26 Jan 2026

The heartwarming story of a hiker and a kitten

From Afternoons, 1:40 pm on 26 January 2026
UK hiker Katie Evans with her companion Bluffy.

UK hiker Katie Evans with her companion Bluffy. Photo: Katie Evans

Mustering the energy to walk the Te Araroa trail is one thing, carrying an extra load while you do it, is another feat entirely. 

But that's exactly what one British hiker has done.

Katie Evans has been on the trail since November, she was deep in the woods near the Lake Sumner stretch when she came across a little black kitten. 

Katie joins us from our Christchurch studio to tell us what happens next.