Day 85 (Fri 12 Feb): Colac Bay to Longwood Forest Started 7.10am, finished 6.10pm, 29k. Pain in the head status: I woke with a migraine around 4.30am which caused me some puzzlement. What had triggered this one? Had I eaten too much dairy- not that this usually is an issue but I had had twoContinue reading “Colac Bay to Merrivale”
Tag Archives: Migraines
Bluff to Riverton
Day 81 (Mon 8 Feb): Bluff to Invercargill Started walking 8.50am, finished 5pm, 37k. Pain in the head status: Perhaps appropriately, I’m starting the South Island trail with an entrenched migraine. This has been on and off for a few days and is now firmly fixated on the right side of my skull, gnawing atContinue reading “Bluff to Riverton”
Half-way through Te Araroa with a brain condition: an appeal
I’ve made it through the North Island! If you have enjoyed reading about my adventures and tribulations so far, please consider donating to the Neurological Foundation at this link: https://discover.neurological.org.nz/fundraisers/fionaimlach/tramping-te-araroa-with-migraine. The Neurological Foundation does lots of research and education about neurological conditions, and although they don’t have a dedicated resource for migraine research, the moreContinue reading “Half-way through Te Araroa with a brain condition: an appeal”
Waitewaewae to Waikanae
Day 75 (Sat 23 Jan): Waitewaewae hut to Parawai hut Started 8.35am, finished 2.45pm, 10k. Pain in the head status: All good; am thanking the restorative power of sleep, the most incredible recovery tool ever invented. Word of the day: Compos mentis, of sound mind, sane. The reports on the track ahead were variable butContinue reading “Waitewaewae to Waikanae”
Te Matawai hut to Waitewaewae
Day 73 (Thurs 21 Jan): Te Matawai hut to Dracophyllum hut Started 8.50am, finished 1.10pm, 8k. Pain in the head status: Again, woke around 4am with a migraine radiating from my neck. Again, it eased off quite quickly with medication and I was perfectly fine the rest of the day. I can only hope thisContinue reading “Te Matawai hut to Waitewaewae”
Tokomaru Dam to Te Matawai hut (Tararua Forest Park)
Day 71: Tokomaru Dam to Mangahao Flats hut (Tararua Forest Park) Started 8.05am, finished 2.15pm, 9.5k. Pain in the head status: Woke up with a migraine, which I tried to pretend wasn’t a migraine but eventually had to concede that it was a nasty one that needed treatment. Almost worse than the pain was theContinue reading “Tokomaru Dam to Te Matawai hut (Tararua Forest Park)”
Palmerston North to Tokomaru Dam
Day 69 (Sun 17 Jan): Palmerston North to Burtton’s track in Gordon Kear forest (Whare o Moturimu) Started 7.35am, finished 1.15pm, 21k plus 6k by car. Pain in the head status: No pain in the head, a good start to this final section of the North Island. Word of the day: Risible, laughable, amusing. TodayContinue reading “Palmerston North to Tokomaru Dam”
Fielding to Palmerston North
Day 66 (Thurs 14 Jan): Fielding to Palmerston North Started 8.55am, finished 1.50pm, 17k. Pain in the head status: Persisting mild pain but still ignorable. Word of the day: Ontological, related to the branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature of being. The path out of Fielding took us alongside the railway line and awayContinue reading “Fielding to Palmerston North”
Whakahoro to Pipiriki
Day 58 (Wed 6 Jan): Whakahoro to Johnson’s campsite (on the Mangapurua track) Started 8am, finished 3.30pm, 24k. Pain in the head status: Disappointingly, had another migraine in the middle of the night and had to take another migraine pill. But it retreated entirely by the time we started walking. I’m hoping tonight will beContinue reading “Whakahoro to Pipiriki”
National Park to Whakahoro
Day 56 (Mon 4 Jan): National Park to Kaitieke Started 7.50am, reached Kaitieke memorial 2.45pm, 27+k. Pain in the head status: All good. Word of the day: Salutary, beneficial, conducive to some good purpose. Bonus word: Farrier, a person who shoes horses. Two zero (no trail walking) days in National Park were salutary to myContinue reading “National Park to Whakahoro”
Tramping with migraine in Aotearoa/New Zealand 