The Camino de Santiago in Spain is a famous journey, a network of pilgrim walks to Santiago de Compostela, where according to tradition the remains of St James are buried. In recent decades the pilgrimage has become very popular, even among Protestants and those of little faith. It is often described as a spiritual experience.

Well, here in New Zealand, we have the St James Walkway, a 67 km tramping trip in the Lewis Pass area. It does not really lead to any destination, but rather passes through some inspiring mountain landscapes on a relatively easy track with huts at regular distances. The St James Walkway was established in 1981 and has become a classic tramping trip.

We (my children and I) recently walked the St James Walkway in 5 days, staying in four different huts. Even though my backpack was initially painfully heavy, it was a good tramping trip. We had brilliant weather: fine weather arrived one day before we did and wild winds hit the area the day after we left. We only had about two hours of drizzly rain on the last day, otherwise the sun shone.

The children walked very well. My youngest son sometimes required assistance when the track went across a stream or a particularly muddy patch. I did notice that he was able to overcome these obstacles more easily when he was up ahead with his sister and didn’t count on my availability. It seems that when he was forced to do things alone, he rose to the occasion.

One thing that I did learn was that the St James Walkway is not really the equivalent of the Camino de Santiago; in New Zealand that is Te Araroa, the walking track from Cape Reinga to Bluff. This generally is just east of the main mountain ranges. The St James Walkway shares part of the route with Te Araroa and we met several walkers doing all or part of this track. Te Araroa has by now gained international appeal for a being a clearly defined challenge that can be done by reasonably fit people. It probably requires more preparation than the Camino de Santiago and does not have the religious aspect to it. Still, I think that time in the mountains can also be an opportunity to experience the beauty of God’s creation, as well as experiencing our own smallness in such wide landscapes.