Training for the Oxfam Trailwalker NZ 2006

Serious training for the Oxfam Trailwalker NZ 2006 started in January 2006. Gaewyn & myself were spent 2 weeks holidays on Norfolk Island. Every morning we would set off for a walk. Norfolk Island is very hilly and was a great training ground for the Trailwalker. Our initial walks were only up to 10km / 2 hours long. Little did we know that this was only the start of the training that we ended up doing.

Back in Auckland in February we were up every morning to do up to 5km around the Auckland Domain before breakfast. Slowly it changed from just on the flat to going up and down the hills in the Domain. On the weekends we walked a 9km course around Hobson Bay. At first the Hobson Bay Circuit was 1:40, by the end of the traing we had this down to 1:25.

Our first big walk was the Coast to Coast Walkway from Downtown Auckland, through the Domain, over Mt Eden & One Tree Hill to Onehunga. Upon reaching the end at Onehunga we turned around and re-traced our steps back over One Tree Hill, Mt Eden, the Domain back to Downtown Auckland. The second time we did the Coast to Coast was after work - Downtown Auckland to Onehunga was in the afternoon, but on the return leg it was right on sunset. By the time we got to One Tree Hill the sun was already over the horizon and we finished the walk in the dark (with the aid of street lights)

In February Gaewyn & myself went down to Taupo for the Oxfam Trailwalker Training Weekend. On the first day we walked 25km doing the first part of Leg 1 from Taupo to Huka Falls, then Leg 6 to Aratiatia Station. From there the notes on the map indicated it was only 5km back to Taupo - but it actually was more like 10km. Next morning we were up bright and early and walked Leg 7 (15km) from Aratiatia Station around Mt Tauhara to Tauhara Station.


We also did 2 training walks on Waiheke Island from Ostend to Whakanewha Regional Park, over the middle of the Island to Onetangi and then coastal through Palm Beach (Just the place for a great homemade Thai Chicken Pie, but watch out for the nudists on the way out), Enclosure Bay, Sandy Bay, Hekerua Bay, Oneroa, Owhanake Bay, to Matiatia before returning through Blackpool, Matenga Pt, Surfdale to Ostend. The Auckland City Council has a great brochure on Waiheke Island Walkways.

After Alanna joined the team we spent a day walking over, up & down the Bombay Hills including a spell walking in the rain.

In conjunction's with Michelle's friend, Shane from Watercare Services (5 teams) who had introducted us to the Oxfam Trailwalker we did a "Walk in the Park" in March. This was in the Hunua Ranges Regional Park and was supposed to be a walk from Cosseys Dam to Kaiau on the Firth of Thames - 9 hours & 42km later we had not made to Kaiaua, instead leaving the Hunua Ranges at Mangatangi on the Vining Walkway, very tired and exhausted. Finally we had team photo of all 4 of us. And that was a just warm up, as the very next day we all met in Downtown Auckland and did the Round the Bays to St. Heliers.

During the training I wore a Pedometer to keep track of the distance we walked. Finally at the end of the training we had walked 624km in just under 3 months. The Oxfam Trailwalker is next week. We are about to find out if all this training was enough.