82 kilometers done. And done.

Karamea, NZ. We just finished the Heaphy Track, a Great Walk that runs along the northwest coast of the south island. We have been hiking 15 - 27 kilometer days for the past four days, tent camping on mountain saddles and river deltas, and crashing in huts when the rain and cold drove us indoors.

The Kiwis like their tramps uphill and fast. We had trouble from the start meeting the time estimates for each leg of the track. A five hour section took us eight, even if we booked it. We thought this tramp, marked as a casual, easy trail, would be just that, but it turns out tramping in New Zealand requires a brisk pace we're just not interested in. We like to stop and see the scenery, take a few pictures, soak it all in.

Which we did, but the long hikes wore us way down, as we spent twice as long on the trail each day as everyone else. No training, perhaps, played a role in this. But Christmas dinner at a delta on the rough Tasman Sea, even if it was a freeze-dried chicken and rice concoction, and the late-night sunset on that rocky coast is unbeatable. Excellent first Christmas and 6-month anniversary. And we got the chance to try out our gear. Our best "kit item" - as a fellow hiker from Wellington put it - would have to be the super compact cook set, used every morning and night, and the water filter, used several times a day for some of the best tasting water we've ever had.

We are beat up. Sore and sand-fly bit. We're recovering at the Last Resort hotel in Karamea at the southern end of the trail before heading back to Nelson by bus tomorrow to retrieve our brightly painted van and then head farther south to shorter trails. The place has a green roof, sod and plants hanging off the top, and edible landscape out back where they let me grill up my own 17-ounce T-bone steak. Sarah had what she'd been craving: a mountain of salty fries (chips).

And they had Old Dark on tap.

Jason & Sarah

PS: Merry Christmas!