Finlay has already completed 1000 miles of his route, walking Te Araroa (length of New Zealand) northbound and would really like to meet any OBs on the way. Do get in touch with him if you are in the area.
Finlay told us:
The route planned follows the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand from Bluff bay in the deep south to the tip of 90-mile beach in the north island, the Bicentennial national trail in Australia which stretches from Melbourne up past Cairns (the town, not our headmaster) and as for Papua New Guinea - that's going to be much tougher and I will begin planning it when I have more experience.
So far, I've walked 1000 miles over the south island of New Zealand (mountains included). Since I started in NZ winter and most people begin the trail in the north island due to easier walking and weather conditions, it is easy to say that this was immensely difficult. Devil's Dyke doesn't really prepare you for 10 days deep in NZ wilderness, climbing mountains that are consistently almost 2000m elevation and crossing rivers that can rise 1 metre in 2 minutes. It's certainly kept my mother on the edge of her seat. The north island is much easier and makes for quicker walking so, I will begin preparing for walking up Australia soon.
You can follow Finlay's adventures on his blog and get in touch with him through his website.