Lockdown halts Claire’s fundraising hike through New Zealand

The outbreak of Covid-19 forced Claire Brear, a freelance web designer and blogger from Port Shepstone, to postpone the last leg of her hike from the north to the south of New Zealand.Claire (43) has about 350 kilometres of the 3000 kilometre Te Araroa trail to go, and plans to continue as soon as she is out of lockdown.

The former Port Shepstone High pupil set off in November last year, and had planned to complete the trail in March. Although New Zealand recently moved from level four lockdown to level three, Claire still has to wait until the lockdown is over before being allowed to travel back to the South Island, which she says she is hoping happens before winter really sets in. The hike is raising funds for Cornerstone Learning Centre in Port Shepstone, a school for pupils with an autism spectrum disorder, or special needs with developmental delays.

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Claire first learned about the centre when she worked on its website and, as she was planning her walk across New Zealand, she kept thinking about the school and how amazing it would be able to help even in some small way. She met with principal Sheryl Mulder and they discussed putting together a bursary fund, as Sheryl explained that many of the pupils came from low income households where parents were unable to afford the fees. “If we could help through a funding program, it would be a big win.

During the short time I worked with Sheryl on the school website, I visited a few times and the staff and pupils crept into my heart. The staff are fantastic, and I feel that the work they are doing deserves as much support from the community as possible.”

Claire described the trail as ‘incredible’, adding she felt very privileged to have been able to take time off from ‘normal life’ to dedicate to exploring such a beautiful country. She settled on New Zealand as her destination of choice as there she would be able to hike the entire length of the country and at the same time enjoy the unbelievably diverse landscape – mountains, forests, coastlines, farmland, towns, and cities.Claire added that safety was also a consideration. “There are not many predatory animals or poisonous creatures on the prowl, making it relatively safe to hike alone so that was also a deciding factor.”

She is upbeat about her experience so far.”It has been challenging – physically quite demanding, beautiful, extreme in so many senses, and surprisingly social. There were loads of people from all over the world on the trail this year and I’ve made heaps of new friends,” she said.

During lockdown, Claire has been reading, cooking, baking, running, “eating far too much” and doing a bit of freelance work. But she says she has missed the trail terribly. “Lockdown at first was a welcome change from the rigours of hiking. I got to sleep in a real bed, have hot showers, and eat as much as I liked. But I’m really struggling now. I’m missing the outdoors, and missing the freedom that it brings. I was very upset to have had to leave the trail with so little mileage left.”

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