We are thru-hikers. As such, we spend most of our time in the wilderness. Te Araroa, however, isn’t your average backpacking adventure.

The city of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, is at a geographic bottleneck in the country. The city spans the entire width -- from ocean to ocean. So in our journey to hike the length of the country, our lot is to hike straight through this grand city.

We, the dirty hikers, who own naught but what we carry on our backs, who walk everywhere we go, stand in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of this metropolis. We are not fashionable. We are not groomed. We don’t exactly hustle or bustle.

I took a few photos to document this contrast.