Bouncing Back From Adversity
Michelle K Success Story
Michelle K - Stag Saddle, Te Araroa, New Zealand
It Starts With A Dream
For years I'd dreamed of hiking Te Araroa (TA) - New Zealand's Trail spanning the length of the country. In January 2023, it became my goal to start Te Araroa in January 2024. I'd have a year to get prepared.
Over the course of the year, I felt strongly that I wanted this experience to be meaningful; bigger than just hiking the trail for a couple of months. So I chose to raise funds for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBCNZ) alongside doing my walk. My Mum was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma when I was eleven years old and passed away a few short months later. Raising $11,000 for LBCNZ became my reason why.
To kickstart my fundraising I went to various businesses around my hometown. I talked to them about my fundraising goal and asked if they'd like to donate any products or vouchers to go into a big hamper to raffle off. It was a very repetitive process but the support was immense. After just a couple of weeks I'd received over $1,300 in prizes.
Michelle K - Raffle Hamper
Gathering Momentum
I made up a public Facebook Page for my fundraising walk called “Mishys Long Walk- Te Araroa” and had business cards printed that had the QR code for my LBCNZ fundraising page as well as for my public facebook page. I handed those cards out to people that bought raffle tickets, to friends, family, strangers, anyone and everyone!
I sold $5 raffle tickets for a month, sitting outside local cafes, supermarkets and walking around town any spare chance I had. Over $4,600 was raised from ticket sales and the raffle was drawn a couple of days before Christmas. The local paper printed an article that announced the prize winner, and got the word out more about my fundraising goals and my long walk.
Then it was off to the South Island to begin the first 1,300 km section from Bluff to Ship Cove, Marlborough Sounds from 12th January to 19th March.
Michelle K, Bluff, Southland Te Araroa
Unforgettable Experiences
On Day 15 I reminisced about my first 2 weeks on trail.
I'm officially out of Southland and into Otago. What a journey Southland was!
Unforgettable experiences of battling hours of ferocious sand blasting along Oreti Beach;
of being thigh deep in mud wading through The Longwoods Forest and snapping my hiking pole only five days into my Te Araroa walk;
navigating the trail through high tussock grasses in the Takitimu Forest - the epitome of Southland terrain;
walking through the carved valleys of Mavora Lakes with wide eyes, feeling so small in such grandeur.
The misty fog, mud, clay, slippery ground, clambering over many fallen trees. and having constant wet socks and shoes for two weeks straight. It's experiencing nature in its natural weathered beauty.
My Heart Is Full
DAY 35 describes the high of the summits.
Stag Saddle, north of Lake Tekapo and the highest point on Te Araroa Trail, today is what dreams are made of!
This place feels otherworldly, a barren rocky landscape, and I sit and linger for a long while by the Stag Saddle signpost taking it all in. My heart feels so full even if my tummy constantly feels hungry these days. I’m so proud to have made it this far.
Being alive to truly live and experience all of this is such a gift and I don’t take it for granted. My struggles through the valleys pale when I’m standing on the summits. I stretch my arms out wide embracing it all. I love being out here!
Boundary Hut, Mavora River, Southland, Te Araroa
This Is Gnarly!
DAY 41 and I'm beginning the six day Arthur’s Pass to Boyle section. It's the longest section I’ve carried food for so far and my pack is heavy! Even this far north on the trail, there are new experiences to be had.
It’s a chilly three degrees in Arthurs Pass as I cross my first river crossing (of over 100!) in this section. The bones in my feet ache from the cold and I dance up and down once I’m across the river to take the sharp dagger like pain away.
The valley walk following the Mingha River is beautiful and I can only feel inspired as I climb up over Goat Pass in the footsteps of all the Coast to Coast athletes who had run this trail only a couple of weeks earlier. The descent down Deception River is gnarly, steep, deep in places and fast flowing from the previous days rain.
Finding Inspiration From Others
The hardest section I’ve done on the trail so far. I’m in awe that Coast to Coast athletes had climbed UP this and after feeling inspired the day before on my ascent up Goat Pass, I’m now thinking they are completely crazy for thinking this could possibly be fun! But, here I am out here doing the same. I must be crazy too as I keep making my way northbound through it all.
My blog entries describe the constant contradiction between one day experiencing the dopamine high feeling of being so deeply immersed in backcountry beauty - gratitude aplenty; to the next day being smacked in the face by reality, facing navigation and weather woes; frustration over falling too many times and struggling with loneliness as a solo hiker.
Michelle K, Mavora Lakes, Southland, Te Araroa
Digging Deep
DAY 45 is one of many of those kinds of days, hiking from Hurunui Hut to Hope Kiwi Lodge, a 16 km, six hour day.
The upper South Island has the luxury of swing bridges on some of these more popular sections and I still find them novel to bounce along on. Still, there are plenty of streams to walk across on foot. I take a fall on a slippery rock while crossing a small stream and it jolts me as I fall back landing hard on the rock.
I’m well practiced at falling with my pack on my back now but this one gives me an instant headache. I pick myself up on to my feet again, rolling around like a turtle with the weight of its home on its back.
Some days I feel like a gymnast trying to perfect a move over and over again while being beaten, scratched, bruised and smashed around by the environment that I’m in.
On a ‘normal’ day I can get by without as much as a sideways walk in life, but out here walking long distances on uneven terrain, where my body is fatigued carrying a big pack, my surgery side effects play out a bit louder.
Nelson Lakes Section, Te Araroa
Overcoming Obstacles
In 2009, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour called an Acoustic Neuroma. I was living in Alaska at the time with my husband and raising three young boys. Three weeks after receiving the news I was on a flight to Seattle having a six hour surgery to have it removed.
To remove the tumour, they drilled through the skull behind my left ear, a safer Translabyrithine approach since the tumour was pressing on the left side of my brain - known for strokes, seizures and migraines.
The surgeons rerouted facial muscles and neck muscles. They severed my left balance nerve which left me with a lot of vertigo and nausea. I lost all hearing in my left ear and had to adapt to single sided deafness.
Forging Ahead
It took me a good part of the year to get my balance back - my right balance nerve doing it all, progressing from pushing a walker around, to balancing with two hiking poles, then one. It took my brain many years to feel comfortable walking along the side of a mountain.
Nearly fifteen years later and I'm here, solo hiking New Zealand's tough terrain - my only downfall being that I can't walk straight when I’m weary. I veer to the left or the right too far and really depend on my hiking poles to help stabilize me.
It's all part of the challenge of walking Te Araroa.
Michelle K, Waiau Pass, Marlborough, Te Araroa
Believe in Yourself
By Day 53 I've climbed over Waiau Pass, another iconic moment in the trail, and walked around Travers Saddle because of snow on the saddle. I have my eyes set on Ship Cove in the not too distant future as I write in my blog; Nelson Lakes was amazing!
The quiet enchanted mossy forest to the steep scree mountains, the noisy rushing rivers and the sky high waterfalls. The weather was all four seasons too but my weary legs and determined mind got through another section of beautiful New Zealand wilderness. I can trust myself to do this.
I’m nearing the end.
St Arnaud is my rest stop for a day and a half and I embrace it all - the fresh snowy hills, the crisp, cold air, and the hot coffees at the Lodge. The seasons are changing and I’m glad to be nearing the finish line.
Simple Pleasures
Reaching a town and enjoying a rest day is one of the great delights amongst hikers, who spend most of their days dirty, smelly and craving a burger. Its a time to get clean, get fed, get clothes washed and do some more food shopping before loading up the pack and starting the next section.
DAY 61. Queen Charlotte Track. I’m walking with three other northbound hikers now as we near the top of the South Island. We set up our tents at Camp Bay, and after 2 months of living on dehydrated meals and dry snacks, I enjoy a large salad at a nearby lodge. I realise it’s only the third salad I’ve had in two months.
It’s dark as we walk the track back to our camp, and the mossy cliff ledges are ladened with glow worms which look like Christmas lights. I savour moments like this. Simple little surprises that bring joy. These are easier to notice when we don't have much else to clutter our life with.
Michelle K, Marlborough Sounds, Te Araroa
Embracing New Friendships
DAY 62. Camp Bay to Resolution Bay. 20 km. A luxury of walking northbound is having Queen Charlotte Track as our last track to walk. We enjoy stopping at the lodges for drinks and ‘real’ food and there is quite a group of Northbound walkers congregating along the trail. We’ve all been leapfrogging each other as we've made our way up the Island.
A group of ten of us stop for lunch at Furneaux Lodge after walking the first 10 km. Beers, coffees and food is ordered. I love sitting and watching them all. Humans. Different nationalities, ages and walks of life. All of them were strangers to each other just two months ago, now filling up tables sharing food, stories, and future plans togethers.
The trail gives back.
Reflections On The Trail
DAY 63. The final 6 km is a time of reflection for me as I walk to Ship Cove and it’s a beautiful morning to finish. I reach Ship Cove just after 10 am, the northernmost point on the South Island section of Te Araroa and just over 1,300 km north from my starting point in Bluff.
Michelle K and trail friends, Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough, Te Araroa
There are high fives and group photos taken. The four of us catch the water taxi to Picton late morning and celebrate with champagne at the local pub in the afternoon. I feel like I’ve barely sat down in two months!
The next day we will all go our separate ways. Two French Canadians, one Australian and me, a Kiwi. Connected by the simple joy of walking, of New Zealand and of Te Araroa.
Giving Back
I enjoyed keeping my followers up to date with these blogs and a lot of photos. By the time I'd reached Picton I was close to $8000 raised for LBCNZ.
On my return back home, a local travel agent who'd been following my page offered up a suitcase as a prize donation if I wanted to put another raffle together. It didn't take much convincing. There began my next raffle.
What started with just a suitcase grew to nearly $3000 of prizes. Gym memberships, hotel vouchers, massage and facial vouchers, supermarket gift cards, skincare and makeup, restaurant and cafe vouchers. I divided the products up into three raffles so people could choose which hamper they'd like to get tickets for, still selling tickets for just $5 each.
Michelle K, Fundraising
The fundraising page continued to climb and by the time of the raffle drawings in August 2024, I'd raised over $11,000.
Where There’s Hope
I’m hopeful that the funds raised for LBCNZ over that year will help many Kiwi families going through cancer treatment so they can have hope, heal and see their dreams become a reality. Losing both my parents at a young age changed my path, but I've always carried hope and an inner strength that has got me through many different seasons of life.
Sir Ed once said,
“You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - you can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals”
I like that. No big expectations, no list of credentials, just an ordinary middle aged woman, sufficiently motivated to reach her challenging goal.
Michelle Kerr, Success Story
Sharon’s End Note
One of the joys of hiking Te Araroa is the camaraderie and support shared amongst trail walkers and Andrew and I were fortunate to meet Michelle literally in the middle of the Arrow River north of Arrowtown, Otago.
We were headed southbound and Michelle was northbound and had been communicating via social media. Many laughs were shared as we each crossed the fast flowing river (trying not to fall in as the camera’s rolled!) then a welcome hug and sharing of stories and trail info as to what lay ahead for each of us.
Moments like these are gold and something we always looked forward to 💚
Michelle Kerr and Sharon Evans, Arrow River, Otago, Te Araroa
Thank You
To further support Michelle’s fundraising efforts for the Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBCNZ) you can do so by DONATING NOW.
Use the link, scan the QR code below or click directly on the picture below, they all take you to the donations page.
Your Story Can Make An Impact
Many of you have shared your stories privately with me, through direct messages, emails, phone and in person conversations. You are my inspiration and my superstars. Hearing the personal challenges you’ve overcome, how you felt before making a change, the positive transformation you’ve experienced and your outlook for the future are all inspirational.
Now is your opportunity to share your Success Stories with the Freewheeling Kiwi Community so that in turn we may all be inspired by you.
By sharing your story, you’ll help shape the narrative as to who spends time in our beautiful outdoors, you’ll influence others in a positive way and lift up our whole Freewheeling Kiwi Community.
Your story will make an impact to the lives of others and this can only be good for us all. ❤︎
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