Diary - km 590.5

Happy New Year!

At the end of each year I write this “to do” list for the next year, where I put completely random, bizarre things, whatever pops to my mind. They’re not resolutions nor actual “to do”, I never get upset if I haven’t done them (because “climb a building crane” has been there for like 5 years in a row and I still haven’t been on a crane), but it makes me happy to tick off some of them at the end of the year.

One of 2023 items was “see something glowing”. Te Araroa has got glowworm caves on the way, but once I started looking at the itinerary, it was clear that I will not make it there in 2023. Mid-January at best. Oh well, I thought, I guess I won’t see something glowing this year, but beginning of next year is close enough.

And so today I had to cross a river mouth, which can only be crossed at low tide and even then, the water level could reach your chest. Luckily, it was only thigh-high this time. It also happened to be 04:41 AM, so it was an early start.

It’s 3:40. We wake up with the stars and start hiking. We see some hedgehogs, some grumpy birds bark at us (totally understandable, it’s 4am), we get to the river, cross the deep part and walk the shallow, muddy part when my hiking buddy steps on something and gasps. I look down at his feet, he stomps the foot again and it shines! “Bioluminescent algae!” I yell, and start jumping like a kid, making algae glow with every jump.

And then I remembered my to do list. Today is the last day of 2023 and I did see something glowing.

Most of the amazing things happen when you stop expecting them.

Thanks, Universe.

Happy New Year, you guys!

May it all happen for you, even if last minute

Glowing algae!