Jason P. Harris

44 Days. 1, 770 Kilometers. One Way Out. The adventure didn't begin with a plan, but with a piece of long-held advice from Stacey and a special map handed over by a kiwi friend named Ellis. Already two months into New Zealand and having finally closed the door on a past life, he stepped onto the road with nothing but a thumb in the air. From the dark echoes of Cave Stream to the punishing peaks of Arthur's Pass, the trail is an immediate test of grit.
But the wilderness isn't the only thing that bites. As the path reaches the West Coast shores of Hokitika and Lake Mahinapua, the reality of life without a safety net settles in. In this first leg of the 44-day trek, the most dangerous moment doesn't happen on a mountain-it happens on the edge of Highway 6, where a split second determines if the story continues or ends in the gravel.