Sixth Update from Paul

Hello supporters,

This latest update is being sent to you from the lakeside village of St. Arnaud, gateway to the Nelson Lakes National Park I just crossed. As you can tell from the map, I have made it pretty far up the island. In fact, from here less than a quarter of the tramp remains.

Over the last week or so I have spent most of my time on rough forest tracks. At lower elevations I wandered through grassy cattle flats (including a walk across one of the country's largest farms) and occasionally the track took me above the bush-line to reveal the vast extent of the island's ranges and some of the most beautiful lakes I have seen so far.

It finally rained yesterday for about 10 minutes, which prompts me to say something about the weather: Mother Nature has been excessively nice to me over the last few weeks. In fact, believe it or not, I had not encountered rain since leaving the Young valley, which is an incredible 700 km away from here! I have not experienced substantial rain since I was at Mavora Lakes, which I visited another 200-300 km prior to that. And the Sun was again there for me when I needed it at Waiau Pass 2 days ago. The forecast also looks great as I head into the seldom-visited Mount Richmond Forest Park.

I am unable to send pictures from my current location but some should be posted soon. I have been well looked after by the people at the Alpine Village Store here and feel ready for the next leg of the journey. Next time I write I will be entering the final stretch of this 1500 km hike.

Off to escape the sandflies...

Thanks for your interest and contributions to an important cause,

Paul

The End is in Sight

Paul is in another wilderness section as he travels between Boyle and St. Arnaud. He is approximately three days away from St. Arnaud, which, upon his arrival, will mark 1226 km completed of his trek. It will also indicate that he is a week from his finish at Cape Jackson! At St. Arnaud he will be able to meet up with some contacts he made prior to the trip at the St. Arnaud Alpine Village Store, who have graciously offered a hand to The Aroka Project.

Paul's Current Location

The black dot on the map shows Paul's approximate location at this time, having recently departed from Arthur's Pass. He is headed North towards Cape Jackson. Please click on the map to enlarge it.

Fifth Update from Paul

Dear readers and supporters of The Project,

I have just arrived in tiny Arthur's Pass after 3 days of more beautiful weather and vistas high up in the mountains. A great thing about this country is how your feet can take you from the sea to the heart of the mountains in a couple of days. In fact, in New Zealand, one is never far from the ocean or the high peaks in New Zealand.

The village of Arthur's Pass is a convenient and welcome resupplying point after having crossed three high passes, forded a large number of streams and slogged up impressive scree slopes. I will embark on the last third of the cross-island tramp tomorrow. Spirits are good, the body is still functional and the weather has been holding, so I am confident heading into the remaining 500 km.

Thank you all for your support and generosity,
Paul

(photo: Paul at Whitehorn Pass)

Fourth Update From Paul - 880 km done

Hello everyone,

This Aroka Project update is sent to you from Ross, one of the many small villages nestled between the glaciated peaks of the Southern Alps and the rough waters of the Tasman Sea. It is quite a feeling to be standing on the beach looking at snowcapped mountains just a few kms away. Ross marks the end of the "roadside" section of the walk: over the last week I have walked 330 km along a scenic road that took me down to the ocean, through rainforests, past Mount Cook and across vast stretches of farmland.

On a typical day, I would get up at 4 and start walking by 5, before the sandflies wake up, the Sun gets too hot and the traffic becomes heavy. I would then walk until mid-day and take an extended lunch break. At around 2, I would start moving again, usually stopping some time between 5 and 7, whenever I would reach one of the villages (it is quite hard to find a campsite in between settlements as the forest is very dense).

I am now heading back inland for another crossing of the mountains. Therefore it is back to sleeping in remote huts and crossing alpine passes and numerous rivers. I am excited to head for the hills again after some monotonous hours spent alongside the road. In a few days, I should reach the village of Arthur's Pass, and at that point 2/3 of the walk will already be behind me. Even more encouraging is the fact that the beautiful weather doesn't seem to want to end.



Back to the tracks I go! Thank you for your interest in the cause and the project.

Paul

Photos from top to bottom:

1-Road near Fox Glacier

2-Paul at Ship Creek in front of the Tasman Sea

3-Sunrise near Lake Matheson

4-Monro Beach, Westland

More Photos from New Zealand

(From left to right, top to bottom: Paul overlooking Cascade Saddle with Mount Aspiring in distance, Paul in front of the Dart Glacier, Matukituki River (Mount Aspiring Park), Siberia Stream and Mount Awful, Paul's boots in front of Siberia Hut, Wilkin River (Mount Aspiring Park), Mount Awful- the "Matterhorn" of New Zealand. Click on photos to enlarge them.)

TANZANIA: Rising prevalence in Zanzibar needs new approach

Please see entry below this article for a recent update on Paul's progress. But first, please read this:

STONE TOWN, ZANZIBAR, 13 February (PLUSNEWS) - HIV prevalence on the semi-autonomous Tanzanian island of Zanzibar is on the rise, prompting officials to call for a more targeted response to HIV/AIDS.

According to government estimates, HIV figures have increased from 0.6 percent in 2002 to 0.9 percent in 2006. "This is a shocking figure in such a small population. Unfortunately, the most affected group is youths aged between 20 and 49 years," chief minister Shamsi Nahodha said at the recent launch of the first AIDS awareness campaign to target young people. HIV levels are significantly lower than the 7 percent infection rate on the mainland, but there are concerns that not enough is being done to address AIDS on the island. Asha Abdallah, director of the Zanzibar AIDS Commission, told PlusNews the new statistics were based on antenatal records, and the commission would be conducting a study later in the year to determine HIV prevalence in the general population.

Read more about it by clicking here.

He is Motoring!

Paul has covered some serious ground since leaving Makarora! In just two days he covered 153 km on foot, which now brings him to Karangarua and quite close to the half-way mark of his journey. Please help us to mark this incredible achievement and spread the word (perhaps send the website link to a friend) or offer a donation.

Awareness and fundraising is ultimately what The Aroka Project is all about as thousands of people in Africa became infected with HIV today. Please see The Stephen Lewis Foundation website for more information about the AIDS pandemic in Africa.

(Please click on the image to enlarge it - Paul's location is indicated by the black dot headed North).

Third Update From Paul - 550 km done

Kia Ora from the hamlet of Makarora,

I have managed to successfully cross wonderful Mount Aspiring National Park and I have just returned to civilization after a week-long stint in the wilderness. Weather has definitely been on my side lately, apart from rain on the last day which left me waiting for several hours for water levels to go down. The almost constant presence of the Sun and dry conditions enabled smooth descents from Cascade Saddle and down the infamous Waterfall Face. Plenty of blue skies have also meant uninterrupted views of majestic glaciers, towering peaks, turquoise rivers and green lush valleys, which made every long ascent worth it.

I am now confidently moving on to the main "road" section of the cross-island tramp. I will walk along coastal highway 6 starting early tomorrow, heading towards Haast Pass. I will eventually find myself walking on a mostly flat, narrow strip of land tucked between the ocean and the highest peaks in the country.

Thanks to all of you who have been following the journey from the beginning and welcome to those who have just discovered the website. Keep checking it as there will be frequent updates over the next weeks.

Paul

On the map in this entry, Paul's location is labelled by the black dot headed North).

More Photos

Second Update from Paul

Hello friends and supporters,

I am writing this second update from the resort town of Queenstown, located at the foot of the Southern Alps. I have spent the last few days walking through the land of Lord of the Rings, along creeks, through forests and over the Divide. I have mainly been following popular alpine tracks and for the first time was really able to enjoy the company of fellow trampers. The weather has been quite wet lately but fortunately all nights were spent in huts. Every day the spectacular scenery helps to take the mind off the next footstep and the views should only get more inspiring as I re-enter Mount Aspiring National Park tomorrow to face the most technically-challenging sections of the tramp, including Cascade Saddle and Rabbit Pass.

That is all for now but rest assured that I will be in touch at every opportunity. Thank you again for your interest and generosity.

Paul

Paul arrives at Routeburn - 363 km covered

(Please click on map to enlarge it. Paul is indicated by the black dot and is headed North on the red line).