“So, why are you walking this trail?” It wasn’t even a week into my Te Araroa journey when I was first confronted with this question. I had just met Peter, a carver living in rural Takahue, not far from Kaitaia in Northland, who had offered me to stay at his place for the night. People like Peter are called trail angels in the through-hiking community as they offer their help to hikers, which often includes food, accommodation or pickup and drop-off services. He had probably met countless walkers over the years, and I guess he had heard similar answers before.…