By joining her daughters and sharing her walking progress, this Walk1200km participant is realising she is capable of completing the challenge.

Naomi Anderson lives in Blenheim amid some of Aotearoa’s most desirable walking country, so you would think she would have no trouble motivating herself to get out walking. But she does. 

Naomi says she finds it all too easy to make excuses not to walk, particularly when she’s tired or if it’s cold, raining or dark. 

A self-confessed challenge junkie, she has always needed a goal for motivation and, until last year, thought that one-off events would suffice. For instance, she jumped at the chance to join friends on Marlborough’s Mt Everest Challenge, and worked hard to achieve the 8800m elevation gain over the seven weeks – the time it took Hillary to climb the world’s highest peak. It was fun and upped her fitness, but she found it difficult to sustain even a fraction of that level of activity once the challenge was over. 

Naomi began searching for an ongoing challenge. As a long-time reader of Wilderness she was aware of Walk1200km but initially discounted it, thinking “no way can I do that”. Then she thought again. 

“I realised it averaged out to 3.3km a day over the year, which sounded doable,” she says. 

She asked her two adult daughters in Blenheim and Wellington and her sister in the UK if they would join her. It was something they would all benefit from, and it would bring them together and push her to walk regularly, whatever the weather. She got their immediate buy-in. 

“We’ve become quite competitive,” says Naomi. One of her daughters, already a keen walker, is “absolutely smashing it”. Just as exciting is how the other, who has often struggled to exercise, reports feeling “more alive and energised” since walking four or five times a week.

So great are the wins for Naomi, she’s been spreading the Walk1200km message among friends, colleagues and students at the school where she teaches – and even with complete strangers. 

“I’m an over-sharer,” admits Naomi, “and can’t resist telling everyone I meet about the benefits of Walk1200km. I’m fitter, almost pain-free, and enjoy seeing how my enthusiasm for the challenge is rubbing off on others.”   

The challenge has caused a shift in how she socialises, too. Instead of meeting a friend for coffee, she now suggests a walk, and has noticed that conversation tends to flow more easily when you’re walking side by side. 

Naomi’s progress on the challenge has caused quite a stir in the classroom. “I share photos with my students and invite them to do the same. It’s great seeing them out walking with their families. Recently, on the way to Bushline Hut with my husband Mark, we passed one of my students with his family. They were amazed to see us and said they’d just been talking about how I was on the challenge.”

Naomi says she’s fitter since joining Walk1200km. “Mark and I have always done demanding multi-day tramps, but I would suffer for the first few days. I’m now better prepared when we venture into the wild.” 

Mark is an entomologist and his passion for invertebrates often determines where they walk. Their trips might involve bush-bashing or searching for critters after dark.

“Walk1200km is helping me become more comfortable with walking at night. I’m already banking kilometres to cover the grim winter months, although I know I’ll have to walk in the dark after school to meet my goals.” 

Physically, she finds Walk1200km has had a big impact. “Regular walking has eased post-menopausal symptoms I can get on waking, such as an achy back and hips.” 

Naomi says Walk1200km can become addictive – in a good way. Seeing how the challenge has benefitted her and her family members, who range in age from their twenties to fifties, she encourages anyone to take it on. 

“It enables you to challenge yourself. You don’t feel you’re being extravagant as the time commitment isn’t huge and the distance is attainable for most people.”

Our latest walking events

There have been two Walk1200km walking events. The Tauranga walk event was at Waikareao Estuary Walkway in late February. Walk1200km participants living in the area brought their families and enjoyed a sunny almost 9km walk around the tidal wetland.

More recently, on March 15 participants met at Taylors Mistake in Christchurch to walk the Godley Head Loop Track, a gorgeous 9km trail overlooking Lyttelton Harbour.

Thanks to Back Country Cuisine, Further Faster, Yum and Gearshop for providing a gift to those who came.