FIELD NOTE #2 — Steady Miles, New Rhythms
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Where I Am on the Trail This Week
Te Araroa — Maunganui Bluff → Ninety Mile Beach (42–74 km)
This stretch of the trail takes me along rugged coastline, soft sand, and long horizons. The postcard says it all: wild cliffs, shifting weather, and beach full of boulders, which is both beautiful and tiring.
At home — Maaspoort at night in ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Meanwhile, my real miles happened closer to home: an evening walk beneath tree-lined paths, a quick stop at the mall for some groceries, and a moment of wonder about the reflections of neon in still water. And then back home to write another scene in my pleasantly warm office.
Why I’m Doing These Virtual Challenges
I’ve been walking, cycling, and hiking for years, but for the longest time those miles just lived quietly in my legs and my day-to-day life.
Then, two years ago, I discovered The Conqueror Virtual Challenges, and something clicked.
Suddenly those invisible miles became stories: Paris, the Lake District, Los Angeles, India, Lands End to John O’Groats… and now, Aotearoa New Zealand.
This isn’t just about fitness for me. It’s about rhythm, grounding, fresh air, and the reminder that steady steps — even small ones — can take you across whole continents if you let them.
I’m decorating my wall with my medals. They’re not just trophies; they’re also markers of my endurance and my unquenchable curiosity. I’m truly an airchair traveller. Soon, I’m adding New York (my last challenge) and I will show you how exquisite these medals really are.
Choosing the Te Araroa challenge now seems like a God given.
It’s long, it’s beautiful, and it offers me a way to walk alongside the world of my characters while staying healthy here in the Netherlands.
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3. How My Te Araroa Trail into The Ace of Nerve Trilogy
Writing a novel is a marathon on its own. Writing a trilogy is a triple marathon. Some days you sprint; some days you inch forward. But what I’ve found — and what surprises me again and again — is how the rhythm of moving my body in nature helps the rhythm of writing.
As I make my way along the (virtual) coastline of Aotearoa, two things are happening:
Aroha becomes clearer to me — her grounding calm, her connection to land, her quiet resilience.
Nancy sharpens — her contradictions, her bravado, the shadows she hides with charm.
There’s something about a long-distance trail, even a virtual one, that opens a door in the mind. Scenes settle. Voices become steady. Characters start speaking when they’re ready.
I’ll share more about Aroha’s early chapters soon, but for now, I’m letting the miles work their magic.
Weather, Mood, and the Week’s Small Things
Here in Brabant, the weather has slipped decisively into late November: damp mornings, early twilight, and a cold that makes you tuck your scarf tighter.
Yet there’s beauty in it too: the glow of streetlamps on wet pavement filled with autumn leaves, the quiet of a near-empty park, the mirrored stillness of a gazillion stars at the firmament.
These changes will color the photos I take over the coming months. Winter, spring, and eventually summer will each leave their own impression on the journey.
Until Next Time
Steady steps, warm layers, and pages waiting to be written.
More postcards soon — both from Aotearoa and from my corner of the Netherlands.
Kia tau te rangimārie — Ga in vrede — May peace settle upon you.
— Hannah
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