Peter and Cathie's 2022 Camino

Wednesday, March 30 It seems like tens of thousands of people all over the world are waiting for their Camino to begin - including us. How do we know this? We're a connected world. Just Google 'Camino' or look at one of the dedicated Facebook sites and you'll find comments ranging from the trivial to the profound. Sometimes the wait seems interminable, but then time will take you by surprise and skip along while you're not looking. Suddenly, it's only a month until we leave New Zealand, heading halfway around the world to Spain. But we still have a few adventures ahead of us before that happens. Since last June, part of our planned buildup has been the plan to walk the Milford Track with a large group of friends from the Kohi Kippers swim group in Auckland. For readers outside of New Zealand: The country is criss-crossed with wilderness trails, mostly administered and maintained by the Department of Conservation (DOC). You would think, then, that we don't ne...

 Friday March 25  In five weeks from tomorrow, April 30, we fly from New Zealand to Canada via San Francisco, leaving Nelson during the afternoon and leaving Auckland early in the evening. When we arrive in Toronto it will still be April 30. On May 16 we fly to London, then Paris, arriving on May 17. Then we take a train to Bayonne. On May 20 we take another (short) train ride to St Jean Pied de Port. On May 21 we start walking. Will the weather be kind so we can walk the Napolean route over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles, or will we need to take the route through Valcarlos? That's all in the future, but for now we're caught in that in-between world where you just want time to pass so the adventure can begin. I know that's a bad attitude. We're going to live through all those future days anyway, so I should be enjoying the anticipation. I'm like a child waiting for Christmas. In the meantime we have a small adventure planned. Nearly a year ago we agreed with a group o...

 March 7, 2022 In 2019, at the age of 70, I walked the French route of the Camino de Santiago. I walked alone, staying in hotels and having my bag carried. Although I walked alone, I was seldom short of company, making many friends along the way. I made plans to return in 2020 and walk the Northern Route, but had to postpone because of Covid. I booked again for 2021, with the same result. In the meantime, I met and married my wife Cathie and we decided to walk together. On reflection, I decided that the northern route had too large a proportion of paved surfaces and wasn't as geared up for pilgrims. Although the French route has more people walking it, that was part of the attraction for me - lots more people to meet. Cathie agreed, so we made some plans. In 2019 I'd made my bookings through a New Zealand company. In 2020 I contacted them again seeking a quote for hotels and bag carriage, but I also contacted other companies in Australia, Ireland, England and Spain. There was a...