After enduring the stress of the last seven months, moving to New Zealand, trying to establish some semblance of life here, and being unemployed for almost six months, it has started to feel like my body makeup is solely cortisol. Some days, lifting my head in the morning is so hard that I close my eyes and try to drift back off again. Finding a hike or run has become daunting enough that I can't tackle it most weeks. Luckily, Trail Cutter lived here long enough that she knows a few spots to take us for a tramp in the woods. This weekend, she directed us to Te Aroha.

As with many of the tramping tracks in New Zealand, the hike to Te Aroha's summit starts on the edge of a city. Despite this, it quickly enters some dense woods, and the sight of houses and businesses rapidly fades away. The first section of switchbacks up to Whakapipi (pronounced Fa-ka-pee-pee) is well-cut switchbacks to an excellent town viewpoint.

After the lookout, the trail becomes much more challenging. The higher we went on Te Aroha, the steeper and more remote the climb to the top started to feel. Much of the second part of the track involves climbing over rocks, grabbing roots, and walking steep sections to reach the summit.

The summit itself provides a beautiful view out over the surrounding farmland and out to the coast of the Coromandel peninsula. While it does end at a massive cell tower, it was still well worth the two-hour drive and a trip to the private hot pools at the bottom of the hill. If you are looking for a quick spa trip after the hike, the #2 bath house private sessions is well worth the NZ$20 per person for a 30-minute session.

By the end of the day, I was feeling less like a bottle of cortisol and more like a human again. Recovery from this adventure of moving across the world will be slow, but at least there is always a walk in the woods to refresh the mind and body.