Tour New
zealand
on Foot
From Australia, Mickey & Michelle set out in October 2019 - March 2020 to hike the length of New Zealand, all 3000km on Te Araroa trail, and performed 20 concerts along the way!
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From Australia, Mickey & Michelle set out in October 2019 - March 2020 to hike the length of New Zealand, all 3000km on Te Araroa trail, and performed 20 concerts along the way!
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FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURE ON FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM!
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About usHi my name is Michelle, I’m a freelance harpist from Melbourne, Australia. My partner Mickey is a jazz fiddler and singer originally from Sydney.
We are currently thru-hiking the length of New Zealand, 3000km on Te Araroa Trail and performing a series of concerts along the way. I’ve been hiking since I was 23, (now 29) and long distance hiking has become a big passion of mine since I completed the Australia Alps Walking Track in 2017. Although I have never attempted one as long as Te Araroa! |
The ProjectHow the idea came about...
I decided about a year ago that I wanted to do an even longer distance hike that the Australian Alps Walking Track (650km). Te Araroa ticked that box (3000km!), it's a quick flight from my home Melbourne and New Zealand is absolutely stunning. Mickey was keen, but the time away from playing music was a concern. And then it came to us, why not do a musical tour along the way? At first this seemed impossible, but with research and many discussions, we’ve come to realise that we can make this happen. Music & hiking
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We are raising awareness and money for osteoporosis while on Te Araroa. My connection to this disease is personal. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis (OP) at 24. When my scan came back indicating that my bones were frail I felt lost. I had no way of gauging how fragile I was, how this would affect my life or how I could move about without the constant fear that one badly placed step could lead to a serious fracture. As you can imagine this was quite a shock and has had a huge impact on my life. Now at 29, I’ve learnt a lot more about bones and my body. Through research, doctors and personal trial and error I’ve made my body stronger and increased my bone density through diet and exercise (at this young age I’ve been advised that this is the best course of action - I may need to consider medication when I’m older). I have gone from osteoporosis to what is technically termed ‘osteopenia’ - put simply, my bones are a little denser and stronger! My future and bone health is brighter than 5 years ago and I now believe I’m strong enough to walk 3000km with a pack, or at least give it a good go :)
My hope is to give this ‘silent’ disease a voice. When I was first diagnosed I knew basically nothing about OP and associated it with old people… a perspective so far in the future that it could not possible apply to me. Bone loss is a natural part of aging, but there are lifestyle choices that can help reduce the likelihood of developing OP.
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Get involved?The first hurdle is that our instruments are too heavy to carry – harp, 20kg in its flight case and violin, 3kg in hard case (I know I know, everyone told me to play a smaller instrument!). We're asking people to help transport our instruments from gig to gig, ideally without us. Do you think you can help out? If you're interested in being involved, whether that be driving our instruments somewhere, holding a concert or a place to stay, please contact us! Mickey & Michelle x |