Hikers Wool Blog

I have just read the current (New Zealand) Walking Magazine, (issue 128) in which there are 2 articles of particular interest to me. One is on the Te Araroa Trail which is in our local Kapiti area and I can thoroughly recommend. It takes one from Waikanae to Paekakariki along the coast. The other article was on The Cinque Terra situated on the Italian west coast just south of Genoa. We walked these beautiful and picturesque villages a few years ago and just loved it.

We arrived in Corniglia, the middle one of the five villages and asked a local where we might find a room. He told us to go to the piazza and ask for Signora Angelo. We found the tiny piazza bathed in sunshine and saw five elderly women sitting on a bench in the sun chatting among themselves. Sure enough, one of them was Signora Angelo. She conducted the business of hiring out a room by taking out a large purse from under her apron into which she duly deposited our money and from which she took the key. After showing us the room she went back to her place on the bench in the sun. I thought then that this must be the best office in the world to work in!

That day we walked south to the village of Manarola and the next day we walked north to Vernazza and Monterosso. The going is quite tough in places - lots of ups and downs as these villages are perched on the sides of the cliffs. Without Hikers Wool in our boots to cushion our feet we would certainly have got "black toes".

This is a most beautiful part of the world and if you get the chance to go there I would say don't miss it!