The Toughest Thing I've Ever Done

The toughest thing I’ve ever done

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After 22 days and 370 kilometres, today was an easy walk out to Tuolumne Meadows and the northern end of the John Muir Trail. We made it!

We climbed 45,000 feet and descended 47,000 feet since our start at the top of Mt Whitney. With seven high alpine passes the John Muir Trail is not a walk for sissies (as one of our guides said today).

This has been the most challenging thing I have done but so glad I did it – spectacular scenery, great wildlife (but we never saw a bear) and a great group. We’re off to party in Mammoth now!

Here are just a few of my recent photos:

Day 21: Thousand Island Lake and Mt Banner on the John Muir Trail

Day 21: Viv and I made it to the top of the last pass – we are shadows of our former selves!

Day 20: Sunset over our tent on the John Muir Trail

  Relaxed Day - Gabrielle"s wealth of knowledge of the flora and fauna of the island was amazing. Even though the weather meant plans had to change it was a most enjoyable day hiking... read more

margaretg511
14 March 2023

  Beautiful Day on Waiheke - I had the best day touring Waiheke Island with Maria of Terra & Tide. We discussed my interests when we met and she tailored the day to fit... read more

Maps240818
6 March 2024

  Perfect boat trip - We had the best tour. We started sailing and went to a beautiful island and hiked around and then had lunch and sailed back. It was just wonderful and we... read more loved it

jandrews
15 April 2024
  Nikki was fantastic- her knowledge of the island & her delightful personality made the day very enjoyable. We were blessed with stunning weather & Nikki showed off the best of... read more Waiheke, a very special place

B195
15 March 2024

  An Absolute Must - Our time on Waiheke Island was amazing. Nicky, our tour guide, took us around the galleries on the main road of the island and if felt like walking through a... read more

Road53601199255
27 March 2024

  Sailing Waiheke with Blue Penguins - My husband and I had such a lovely time touring the islands around Waiheke for our honeymoon! Bruce and Gabrielle were such lovely hosts and we had an amazing time... read more

Anston25
11 March 2023
  Perfect day away from the Hustle and Bustle - We really enjoyed the stunning views and bays of Waiheke isl. Tyler guided us during the walk and shared her great knowledge about the beautiful nature. Towards the end of... read more

Enjoylifetooshort
6 March 2023

  Loved our tour with Gabrielle - We really appreciated the knowlege of Gabrielle about the island, its history and the flora and fauna of the area. We learned so much about the positve steps NZ is... read more

Karen B
28 March 2023

  Nature and wine - We, a couple, had a nice walk with Cindy. She explained a lot of interesting facts about the plants, birds and the Māori culture. After the walk we got a... read more

sjoukjeR
6 March 2024
  A fun way to meet some nice people and enjoy the lovely island.
So much beautiful and creative art to see!
A great way to tour around some different areas... read more

Jo S
21 April 2024

  Fantastic day out on a catamaran - We took a catamaran out with Bruce to Tiritiri Matangi Island. Not only was the island itself an incredible experience but Bruce was an outstanding and informative host. He let... read more

Travel10852737093
26 March 2024

  Nydia was a lovely tour guide. The scenery was amazing. We had a tight schedule due to a flight and they modified the tour time to accommodate us. Great people... read more to work with. Lunch was nice

Abbey B
4 March 2023
  Amazing, informative, and breathtaking! - This was our first stop on our honeymoon in New Zealand and our guide was Maria. I had done a lot of research on New Zealand and was really wanting... read more

Inspire61871302980
12 March 2024

  Incredible day on the catamaran with Bruce - My wife and I had the BEST day out on the water with Bruce this February. We booked rather last minute, but Bruce and Gabrielle were incredibly accommodating and provided... read more

OnAir40077127244
17 April 2024

  Hiking to Wine! 🍷 - Wonderful adventure to explore the island. Spectacular scenery. Wineries were amazing. Thank you, Dell, for your knowledge, hospitality, and kindness! Highly recommend this experience.

Kyoungfnp
20 February 2024
  Great day on Waiheke Island with Lucie - had an excellent day hiking around the headlands with Lucie!!!! Had a nice orientation before we headed out and spent the morning hiking around the beautiful headlands of the... read more

O9524BGjohnp
11 March 2024

  The perfect way to explore the Hauraki Gulf - We had a fabulous day out on board Pacific Star with skipper Bruce and walking guide Lucie. Can’t think of a better way to explore and learn about the history... read more

AniHaf
6 March 2023

  Highly enjoyable introduction to cultural and natural highlights of the island. - Justine was super friendly and accomodating, and knowledgable about Maori culture and history as well as nature. She drove us to some interesting locations on the island, and after an... read more

EvdWRotterdam
27 February 2024
  A Day on Waiheke Island - We had a wonderful day on Waiheke Island. Our guide, Nydia, was terrific. She was friendly, she told us all about the flora and fauna as well as... read more

bergelsonjeff
14 March 2023

  Great time. - The hiking tour we took of Waiheke Island was one of our highlights to the Auckland NZ area. Tyler, our guide was knowledgeable, energetic and FUN! I highly recommend... read more

Curious271653
29 March 2023

  Sailing - Fab journey, Bruce and Gabrielle great hosts
Anchored up and swam, not much wind but all good, great food :)

Bazzacam
27 February 2023
  A rewarding hike. - We really appreciated the knowlege of Gabrielle about the island, its history and the flora and fauna of the area. We learned so much about the positve steps NZ... read more

BCistg
25 February 2023

  Fabulous private tour with vineyard lunch - Our day with Nicky was wonderful! We were excited to find out it was a private tour! Nicky drove us all around the island and showed us so much in... read more

marioshay
1 March 2024

  Really knowledgable local guide and beautiful walk. Local history, geography, flora, fauna and current regeneration projects. Well worth it.

EmmiTYR
1 April 2023
  WAIHEKE FUN DAY - It was a great day of a hike, pi cnic on the beach and because we requested it , wine tasting..Justine was knowledgeable, pleasant, accomodating and just a fun day.

GerriMolin
15 March 2024

  Wonderful experience on Waiheke Island! - Although the weather was dull with light rain at the beginning of our hike, our wonderful guide Tyler engaged our attention right away with her knowledge of the flora and... read more

John M
26 February 2023

  Seeing art works on Waiheke Island - It was an extraordinary tour. Gabrielle made me feel like she was showing me her own island and the artworks and artists on it. I have traveled to many... read more

thestlfox
19 February 2024
  Optimal tour for a meaningful overview of Waiheke Island and NZ in general - The Waiheke Island History and Heritage Tour was a fabulous way to start our vacation. Gabrielle and team are extremely knowledgable about all aspects of NZ and Waiheke Island... read more

TBAR_ATL
16 April 2024

  Great walk - We took the vineyards and bush walk around Waiheke. I don't really like bus tours and this was a nice option. A little longer walk than advertised but... read more

swelgus
6 March 2023

  This was such a great tour and hike of the island!!! It was such a beautiful day and our guides were awesome!! They were super friendly and knowledgeable and made... read more

Stay20157446255
3 March 2024

The toughest thing I’ve ever done

Day 12 on the John Muir Trail

Silence is good for your brain