FIELD NOTE #1 — Where the Trail Begins
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Where I Am on the Trail This Week
Every journey has a beginning.
For Te Araroa, that beginning lies at Cape Reinga, at the northern tip of Aotearoa New Zealand — a place rich with Māori meaning, where the spirits are said to leave this world and begin their path home.
And for me here in the Netherlands, my starting point is far more familiar:
the River Meuse, the long winding waterway, that has its origin in the Plateau des Langres in France, and where I walk, cycle, and gather most of my miles.
These two places could not be more different.
Yet they now run side by side — one in my imagination, one under my feet.
Why I’m Doing This Trail — And Why Now
Movement has always kept me steady: long walks, quiet bike rides, treadmill miles on a rainy day. But for years, I never tracked them.
Two years ago, I discovered The Conqueror Challenges, and suddenly my uncounted miles became something I could see:
badges, postcards, medals — little markers of endurance.
Now I’m taking on their longest challenge yet — Te Araroa, 3,177 km from the top of New Zealand to the bottom.
Why choose this trail now?
Because I’m writing this trilogy — The Ace of Nerve — and one of its central voices, Aroha Tui, carries her heritage from Aotearoa.
Walking this trail feels like the right way to stay connected to her world while living here in Brabant, Netherlands.
And although Nancy Wake’s New Zealand years were brief — she left young — she was born there. That’s the quiet thread between her life and Aroha’s. And this trail lets me walk that thread gently.
How My Araroa Trail Supports the Ace of Nerve Trilogy
As I’ll be writing write the second book over the coming months, the trail will be my rhythm:
miles for thinking,
miles for untangling scenes,
miles for letting the characters come forward when they’re ready.
Aroha’s voice in particular feels clearer when I’m moving. There’s something grounding in walking her homeland — even virtually.
Weather, Mood & This Week’s Small Things
Here in Brabant, November has fully settled in: grey skies, bright breaks of cold sun, a hush over the fields near the Meuse.
It’s the kind of weather that makes you walk briskly, hands tucked into your pockets, woolen hat, always thinking about what comes next. The warm cup of coffee when I return.
There’s a quiet beauty in starting something big in the stillness of the last part of 2025.
Until Next Time
This is where the journey begins — in Aotearoa and in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Kia haumaru te haere — Goede reis — Safe travels.
— Hannah
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