Te Araroa Trail

With summer approaching again, many people are looking for an inspiring holiday book. One of the members of the Eva Cassidy fan club alerted us to Not Alone by Tim Voors. The author spent five months on foot in New Zealand. His trek took him from the North Island to the South Island along Te Araroa Trail. At first he walked alone but soon he met Sunny and Unicorn, two women who became his travelling companions and trail family. Together they braved storms and wild rivers and bivouacked in the wilderness. The weather was unpredictable, nature was rugged but breathtakingly beautiful. Tim describes the hardships of being away from home and the benefits of hiking with strangers. It is a captivating story about freedom, friendship and connection.

Sheep in New Zealand

At the end of the book, it becomes clear why exactly we should read it: after many long walks, Tim reflects on God: ‘I keep searching. The longing remains, but if I had to take a shot, I think God can be found in the energy between people and nature. God is movement, seasons, the wind and nature around us. God is good and evil, unscrupulous, merciless and without judgement. To judge is a human characteristic.’

Awesome nature

A few days later, Tim is walking alone through the forest: ‘As I intuitively turn into a T-junction and follow a beautifully maintained path uphill with the music of Eva Cassidy on my headphones, I walk deeper into the forest at a punishing pace. It seems like the forest is starting to close in around me. The ferns thicken and the path narrows with long bramble branches and cobwebs stretched across it. Am I walking in the right direction?’

The author

Along the way, Tim is inspired by the beautiful singing voice of Eva Cassidy. In a blog post on his website randomtrailtales.com, he thanks a certain Thekla who alerted him to the music of the American singer and guitarist who loved nature as much as Tim does. Let’s hope Tim gets to walk many more miles. With the voice of Eva Cassidy in his ears, we are sure he will!

Tim created the illustrations as well

More info: timvoors.nl