Sarah White says she likes chasing a goal, so, not content with the Walk1200km challenge, she upped the target to 1560km.

Wellington librarian Sarah White says she likes “ticking boxes and having a goal”. Last year she visited 55 backcountry huts to mark her 55th year, so when she heard about Walk1200km she latched onto the new challenge. 

“I respond well to checking things off and having a goal in mind,” Sarah says. 

To mark her 56th year, she plans to walk 1560km – 30km a week – and has been exploring her backyard in Eastbourne.

“I’ve always done a lot of walking, but it’s definitely an incentive to do more weekend trips. It’s a great incentive to get more active and get fitter.”

She’s been building up the kilometres by hopping off the bus early on her commute to Wellington each day and by walking the hills behind Eastbourne. One of her favourite local trips is a 16km loop from Eastbourne, up Mt Lowry (373m) to Wainuiomata and back. 

“It’s a three-and-a-half-hour walk and has about 600m of vertical gain. We’ve got great walking here and you can go around the coast as well.”

She’s already ahead of the challenge, ticking off 338.5km in less than two months and plans to add to her tally with some  longer tramps over summer. She’s planning to do the challenging Five Passes in Mt Aspiring National Park and a tramp up the Styx River on the West Coast. 

Have you signed up to do the Walk1200km challenge? Register here.