Ever wondered what life on the trail is like for a seven-year-old? Emilie and Victoria Bruce have captured Emilie’s Te Araroa journey in a heartfelt book that will inspire kids to get into the outdoors.

Congratulations on your book, Emilie. What’s it about?

It’s a true story about a young explorer who traverses the length of New Zealand with her mum. It’s fun and colourful, with lots of photos and my drawings. I hope other kids read this book and feel like they can do big things too, especially outside in nature.

What were your favourite things to do on the trail?

There were definitely a lot more things to do than just walk. One of my favourite things was meeting people at the huts. I also liked swimming in pools and rivers. And I liked talking to the birds and making fairy gardens, and just being with myself and my mum, and drawing and writing stories.

How hard was it to walk Te Araroa? 

I was seven, so it was quite hard. I had really little legs, so for me it would feel like an extra long way to walk. Lots of sections are hard, especially the Richmond Ranges with all the peaks and scree slopes. Ninety Mile Beach is also really hard because the sand is like   walking on wet cement.

One day on Ninety Mile Beach you walked 30km to Ahipara. What motivated you to keep going?

I really like ice cream, and I knew that where there was a town there ought to be ice cream. I was tired of walking on the beach. And I was probably tired of my massive rope-like hair, and I wanted an actual bed and a shower. So I was, like, let’s just keep going. 

Did you think you would make it to Bluff when you started? 

Yes. Once we got off Ninety Mile Beach  I thought, yeah, we can do this. 

What’s one of your best memories of Te Araroa, and what’s one of your worst? 

One of the best is the Whanganui River Journey. It was really fun because you are put together with a group of people, so you’ve got your river tribe. One of the hardest was probably the Richmond Ranges. What made it extra hard was getting stung in the face by wasps and rolling 10m down into a gorge. 

How do you keep going after challenges like that?

Well, you can stop, but you are not going to get any further. You’ve got to pick yourself up and keep on going and test your limits – unless you’ve really had enough, then you can push the PLB. Which we didn’t have to do.

What would you recommend kids do to prepare for the TA?

Do some walking. Start with a short walk then a longer one. Don’t make it too easy. Make it rugged and steep and uphill and downhill with a little bit of mud, so it’s challenging. And learn lots about nature before you go so you can identify birds and plants along the way.

You’re now the top youth on Hut Bagger, with more than 400 huts. Did you set out to do that?

We’d bagged about 50 before the TA, and after it I just wanted to keep going. Last year I wanted to get to 300 before my tenth birthday, and then this year, 400 before I turned 11. It’s a lot of huts, so we just got busy. When I got to number five in the under-30s category on Hut Bagger, we emailed them and asked if they could create a youth category. And they did. 

What’s next for you? 

I would like to get to 500 huts before I turn 12. I’m also getting into kayaking, rock climbing and mountaineering.

Emilie Walks Te Araroa is available on the Wilderness website. Subscribers receive a 10% discount.