Brooklyn, NY:
Well, hello, blogosphere. Have you missed me?
It is Megan Hanley, sister of Michael, former social media intern, now promoted to the position of Social Media Director. (To congratulate me on the promotion, please feel free to send Edible Arrangements in lieu of flowers.) Two years ago, I deftly chronicled Longlegs (Michael) and Jorge's (Erin's) journey up the Pacific Crest Trail. Now, it is my honor and duty to be the internet middleman of the story of Katie and Michael's trek along Te Araroa, a trail that crosses New Zealand. Here are some questions you might have about this trail. I will attempt to answer these questions, using my handy guide, Wikipedia.
Well, hello, blogosphere. Have you missed me?
It is Megan Hanley, sister of Michael, former social media intern, now promoted to the position of Social Media Director. (To congratulate me on the promotion, please feel free to send Edible Arrangements in lieu of flowers.) Two years ago, I deftly chronicled Longlegs (Michael) and Jorge's (Erin's) journey up the Pacific Crest Trail. Now, it is my honor and duty to be the internet middleman of the story of Katie and Michael's trek along Te Araroa, a trail that crosses New Zealand. Here are some questions you might have about this trail. I will attempt to answer these questions, using my handy guide, Wikipedia.
- Where exactly is this trail?
Wikipedia tells me that Te Araroa stretches from the northwestern corner of New Zealand at Cape Reinga to the southern tip of the South island, at Bluff. It is 3000 kilometers long and typically takes hikers 100 to 150 days to traverse, roughly the gestation period of a goat. This is a new trail, completed in 2011. Apparently it is a source of some significant national pride while also being a symbol of the mutability of borders? Who knows. I'll need to do more research. Here is a helpful map of New Zealand!
- How many kilometers are in a mile, and given this information, how long is the trail in mathematical terms that our poor gringo brains can understand?
1.6 kilometers = 1 mile
3000 kilometers = about 1864 miles
The island of Manhattan = 13.4 miles
This trek = walking the length of Manhattan 139 times, except if Manhattan were covered with enormous mountains.
- Is Michael making fun of poverty or referencing the most famous Disney canine love story in the new title of this blog?
No. I wondered this, too, but it turns out the Kiwis just refer to "hiking" as tramping. Wikipedia proves it.
- How do you pronounce "Te Araroa"?
Here is a helpful Youtube video to help you:
- Why have Michael and Katie decided to travel to the other side of the world in order to walk this trail, when they could instead simply watch Lord of The Rings on Netflix?
That is an excellent question. I'm not sure if I can answer it, so instead I made this video. Some of you may remember my Lords of the PCT claymation movies from 2013. (If you don't remember them, you can just scroll down, which is sort of like time travelling. The internet is amazing.) This time around, I am deeply inspired by the folks at Bad Lip Reading. Enjoy.
Signing off,
Your Social Media Director,
Megan
ps. For all those of you who are hungry for real news: I heard from Michael this weekend; he and Katie had reached Ahipara, 122 kilometers from the starting point-- about 75 miles in. They just hopped on the trail last week after woofing for a few weeks with some lovely humans. There you go. Real facts, not just Wikipedia research. More soon!
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