Bruce Hopkins wants to take his dad and brother's ashes back home to Rakiura/Stewart Island. He’s just taking the long way to get there. The long, long way.
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The Fellowship of the Trail - Mac and Pippa from Colorado pose with Lincoln from Australia and Bruce Hopkins. Photo: Bruce Hopkins
Bruce spends one more day in sunny Wellington before flying home. He has a wee medical issue that needs sorting out.
Bruce Hopkins Trail Diary - Week 20
17 February - 25 February 2018.
Ship Cove
"Talofa! I'm hanging out to get back on Te Araroa - New Zealand's Trail but it seems the gods of all things Te Araroa keep placing extra challenges in my path!
It's been a tough few weeks but Bruce can still smile. Photo: Bruce Hopkins
"After making it to Wellington I had to get back home to Auckland for a medical procedure to remove a small cancer from my bladder.
"I had been experiencing haematuria (blood in the urine) following multiple long, hard and sweaty days on Te Araroa - New Zealand's Trail. Scans showed a mass in my bladder but a neat bit of laparascopic surgery removed it all and the prognosis is looking good.
"As the song says, you've got accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and don't mess with Mr. Inbetween!
"All going according to plan, I should be back on the trail in 10 days. As if walking Te Araroa wasn't challenging enough!"
