Sam Brakeley hiked the South Island of New Zealand from tip to tail along Te Araroa, the Long Pathway. Sam had recently found himself suddenly alone after the end of a ten-year relationship—an end he had mostly himself to blame for—and he was trying to figure out who exactly he was and just what came next. So, he did what he always does in such situations: He headed into the great outdoors. Traveling along mountain ridges, river valleys, rural roads, and ocean beaches, Sam also brought along Captain James Cook's journals to explore the 18th-century European discovery of New Zealand alongside his own 21st-century one. Through an examination of the interactions of Cook and his men and the indigenous peoples inhabiting the islands, Sam explored what it means to be human. In doing so, he rediscovered some universal truths that allowed him (and, by association, all of us) to move forward with the next step in his own life's journey.