forward to catching up with them that night.
Within an hour though my body and mind finally said: enough. We stopped and there on that beautiful ridgeline I was humbled, in that moment, I couldn’t push through any longer.
Andrew looked at me and made a call that cost him something, having to turn back despite having everything in his favour. That decision came from kindness, he saw what I needed and put me first. We retraced out steps back to Starveall so we could rest and rethink our plans.
It was the most sane decision I made on the entire trail and over the next couple of days, we retraced our steps down off that mountain, detoured to Richmond, and for the first time in 80 days, we stopped.
Starveall hut behind me. The decision made. Looking toward what comes next.
The Kindness of Strangers
In the early days of our time in the South Island, Leah had messaged me, she said she was following our journey, and if we ever needed support, she'd be there.
It was a lovely gesture though given our planned route and Leah’s location, I didn’t think we’d end up meeting.
But on day 80, broken and anxious and needing help I reached out. Leah didn’t hesitate, despite it being only days before Christmas, despite having her own responsibilities, her own family, her own life waiting for her, she drove all the way out to the trailhead to meet us, incredibly turning up with fresh salad and Christmas cake!
Leah brought kindness and support when I was too worn down to believe in it, and those rest days in Richmond changed everything. Not because it fixed the problem, but because it reminded me that asking for help isn't weakness, it’s survival, it’s wisdom.
We eventually skipped the remaining portion of the Richmond Ranges and hitched forward to rejoin the trail at St Arnaud, where we celebrated Christmas with our trail family.
We continued, but differently, more slowly, more honestly, with clearer boundaries around the business side of things and permission to walk scared, tired, and struggling without needing to perform perfectly while doing it.
What Fear Actually Teaches You
That viral reel I recently posted captured one moment on the ridgeline:
“Someone your age is living their last days wishing they had your health. So do it alone, do it scared, do it struggling, do it unmotivated, do it hurt, do it tired, do it strong.”
It's true. Every word of it.
But I want to add something the algorithm didn't capture:
“Do it honestly. Which sometimes means knowing when to turn back, when to rest and when to ask for help”
Fear doesn't disqualify you from moving forward, but fear isn't the boss of you either, fear is information. On that ridgeline, my fear wasn't telling me I was weak, it was telling me I was carrying too much and I needed to set some of it down.
Te Araroa taught me that, not through pushing through, but through stepping back.
And Leah taught me that kindness from strangers is real. That asking for help opens doors that pushing never does. That sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit you need support.
Spring Invitation
As spring arrives here in Aotearoa, there's a natural invitation to get outside, to move your body, to test your limits. Do it scared, do it tired, do it anyway, but also do it honestly.
Move because your body can. Rest because your mind needs it. Ask for help because you're human. Notice the Leahs in your life, the people who show up with salad and Christmas cake and kindness without needing anything in return.
The Richmond Rages taught me fear doesn't disqualify you, and Leah taught me that asking for help doesn't either. Both lessons matter equally.
— Sharon ⭐️
Te Araroa: 3,029km. 133 days. One ridgeline. One act of kindness. One choice to step back. Everything changed.
📹 Watch the Journey Unfold
If you would like to experience Te Araroa alongside us, I documented all 133 days on the trail through my daily vlog series. From the very first steps at Cape Reinga to that final emotional moment at Stirling Point in Bluff, it is all there.
👉 Watch the Te Araroa Vlog Series →
Each day is captured in a one-minute vlog, so the full series runs to just over two hours in total. Grab a cup of tea and settle in, or dip in and out whenever you need a dose of trail inspiration
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Day 80 on Te Araroa. Eighty days without a rest day, pushing through foot injuries, running a business remotely, creating content, managing comments and brand partnerships while walking the length of Aotearoa.
The Richmond Range ridgeline is where it all caught up with me, not because I couldn't finish the walk, but because the weight of everything else made me stop.
This is the story of what happens when you ask for help, when a stranger named Leah shows up with Christmas cake, and why stepping back sometimes takes more strength than pushing forward.