Tunnels, Tracks and Matariki 🌟
Into the Dark, Into the Light 🌿
Hello friends,
We stepped into a tunnel and came out the other side blinking.
That is, more or less, what June feels like.
Matariki is almost here, that quiet Māori new year, the season of reflection, remembrance, and looking ahead, and it felt right to mark its approach by going somewhere that held its own kind of history. The Waiorongomai Valley near Te Aroha turned out to be exactly that place.
Gold mine tunnels cut through solid rock. A swingbridge over rushing water. Rusting machinery slowly being reclaimed by fern and moss. And four women walking through it, stopping often, talking about things that matter.
Most people drive past the turnoff without ever stopping. I hope this month's story changes that for a few of you.
There's also something new this month, something I've been wanting to try for a while. Read on.
— Sharon ⭐️
🥾 ADVENTURE CORNER
Stories and tips from the trail to inspire your own journeys.
🌿 Reset and Recharge in the Waiorongomai Valley
Gold mine tunnels, hidden waterfalls, a swingbridge into the dark and a gas bottle that had its own ideas about finishing the day with a billy of tea.
The June Reset and Recharge Walk took us into the Waiorongomai Valley on a winter Sunday, right at the start of Matariki. It was one of those days where the place surprised everyone, including people who'd lived nearby for years and never once turned off the main road to explore it.
If you want to know what it's like to walk a trail that feels genuinely alive with history — and what happens when four women spend six hours in the winter bush together — this one's for you.
Sharon, Karen, Carlene and Lietta enjoying a quiet moment after hiking to the top of the May Queen Incline, Waiorongomai Heritage Walks, Kaimai Conservation Park 🌿
🏔️ Milford Track vs Routeburn vs Kepler: Which Great Walk Should You Choose?
One of the questions I get asked more than almost any other: which one should I do?
All three are spectacular. All three are in Fiordland. And they are surprisingly different walks. Having done all three, I've finally written the comparison I wish I'd had before I booked my first one — scenery, difficulty, logistics, cost, and the booking chaos that is Milford Track in peak season.
My verdict might surprise you.
Sharon on the Milford Track, Fiordland. New Zealand Great Walks 🏔️
📅 COMING UP
☕️ FREEWHEELING FRIDAY
☕ Freewheeling Fridays — Walk, Talk & Coffee | This Friday, 19 June
This is something new and it's happening in just a few days so if it speaks to you, now is the moment.
Freewheeling Fridays is a women-only pop-up morning walk along the Te Awa River Trail at Lake Karapiro. 5km return, flat trail, relaxed pace. We walk, we talk, we finish with a well-earned hot drink at The Podium Café.
That's it. That's the whole plan. And sometimes that's exactly what a Friday morning needs.
🌱 Until Next Month
💚 Thanks for being part of our community
Winter is the season most people just try to get through. But the valleys are alive with waterfalls and the forests are full of things worth noticing, if you stop long enough to look.
Come and walk with me.
Take good care out there.
Sharon ⭐️
📬 Catch up on past newsletters below
Twin volcanic crater lakes, a ten metre waterfall, ancient kahikatea forest, and a mid-winter swim in Lake Ōkataina that nobody regretted. The July Reset and Recharge Walk delivered one of those days that stays with you, the kind where you arrive carrying the week and leave having quietly set it down somewhere between the trees.
This edition also tackles one of the questions I get asked most often: how do you actually get fit for hiking without turning your life upside down? Plus news from the August Reset and Recharge Walk at Pirongia Forest Park, and a small update from life at Shambhala where the solar is finally coming online.