Three more of our Te Araroa walkers have finished their journeys; Michelle Campbell, Jack Faulkner, and William Penwell have all reached Bluff.

Campbell and Faulkner ran into a dozen other hikers on their last day in late March and celebrated by walking together to Bluff. They’re now back home in Wellington.

“We’re both happy to be finished, but I do miss it,” Campbell said. “It’s a bit strange being back in a city with lots of people. But we got what we wanted out of the trail – mostly from the South Island.”

Penwell walked 70km on his last day, starting at 4am in Riverton, finishing at 11pm. “I was absolutely buggered,” Penwell said.

It hasn’t stopped Penwall planning more long-distance hikes. He now plans to walk the Pacific Crest Trail in the US.