After reading Northbound, I was left in awe – not just from Naomi Arnold’s descriptions of wind-whipped ridgelines, muddy riverbeds and blistered feet, but by the quiet strength and honesty that hums through every page. It was a privilege to ask Naomi questions about the nine-month, 3,000-kilometre journey she undertook on foot, walking solo from Bluff to Cape Reinga along the Te Araroa trail.
I found it almost impossible to condense everything into a shorter article. What to leave in, what to take out? Every answer revealed a new layer. Honestly, you just need to read this book.
Naomi’s connection to walking began in her childhood. Growing up in Te Puke, her early adventures took place at Ōtanewainuku and Aongatete – two tracks that sparked a lifelong love of wild places. That early connection eventually evolved into a 20-year dream: to walk the length of New Zealand, alone.
What followed was more than a long-distance hike. It was a pilgrimage through discomfort, joy, grief, solitude, resilience, and transformation – a journey that would change her from the inside out.
A Dream Decades in the Making
Naomi’s first spark of inspiration came at age 23, when she picked up Geoff Chapple’s Te Araroa – One Man Walks His Dream. She recalls thinking: “I’m going to do that one day.”
Although the trail officially opened in 2011, the timing was never quite right. It wasn’t until 2024 – with support from her husband, Douglas – that she was finally able to commit. Ironically, the delay helped cement her determination. “I nearly managed it one year but got a big work contract that put it off,” she says. “That galvanised me for the following year.”
With her backpack packed and her heart steady, she began walking north from Bluff on Boxing Day.
Blisters, Rain and Grit
If readers imagine a leisurely nature walk, Naomi’s description quickly sets the record straight. “I really did not manage to perfect my foot care,” she admits. “Your feet were constantly wet, and I was walking through winter… Some days were spent trudging through rivers or beach sand where water played havoc with your skin.”
By the end, she was gasping in pain with every step. “I don’t mean to be overly dramatic, but it really was shit.”
She pushed through with sheer stubbornness and a cocktail of painkillers. “Nothing helped me push through except gritting my teeth and staggering on.”
Holding Fear and Fortitude
Every day on the trail meant negotiating risk. “You carry two universes within you: ‘I will be fine’ and ‘I could die today,’” she says.
Naomi experienced slips, falls, the fear of being followed, and even being caught in a lightning storm. “It was like stepping off the kerb and nearly getting hit by a bus every day. You feel it go past, you’re a little shaken, and then you keep walking.”
The Woman She Became
While the trail transformed her body – turning her from a tired beginner into someone capable of walking 62 kilometres in a day – it also reshaped her mind.
“I now have a real-life, hard-won lesson that simply committing to something you’re not very good at, and doing it day after day, will bring results you could never have believed possible.”
It also helped her discover a new sense of discipline. From parcelling her gear into labelled sections each night to applying the same methodical habits at home, Naomi learned how small systems can support big goals. “It was like being on a boat. You make yourself shipshape in a small space.”
Lonely but Never Alone
Though she walked solo, the trail taught her the deep importance of self-connection. “You need to be your own best friend and look after yourself as you would another person you care about,” she says.
There were moments of despair – 14-hour walking days, endless mud, relentless discomfort – but she never truly considered quitting. “The goal was embedded into me a long time ago.”
Her favourite unexpected companions? Cattle. “They’d always come up to the fence and gather around. Sometimes they’d get the zoomies. It was delightful.”
Trail Kindness and Kiwi Spirit
Along the way, Naomi witnessed the generous spirit of New Zealanders. “So many Kiwis will stop to help you if you’re looking a little lost on the side of the road,” she says. “We are a very friendly, giving and open people.”
She also came to see her country differently, learning first-hand how brutal and raw Te Araroa is. “Even seasoned international hikers told me it was the hardest trail they’d ever done. That was strangely comforting.”
Advice for Bold Dreamers
Naomi wants women in particular to stop doubting their ambitions.
“Read books by male solo adventurers and see how little they think about the ones left at home,” she says. “Apply that same mindset to yourself. Your dreams matter just as much.”
The Hard Return to Daily Life
Finishing the trail was not the hardest part – returning to ordinary life was.
“I felt disconnected… Putting on makeup felt completely stupid. It was impossible to convey the enormity of the journey.” Writing Northbound helped process the experience. “That was the good thing about the book – it gave me somewhere to put all of it.”
Strangely, it was her first bout of Covid and then a couple of months of debilitating brain fog and fatigue that helped reset her. “When I recovered, I seemed to have gone back to my pre-trail existence. My fitness disappeared, and I no longer felt like I was jumping out of my skin.”
Looking Forward, Lightly
Ten months on, Naomi is only just feeling the spark for tramping again. She’s now focusing on trail running and lighter gear, slowly building fitness for future adventures. “The best way to see and do more in the mountains is to have light gear and get very fit,” she says.
For now, she finds joy in everyday comforts – family, home, the garden, movies, and ice in her drink.
A Universe of Her Own Making
Naomi is still sifting through 1,000 voice memos from the trail – audio time capsules filled with silly thoughts, vivid moments, and the unfiltered joy of being out in the world. “It makes me remember how much happiness and excitement I felt,” she says. “Everything was vivid and interesting.”
And if she could return to one place?
“Whangārei Heads,” she says. “And you’ll have to read the book to find out why.”
The One Thing She Hopes You Remember
If there’s one message Naomi hopes readers take from Northbound, it’s this:
“You are capable of thoroughly surprising yourself with your resilience… if you just hang on. Resilience will develop.”
And perhaps that’s the trail’s deepest wisdom – not just to begin, but to keep going, even when it’s hard, even when you’re alone, even when the mud never dries.
Just walk. Don’t stop.
Naomi Arnold is an award-winning journalist and natural history writer. She has contributed to most national publications including RNZ, North & South, Wilderness, and New Zealand Geographic, as well as international outlets including The Washington Post and The Guardian. She started at the Nelson Mail in 2009 and was a feature writer there for five years before becoming a freelance writer and author. As well as Northbound, she has written Southern Nights, an acclaimed story of New Zealand astronomy, and co-authored the Ockham-longlisted Force of Nature, a history of Forest & Bird, with renowned conservation writer David Young. She lives in Nelson.
Northbound: Four Seasons of Solitude on Te Araroa is available from all good bookshops and online