The Best Reason to Keep Walking
Retired Salvation Army officer Major Gavin Baxter was getting near the end of his 3000km hike along Te Araroa Trail. He still had 300km to go and nothing much left in the tank. But knowing he was walking to raise money for foodbanks gave Gavin a reason to keep going—for just one more kilometre and another $10.
He had set a goal of $10 per kilometre for supporters and they achieved it. When Gavin eventually reached Cape Reinga on Friday 24 July, he had raised $25,500 and the money was still coming in. The final tally was close to $31,000. That was appropriate, really. When Gavin started walking, he had just retired from the Greymouth Corps after 31 years’ service in The Salvation Army.
New Zealand’s ‘long pathway’ had been on his radar as a retirement challenge. ‘I pretty much bought into the idea of tramping Te Araroa and to feature, as part of that, the opportunity to raise some funds for something. Having leadership oversight of the foodbank work in Greymouth showed me that the need was real and ongoing.’
A growing need
Gavin’s mission soon became clear. As he pulled on his tramping boots in Bluff on 1 January and became a ‘NOBO’, or northbound tramper, foodbanks throughout New Zealand were in crisis.
In December, the major foodbanks were warning of substantial closures if the Government did not provide ongoing funding. More people than usual were coming in for food, including working families. Salvation Army Food Security Manager Sonya Cameron said without government funding, The Salvation Army would have to reduce the amount of food given out from its 60 foodbanks.
So, Gavin started his Marching for Meals campaign to raise funds for Salvation Army foodbanks and help households struggling with the cost of living. He wanted to raise awareness too of the thousands of Kiwis who turn to the Sallies each year for food support: the parents skipping meals so their kids can eat, families doing it tough with rising costs, and people simply trying to get back on their feet.
Starting the journey
Gavin wasn’t new to tramping; he had some previous experience on week-long tracks. ‘I imagined it would just be a series of those connected end on end.’ The reality was different—he navigated isolated stretches in the South Island, where he could walk a long time before seeing other trampers. In the North Island, there was a lot more road-walking than he expected, where his route took him closer to civilisation and looking for camping sites to pitch his tent, but away from the convenient Department of Conservation huts of the South Island high country.
‘I think most hikers would find the South Island more satisfying in terms of its challenging terrain and beauty.’
Gavin’s evening meals were sponsored by Real Meals, a company specialising in freeze-dried meals for trampers and other outdoor adventurers. ‘They were a Nelson company and when I was there, I dropped in and had a chat.’
It took him seven months to walk the trail—retirement pace he calls it—and when he emerged into towns and cities along the way he often connected with foodbanks and supporters to remind people to pray for him, donate money or to walk with him.
Above: Major Gavin Baxter on the Paparoa Track, on the West Coast of the South Island.
Picturesque posts
He shared his highs and the lows in mostly daily posts on his Facebook page and a Marching for Meals website.
Gavin’s post on Sunday March 22, day 68—Pelorus Bridge to Havelock read: ‘It was lovely to be offered a free sandwich pack, with a milkshake I bought, to go as tomorrow’s lunch (as the store was closing). I asked what they normally did at end of day and was blessed to hear that unsold items were distributed to needy families for school lunches. It’s great that caring for one’s neighbour is shown in this practical way. It helps meet real need. Well done, Havelock.’
His posts were full of images of the spectacular scenery of New Zealand’s backcountry and a candid account of his daily triumphs and struggles. He described wet feet from river crossings, sandy wet socks that felt like sandpaper, blisters, aching limbs and the odd tumble off the track. Not to mention having to dress in partially dry clothing or pack up
and carry a wet tent.
He described wet feet from river crossings, sandy wet socks that felt like sandpaper, blisters, aching limbs and the odd tumble off the track.
Gavin’s wife, Major Bev Baxter, was his main support and supply partner throughout, but she couldn’t help much in the more remote areas, particularly during the challenging 10-day section through the Richmond Ranges, where Gavin had to carry a heavy pack of supplies.
An unexpected detour
Then, on Tuesday 17 March—day 67 and halfway through the ranges—abdominal pain and fatigue forced him to activate his personal locator beacon (PLB) and summon help from the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter.
…abdominal pain and fatigue forced him to activate his personal locator beacon (PLB) and summon help from the Nelson Marlborough rescue helicopter.
‘This morning, after a few days of abdominal pain of various types and increasing lethargy, I decided to set off my PLB and go off-trail for a check-up. I was facing a steep climb first thing and, while I’m at my best in the mornings, I needed to balance that with my increasing inability to complete full days, which was also resulting in a diminishing food supply.’
A helipad was right in front of the hut where he was and he doubted there would be a better landing spot further on.
‘About 40 minutes after setting off my PLB the cavalry arrived, circled and landed. After some preliminary checks, a 10-minute flight saw me at Nelson ED, where I eventually underwent a CT scan. Discharged with some antibiotics, after ruling out a couple of worse options, I was advised to rest up for a few days. So here I am, with Bev in Blenheim.’
However, there was a price to pay for those few days off the trail. The Cook Strait ferry was already booked, and he had to keep going to Wellington for a scheduled walk with supporters over the Wellington South portion of Te Araroa Trail from Island Bay on the south coast to Oriental Bay in the central city. Once that was done, the difficult 24km section between huts on the Richmond Ranges section still had to be completed. Staying true to the trail, Gavin went back and ticked that off before travelling north again. He ended up doing the hardest section, Slaty Hut to Rintoul Hut twice—there and back—to match the distance missed after his evacuation.
To the people who asked him how he managed to keep walking every day, he said it was just a matter of one step after another. ‘Sometimes it’s on scree, sometimes it’s on flat ground, sometimes it’s thigh-deep in water.’
Poverty marches on
The trail gave him plenty of time to reflect. Gavin says the cost-of-living crisis is hitting a broader section of the population, and families from higher socio-economic backgrounds are now also seeking help. He says some people who were hit hard financially during COVID-19 have not recovered. The fuel crisis was a significant additional cost to the budget and along with extras, like back-to-school expenses, puts families under a lot of pressure. But it is still a tough step to go to a foodbank.
‘Anyone who presents with a need like that shows courage,’ Gavin says. ‘People might describe this as weak. But I think there is great courage showing.’ He is also supportive of the move towards social supermarkets where people can choose their own food, spending points that have been allocated to them based on their need.
The New Zealand Food Network Hunger Monitor 2025 found that one in three households had experienced some form of food insecurity during 2025, and the Food Network is now supporting more than 500,000 people a month—10 percent of the population—through its network of foodbanks and community organisations.
‘My walk has ended but poverty keeps marching on.’
(L-R): Gavin at Lake Ōhau, in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island; A swing bridge that Gavin crossed over the Ōtaki River, in the Kāpiti District of the North Island.
Knowing the pressure on foodbank supplies, Gavin is happy with the $31,000 raised. ‘I think that’s significant enough to make a difference,’ he says. He also hopes his ‘Hikoi Against Hunger’ has helped spotlight the issue of food poverty in New Zealand. ‘My walk has ended but poverty keeps marching on.’
He hopes the parties contesting the General Election in November will remember the individuals when they are developing their policies. ‘I guess my plea to politicians is don’t forget the ordinary man and woman in the street and the real challenges they battle every day.’
Swapping the solitude of the long-distance walker for real life has been an adjustment for Gavin. He finds himself wishing a few more of the people around him were trees. But he thinks the experience has changed him. ‘I hope so.
Perhaps it has deepened a work of patience within me—a sense of what is important and that what needs to be done will be done. You’ll get there in the end—just keep taking one more step,
even if it’s a small one.’
After seven months on the trail, Gavin is on to his next project. He and Bev are moving to Masterton, where they will start their retirement closer to his extended family.
Acknowledging that Bev put her retirement on hold to be his on-road support while he walked Te Araroa Trail, Gavin says he knows it is now Bev’s time to think about she would like to do, and for them to spend more time together.
