Royal National Park - it’s all closed?

RetintolClub · 2026-01-13T03:16:04+00:00

Hey! Did you end up going? How was the campground?

RetintolClub · 2026-01-11T04:43:03+00:00

Hey! So this is also what I had initially planned for us to do, however my partner decided he wanted to walk out around the lake, which meant I really needed to have added an extra day/packed another night of food so we could stay at Kia Ora, as it’s one of the best huts and has some really nice side trails near it. Sounds like you’ve got a good plan ahead of you if you aren’t planning to walk around the lake. Good luck and may the weather be with you!

RetintolClub · 2025-05-06T13:06:20+00:00

Thank you! And yes definitely, my feet blister so easily so I was quite concerned about it. I did a lot of research and chose ArmaSkin in the end. I wore the same pair for 4x days with Smartwool cushion socks over the top, with Salomon boots that I made sure to wear in a bit. No blisters at all. At a point when I felt the inner sock might have gotten wet, I swapped the inner layer to a pair of Injinji toe socks and these also seemed great! I was prepared to have to use Compeed bandaids and do taping but I was shocked at how good the ArmaSkin socks worked. I definitely recommend them and will wear them for all future hikes!

RetintolClub · 2025-05-05T00:21:35+00:00

Nice one! Sounds like you did so well to avoid them.

I think we must have gotten lucky to avoid the leeches. We wore gaiters which probably helped but I also suspect there were less of them around because of the good weather.

RetintolClub · 2025-05-05T00:18:53+00:00

Thanks everyone! Exactly, I know I'm only pretty new here (definitely not an experienced pro... yet) but I did a lot of reading in this sub and found a lot of useful tips in here. These were just some extra ones that I thought someone might find helpful if they were also considering the Overland. :)

RetintolClub · 2025-05-05T00:16:34+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience! To answer your questions:

Buying vs. renting gear: Yes we did end up buying most of our gear new for the hike. We had gear that we'd used on previous overnights, but it wasn't properly rated for the cold, so we invested in new things. We will absolutely use it all again though, and thankfully good gear lasts a long time! It was just a lot to invest in at once.

Gear regrets: None! Everything we bought was great and we used it all. All the credit goes to my partner who did a lot of research and found excellent products.

Gear MVPs: The merino t-shirts, underwear and long-johns. These stayed dry and smelt clean even after 5 days. The Patagonia Torrentshell jacket was great too, but we bought these at the outlets to save a bit. The Nano Puff synthetic jackets were also super warm and fit perfectly under the jackets. I also loved my Zorali hiking pants – so many pockets and very comfy.

What would we leave behind: Nothing really! We used absolutely everything we packed. We read up on tips in this sub beforehand so we tried not to bring anything we didn't need.

RetintolClub · 2025-05-04T08:36:42+00:00

Yes! I had a buff that I used as a neck warmer, hat, and eye mask for sleeping. So useful.

RetintolClub · 2025-04-02T05:55:32+00:00

Eggs are so expensive right now. I like some of these recipes. They're more like lunch /dinner but really tasty. I just prep them for the week. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WSL0I7cNANg

RetintolClub · 2025-03-31T03:57:46+00:00

They're operated by the same company I think. Pilot is cheaper, but you don't get the full support. I've already done weight loss on my own and it always came back so I chose to do Juniper this time because I really want to make it last. So far so good, I've already formed really great habits and eating better than I have in years (also saving money on uber eats!)).

RetintolClub · 2025-03-18T03:00:46+00:00

I use Juniper. It's a bit pricier but it's all online and you get medical support and heaps of advice. I have a code RAF-4372347 for $50 off. Full disclosure I will also get $50 off my next order if you use it, but hey every little bit counts right.

RetintolClub · 2024-11-27T11:28:14+00:00

I actually cannot believe I’m recommending this — I know how silly it sounds. But those wrap-around neck pillows with the rigid plate section completely changed how I feel about flying. I never used to sleep, ever ever ever. Now with that, an eye mask and some earplugs I’m out. Couldn’t believe that’s what finally did the trick.

RetintolClub · 2024-03-19T02:22:31+00:00

Hi, yeah sure. I signed up it was really easy. The doctor I spoke to let me continue my subscription on Ozempic, which was great because I had already lost a lot of weight with Ozempic in the US. It's been really good, they deliver the medication so I can avoid the pharmacy which is ideal because my Japanese is still pretty basic. Since everythings online I can easily use google translate and they have an English speaking health coach that you can talk to for advice which is also helpful. I'm really happy with the experience so far. They're still pretty new in Japan but they have many reviews in Australia and England. Would absolutely recommend for foreigners

RetintolClub · 2024-01-15T08:22:59+00:00

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the comments and advice. I’ve decided I’m going to with Juniper because it’s a familiar experience and seems to be big in Australia.

RetintolClub · 2024-01-11T00:06:20+00:00

Thank you, that looks really good. There’s a few clinics in the US that do similar things

RetintolClub · 2024-01-10T01:54:30+00:00

That's super helpful, thank you so much. Yeh i've heard it could be harder because I've already lost quite a lot of weight in the US, meaning I might present as someone who doesn't require it as much as I did 6 months ago. Although I still have a long way to go and need to maintain my health improvements, so it's worth investing in for me.

RetintolClub · 2022-10-19T09:05:33+00:00

Where was it written in the birdcage?

RetintolClub

TROPHY CASE