It starts with a bold, audacious idea. Let’s walk the length of New Zealand. In 2014-15, Patrice and Justin hiked Te Araroa, roughly 2,000 miles from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. Told with suspense, style and humor, this travel memoir captures the essence of trail life, New Zealand’s unique culture and the tradeoffs to an off-the-beaten path trajectory.
Testimonials & Reviews
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Jennifer Pharr Davis
National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Speaker and Author
“Patrice’s witty and gritty storytelling helps transcend this book beyond the trail memoir genre. It can be hard to capture the human emotions of a long-distance trek, but you don’t need an avalanche or bear attack to make it a compelling story. Patrice draws in readers through her candid honesty about trail life and marriage. And as a long-distance hiker with 14,000 miles under my hip belt, I appreciate that this book has several angles, with the most important being an accurate and alluring account of trekking across New Zealand.
Dennis Lewon
Former Editor-in-Chief at Backpacker
“No sugarcoating. No glorifying blisters. Patrice shares exactly what it’s like to hike a new long trail through some of the world’s most challenging—and beautiful—terrain.“
Kristin Hostetter
Editor-in-Chief of SNEWS and The Voice, and former Gear Editor at Backpacker
“Between Each Step is the type of book every adventurer wants to read when they have a big expedition ahead of them. Equal parts trail beta, local color, and natural history laced with personality and passion for life as a professional vagabond, Patrice has brought New Zealand’s epic Te Araroa to life. One thing’s for sure, this trail is now on my bucket list.“
Heather Balogh Rochfort
Writer and Author
“Patrice’s vivid stories took me back to my travels through New Zealand with my husband. Her detailed account of her Te Araroa journey with Justin reminds me of how beautifully imperfect relationships can be–and how transformative Mother Nature is for everyone.”
Michelle Theall
Senior Editor, Alaska magazine
“Our need to escape and get lost has grown over the years, and often we romanticize a life on the road or in the backcountry or traveling the world with no agenda. Patrice takes readers on just such an adventure, hiking through New Zealand with her husband, and gets down to the gritty logistics, relationship tests, and the unending beauty and resilience of human nature and wilderness areas that remain unlike any other on the planet. This book begs to be read and devoured like mac n cheese over a hot fire after hiking twelve miles uphill.“
About Author
Patrice La Vigne
Patrice La Vigne is a freelance writer whose work has been featured in Backpacker, Outside, Alaska Magazine, Adventure.com, REI Co-Op Journal, GearJunkie and Outside Business Journal. Although she and her husband, Justin, are self-proclaimed nomads who spend most of their time working on the road, their home base is a dry cabin outside of Denali National Park in Alaska. Patrice has hiked more than 6,000 miles, including the Appalachian Trail, and is close to her goal of visiting all the National Parks and climbing the state high points.