In summer 2022, artist Jacob Paterson walked the South Island leg of Te Araroa, tramping 1400km in 60 days. He created a drawing each day and has recently been revising them. He shared a sneak preview with Wilderness. 

“I had a lot of spare time,” Paterson said. “I walked for maybe four to ten hours a day. At the hut, I cooked  dinner and then drew what I saw or what I remembered from the day.” The practice became a daily habit. 

“Some of them are really good, some are rubbish,” Paterson said. It was not about being perfect but about the simple craft of putting pencil to paper and sitting in the moment.

“I grew up tramping in the South Island with my dad and had such a cool time exploring all the different national parks. But there’s something special about being able to see your island the whole way through, getting that  picture so you can imagine it clearly from top to bottom.”