alias the WalkingKiwi
Hi my name is Peter Roche I am a keen traveller and walker and for the past few years have been hooked on trekking the Great Walks of NZ – I have added to this many more of NZ back country tracks and have nothing but the highest regard for our fantastic country and the Dept of Conservation rangers that look after our parks and huts.
Added to this I have also mountain biked many of the amazing NZ Cycle Trails from Northland to Otago and hiked some of the trails on Chatham and Stewart Island.
In recent times I expanded my adventures and added to my bucket list by undertaking some of the iconic walks around the world. I have cycled through beautiful Loire Valley, Normandy and Burgundy provinces in France. Walked the Cinque Terre Italy. Hiked to both North and South Mt Everest Base Camps in Tibet and Nepal, trekked around the iconic Annapurna Circuit Nepal, Climbed Mt Fuji Japan and Mt Huashan China and walked part of the Great Wall of China. I have visited the historic Silk Road City of Xian where the famous Terracotta Warriors were discovered and cycled the around the Xian City Wall.
Without doubt the highlight has been the Camino de Santiago Frances, 800km across Spain and the Camino Portuguese 700km across Portugal, these walks are a journey for the soul which I recommend to everyone.
More of a challenge was the solo Larapinta Bush Walk, 240km across the MacDonnell Desert Australia from Mt Sonder to Alice Springs. The Overland walk in the Tasmanian World Heritage area was an amazing sight to behold and back country Tasmania reminds me much of walking in the NZ bush.
For sheer peace and solitude I loved the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trail in southern Japan trekking from Tanabe across the hills to the coastal town of Kii-Kitsuura.
I count it a privilege to have completed the amazing trek through the mysterious Inca Trail to Machu Picchu climbing up to 4100m over the fabulously named Dead Woman’s Pass and like many pilgrims before walked through the Sun Gate to behold the ancient city below. This was followed by a trip to La Paz, Bolivia to undertake the 65km downhill cycle on the famous “Death Road” trail.
Without doubt the trek to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, at 5895m (19,341 ft) was to date the most challenging walk I have undertaken. It was followed by an amazing tour to Pyongyang in DPRK and visit to the Mass Games with its stunning spectacle with tens of thousands of participants.
The journeys continue March 2020 with a cycle along the Canal de Garonne France, between Bordeaux and Toulouse….
The plan after that was to undertake another longer walk the Via Francigena across Italy in May. This was to be my third Camino pilgrimage to walk the Italian section of the much longer Canterbury to Rome pilgrimage, 30 days – 600km from La Spezia to the Vatican City in Rome. Sadly for beautiful Italy the Covid-19 virus overtook things and this will be postponed till the tragic events are at an end.
For everyone the Post Covid Lockdown time was a year of staying local, however I did manage to get around NZ and walk Abel Tasman Track with no one around. The was a few trips to Central Otago and cycle the spectacular new Lake Dunstan/Roxburgh/Clutha River Trail. For short period the bubble was opened to Australia and a brilliant walk along the wild Cape2Cape track in Western Australia.
It’s 2022 and this September is the chance to head back to the Via Francigena walk that I first planned 2 years ago. The longer Francigena walk is on hold so I am walking 2 weeks, best of Italy sections through Tuscany and Lazio to Rome. Then it’s on to Portugal for another 2 weeks to repeat the Coastal Camino Portuguese which I really loved walking in 2018 and it’s in summer as well.
It’s 2023 and I have planned another busy year of walking. It’s starts this April travelling back to Portugal and Spain to once again hike the Camino Portuguese Coastal Route but this time with my sister Michele. The Portuguese route is the perfect walk for the first time Camino Pilgrimage and Michele and I are set to have a brilliant time. Can’t wait……
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