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Te Harinui

For most of Lent next year I'm going to go for a bit of a road trip, and you might like to come on some of it with me. Or all of it, if you like. Beginning on Thursday March 13, I'm going to start at one end of our diocese, on Stewart Island and travel by foot (mostly), boat, train and bicycle to Kurow and the Waitaki River at the other end,  arriving on Saturday April 13.

I'm doing this because 2014 will mark the bicentenary of Samuel Marsden's landing in the Bay of Islands and the first proclamation, by Marsden and Ruatara, of the Gospel in Aotearoa. The Church throughout New Zealand is planning various events to mark this anniversary, and this will be one of ours. In keeping with Ruatara's and Marsden's original Christmas day message of "Good News of Great Joy" this Hikoi through the length of Otago and Southland will be a proclamation event. At each daily stopping point I anticipate holding some small, local event at which the Good News of Jesus is shared. Once a week, at various strategic points along the way I intend to host larger, regional gatherings where we will join together as witnesses to the Gospel. Throughout the journey, I will be carrying a wooden staff cut from Stewart Island; a symbol of the Joyful news and of our journey together in proclaiming it.
I have driven the proposed route, and it will cover more than 700 km. Of that distance, I intend to walk about 550km. The rest will be covered by train (the Kingston Flyer and the Taieri Gorge Railway) bicycle (The Otago Central Rail Trail) and boat (The ferry from Stewart Island and the leg from Kingston to Queenstown). The various modes of transport, each a quite distinctive feature of our region,  will enable people who don't fancy their chances of walking to participate. I have already heard from one or two people who intend to walk the whole thing with me, and I am hoping that a few more might have the time and energy to do that; but only a few. Much of the route will follow long straight country roads but some will be over small, narrow, winding, highways where a large group of walkers might be a hazard to traffic. I am hoping that groups might come and walk with me through their parish or from the outskirts of town into the centre.

A tentative schedule of the Hikoi is as follows:

Destination
Km
Comments
1
Thur 13 March
Stewart Island
0

2
Fri 14
Stewart Island to Bluff
0
Ferry Stewart  Is to Bluff
3
Sat 15
Bluff to Invercargill
28.2

4
Sun 16
Regional Event Invercargill
5
Mon 17
Invercargill to Winton
31.0

6
Tues 18
Winton to Dipton
28.4

7
Wed 19
Dipton to Lumsden
20.8

8
Thurs 20
Lumsden to Athol
31.3

9
Fri 21
Athol to Garston
11.4

10
Sat 22
Garston to Kingston then boat to Queenstown
17.6
Utilising the Kingston Flyer for part of the way
11
Sun 23
Regional event Queenstown
12
Mon 24
Queenstown to Arrowtown
21.1

13
Tues 25
Arrowtown to Kawerau Bridge
22.0
Transport from bridge needed
14
Wed 26
Kawerau Bridge to Cromwell
26.3

15
Thurs 27
Cromwell to Clyde
23.7

16
Fri 28
Rail trail


17
Sat 29
Rail trail


18
Sun 30
Rail trail to Middlemarch then Dunedin by Taieri Gorge Railway
19
Mon 31
Outram to Dunedin
25

20
Tues 1 April
Days off
21
Wed 2
22
Thurs 3
23
Fri 4
Dunedin to Waitati
22

24
Sat 5
Waitati to Karitane
16.5

25
Sun 6
Regional Event, Waikoauaiti
26
Mon 7
Karitane to Palmerston
21.5

27
Tues 8
Palmerston to Hampden
24

28
Wed 9
Hampden to Maheno
20.5

29
Thurs 10
Maheno to Tokaraki
24

30
Fri 11
Tokaraki to Duntroon
23.5

31
Sat 12
Duntroon to Kurow
22.5

32
Sun 13
Palm Sunday event, Cathedral
 

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Comments

Michael Earle ChCh said…
Well done Kelvin, sounds like the ever youthful pilgrim walking another local camino that you are well prepared for, blessings as you pray with your feet again
5 August 2013 at 16:25
Elaine Dent said…
Wow! What an adventure with the Holy Spirit! Can't wait to hear more.
5 August 2013 at 22:37
Randall said…
This is great!
21 August 2013 at 13:49
kiwinutter said…
We passed you twice yesterday as we went on a school trip to Invercargill.
Really sorry I can't join you but my own schedule is busy.
Kia Kaha
Jeanna Rodgers
19 March 2014 at 11:17
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