It can take a while to find the right path

We had been hiking all day, the final few hours were a boulder hopping mission up a steep valley with only a topography map to guide us. Technology was out of the question, there was no reception for many miles.

We ended up missing the path that we had planned to take, one that would have taken us across the scree and up to the peak that, to this day, eludes us. Had we done that though, we would not have ended up here for the night, in one of the most beautiful camping spots with only kea, Aotearoa’s mountain parrots, for company. This was, after all, the right path.

Much like this expedition into the hills, the act of writing and storytelling can start in one place with what seems to be a clear cut direction. It’s only as things get underway that you realise that the end point is in sight and everything’s on track, albeit on a very different path from the one from which you set out. Let me be your guide….