Tag: Blog

I’m not sure there is adequate words to describe how awful today’s walk was. Plain, old awful will do, I suppose. It really was.

Today’s walk was supposed to be one of the highlights of the North Island. Up and over a couple of mountain ranges, with pristine green bush and outstanding views.

Not to be. As you know, it’s been raining in torrents for a while now. More has been predicted, including a possible thunderstorm later in the day. Absolutely not ideal. On top of that, reports from those in the know speaking of mountains and mountains of mud. Rain and hundreds of trampling hikers do not mix well.

What to do? What to do? We are in an isolated location, with little options for moving forward. A plan is hatched. We will depart at 5.30am, hopefully making it over the mountains before the storm hits. It’s a sleepless night.

The dawn breaks, ethereal and misty. We have already squelched our shoes into the cold, muddy waters by the time the first birds decide to sing. It’s going to be a hell of a long day.

The landscape is beautiful, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not looking. All I’m looking at, all I’m thinking about, is making it up and down these quagmires without breaking a leg. Concentration is required every, single step of the way. My fall count skyrockets from 0 to 6. More than Aubs today, though he took his fair share as well. It was ludicrous, dangerous and not fun.

With 6km remaining we decided to get off the track and walk a gravel road being utilised as part of a logging operation. Luckily, they let us proceed through. Unluckily, the clouds burst, the thunder thrumbed, and we were instantly saturated, adding insult to injury. Nothing like wearing sopping wet, clay soaked rain gear.

A saviour arrives. A bloke who had driven into the area on a whim, looking for a spot he and his brothers used to go hunting. Despite our appearance, he was all too happy to plonk us in his car, drips and all. He was a lovely fellow. Enthusiastic about the trail, and Norfolk, one couldn’t help but be perked up by his attitude.

He dropped us right to our campsite for the night. A closed down cafe. But in another embodiment of kindness, the owners allow hikers to camp inside…especially during thunderstorms. We are invited to have a hot shower in the caretakers own house. Spread out beds and dry off in the warmth. It’s like a miracle.

We’ve met another young Belgium hiker here, Daphne. The three of us have had dinner together, staring out at the pouring, thundering rain and comparing notes on how awful the day was. Bed beckons. I’ll be curled up before long, so very grateful to be undercover.

Am I having fun yet?

A touch of most welcome kindness today. We had met up with our old mate, Peter, again a couple of days ago. Yesterday was his birthday, and his wife had travelled to town to spend the evening with him. Today, Pete was being dropped off directly at the beach, saving himself 7km of road walking through town. We were asked if we would like a ride. Hell yes!!!

Help was offered and gratefully accepted! It was such an unexpected relief to know that a 20km beach walk was all that stood between me and a pre-booked cabin. Finally, a shorter, easier day!!

So, with that it was a 20km cruise down a windswept beach. Shoes off and on through three separate, low water level inlets. Dodging variable oystercatchers and spotted dotterals as they fiercely guarded their tiny chicks. No rain. Despite ominous grey clouds.

Thanks to Pete’s generosity, we arrived in camp by 1pm providing opportunity for a catch up nap and blog time. It is definitely harder keeping up with the blog as a duo! All that “spare” time I had as I prepared and ate my dinner is no longer there. Which is very nice.

Some time will also be spent planning. We are at the end game now for this trip. Less than 100km to reach Auckland. We will definitely make our goal!! But first, the promise of a very punishing day tomorrow. May I sleep well in my little cabin tonight! Fingers crossed for this one.

Definitely a four seasons in one day type of day. Both the walk and the weather!

The trail initially wound up a mountain, sun shining intensely. Fantastic views were visible to the North and we were able to look back on mountains and beaches already trodden.

The sky began to darken. We veered from a gravel road onto a bush track. Steep and slippery ascents and descents on a small, muddy path. Aubs fall tally advanced to four. Mine remains at zero. Though I must admit it is probably due more to luck than superior technique!

Light scuds of rain continue to fall as we move from a bush track to a grassy paddock. I can’t help but revel in it and reminisce about the Heysen. Sadly, road walks have replaced fence lines on the northern part of the Te Araroa.

We reach the highlight of the day. The Mangawhai Clifftop Walk. A stunning 5km track that will lead us all the way into town. Waves pound on the rocks far below us. We spot a huge stingray lurking in the pools close to shore. Following a strenuous, hilly, slippery day it is a delight to walk this flat, well formed track. The rain starts to bucket down.

At the campsite, we are lucky enough to get a small break in the weather enabling us to erect our tents. Once showered and dressed in warm clothes, a decision is made to go into town to get some supplies and have dinner at a local pizzeria. We are told that for fit looking people like ourselves it’ll only be a 5 minute walk. We call the taxi. Ominous rain clouds are looming. No answer. We decide to make a dash for it. Mistake!

No sooner had we got going when BOOM!! A massive crash of angry thunder. And those thick, heavy grey clouds let loose. Despite raincoats, we copped a soaking. 5 minutes my arse! Even if we are fairly fit!!

The evening made up for it however as we relaxed into the pleasant surrounds of the Bistro. Rain pelting the outside whilst I sipped a couple of glasses of red and enjoyed a spicy pepperoni pizza on the inside. All whilst listening to the unbelievable antics of a fellow hiker, spruiking to all and sundry, who kept us entertained if not amused! A thoroughly enjoyable day, despite the weather!

Further gear losses…Aubs – phones x 1.5, thermal longs ripped, undies worn through. Me – deflating pillow

Boy oh boy it was hard to get out of my bed this morning. After a lovely rest day, filled with long breakfasts, snoozes, washing and drying, and Indian dinners, it was time to stuff everything in the pack once again.

I felt rested. But this trail has been hard. Long distances between camps; more people to circumnavigate; hideously drenching downpours at the drop of a hat: mud, mud and more mud; sopping campsites. I’m still enjoying it. But it has certainly been a mission.

We bid farewell to the bach and headed across the road. Peter is destined to pick us up at 9am to ferry us across the bay to Marsden Port. We are staring out to sea, waiting for him, when we hear the putt putt putt of a motor. An old tractor is dragging a boat towards the water.

Peter and his wife explain that taking hikers across the bay is a hobby for them. They are headed out fishing after they drop us off. We enjoy the boat ride, finding out more about the foreboding looking Port on the other side as we go.

Once on the other side , we make haste. It’s almost 10am and we have another 32km to cover. We immediately take a wrong turn. Backtrack and start again. Wasted time.

We get back on track and it’s a good thing as the beach itself is beautiful. Aqualine water with a shell studded shore. We can see the dragon we conquered in the background. It feels pristine and beautiful. An expanse of beach well worth visiting.

We reach a tidal river at Ruakaka and face a physical challenge. The water flooding down to the sea is completely brown. A result of the heavy rains. There is no way of gauging the depth of the many rivulets we will need to cross to get to the other side. We probably should have taken a bit more time….but we didn’t. We walked around for a bit, picked a likely spot, and in we plunged. The water felt nice at first. Until it got higher and higher and higher. I could feel it lapping at my bag. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” We dragged ourselves out the other side. Poor Aubs realised the water had cascaded into the pouch holding his new phone (and his old one!). He turned his bag up and poured water out of his pouches. His phones were drenched. He was impressively stoic about it. I vowed not to look in my bags until we reached camp. It was quite a painful lesson.

We continued down the beach. Easy walking. Just a long way. Rain poured as we passed through Waipu, and again and again as we made our way to Waipu Cove. A large section of the track was roadside, and Saturday afternoon proved to be a very popular time for a drive. We were very glad to make it to camp.

Dinner was had overlooking the beach. A beautiful hot shower followed by a stroll through the caravan park finished off the evening. Bed by 8pm. The patter of rain started immediately, lulling me into a satisfied doze. They are all long days now until we get to Auckland.

New dawn, new day. And this one was a ripper.

The first order of business was to say goodbye to new found friends. We are having a rest day tomorrow, so it is possible we won’t see any of them again. It’s a strange sensation…how quickly you become attached to these people. A product of shared experience. How quickly we all say goodbye.

In the past week or so we have met and become friends with Peter, an older Kiwi with a wicked sense of humour and in depth knowledge of the environment; Nas, an older French woman walking the trail solo with a bubbly personality and decidedly sarcastic streak; Steve, an older Kiwi wanderer who has been walking the trail in sections, today he will complete it; and the young guns, Reed (Kiwi), Rob (Netherlands) and Alistair (UK) who met the first day of the trail and have been together ever since. We have been crossing paths with them on and off for almost two weeks. They are young and quick, and leave us in their wake as they speed past us and up the mountain.

For that is what we are doing today. Heading up a mountain. Walking the Te Whara track is like following the path of a great, sleeping dragon. All ridges and spines. Up one spike, carefully down the other side, and up again once more.

It is a breathtaking place. It’s steep slopes and dense vegetation act as natural barriers to invasive predators. Many threatened NZ species have been introduced here, where they thrive in the pristine scrub.

We jagged a near perfect day. It was overcast and incredibly misty along the spine, stifling what would have been amazing views. However, it didn’t rain until we reached the bottom, which we were extremely grateful for.

5 hours to walk 8km. It was rather demanding!! There was a definite sense of relief at reaching the bottom and witnessing the beautiful calm waters of Urquhart Bay.

We managed another 3km before the sky opened up and torrential rain began to fall. Raincoats are not very effective in this sort of deluge, but we put them on anyway. Another 3km around the bay before we reach our destination, “Thistledo”, a little bach where we dry off, replenish sleep and food, and, plan for the final push into Auckland.

A lovely meal is consumed at the local restaurant. A twilight walk back to our accommodation. And a very well earned, magnificent sleep. Got to love the rest days.

We extracted ourselves from “The Farm” early and efficiently. Half an idea to stick around and have a coffee dissipated as I fought tooth and nail to get into the toilets. Several dogs were brawling. I snarled “Let’s go!” I didn’t need to insist.

Relieved, we began our road walk. Trying to enjoy something which isn’t always easy to like. As I have said, many times, road walking can be monotonous, dangerous, and is especially hard on the body. We were able to maintain both our spirits, and a good pace, to saunter into Helena Bay for lunch.

This was our first glimpse of a Bay of Islands beach. The sand was dewy black and glistening in the sunlight. Pebbles, rocks, seaweed and driftwood strewn along the shore. The water was a murky blue, the result of the recent heavy rains. We took our shoes off and walked to the shoreline. Cool, crisp water washed onto our toes and soothed our road worn feet. The pebbles crunched, crackled and rolled underfoot. The perfect beachside foot massage!

After lunch, a change of tact. Finally we left the road, and entered a grassy paddock with a small, well worn track. Ahhhh…instant tension seeping from the body. Relief at being off the hot, sticky tarmac.

The track quickly wound its way around to a hill and then we were into it! A long ridge walk. Up and down a slippery, muddy, grassy, tree rooty track. It felt adventurous and wild. Exactly what we are here to experience. It was tiring, but great fun. And certainly felt like an achievement to cap off the day.

There are only 8 hikers in the makeshift camp tonight. A treat, having been surrounded by so many people the previous night. Just a little bit more space for us all to breathe, listen to the birds, and enjoy nature. We were all in bed by 7.30pm! It had been a long, but thoroughly enjoyable day.

So I admit straight off the bat that I didn’t go looking for kiwis last night. I was in bed by 8pm and it was still blinding sunlight outside, so spotlight searching wasn’t an option…BUT this morning…magic!

I was packing up my tent, when I saw it. Snuffling around at the outskirts of the scrub. A strange little waddling creature with a long black beak. Like nothing I’ve seen before….a Kiwi!!! I’m sure of it! Of course, no one else was around to witness it…BUT, I did get photographic evidence! Voila!!

I know, I know. It doesn’t look like much…but I promise you! I know what I saw! Aubs, of course, denies I saw any such thing. But he’s just jealous. That, I’m sure of as well. 😊

It wasn’t a spectacular walk today. My best photos came from a section we were only in because we were lost…we weren’t actually supposed to be there. Having said that, it wasn’t the worst day ever either.

Firstly, a road walk of about 14km. This is the bypass I spoke of yesterday. Cars zoom past at a rate of knots, and there is very little verge to escape to. It doesn’t feel dangerous. But it doesn’t feel fun either. We have a break in a tiny, homemade bus stop by the side of the road. At least it is a safe space to sit!

Eventually we turn onto a little used gravel road and commence an upwards climb. And up, and up and up. Several kilometers of uphill! The bushland was high quality, with several huge Kauris spotted presiding over the forest.

What goes up must come down. So down we came. Another roadside session, before finally arriving at “The Farm”. Folks who have read my blog before know that I use the word “quaint” rather loosely. Well, this place is REALLY quaint! It’s a kind of run down working farm / commune. It’s hard to know whether there are more dogs than people living here. Think mud, dog shit, lopsided hills hoist, broken chairs and cracked benches.

Still, it’s home for the night. We try to settle in. “The Farm” is located right in the middle of a long stretch, without many accommodation options. So hikers begin to pour in. We are all told that due to a yoga instruction course which is taking place, we all need to squash into a tiny space. My tent ends up mounted half in a vegie patch. And on top of pooh. There are 17 tents in total, vying for a place in the mud.

There is one flushing toilet for 40 people. I didn’t venture into the outdoor toilets, which wasn’t a long drop, but buckets under the seat. Aubs told me that they were so full “a man dare not sit down”. Yikes!

The hikers were all in bed by 8pm. The festivities of the residents continued in a swirl of guitar, piano and pontificating. Dogs barked randomly. Lights were turned off around 12pm. I feel so blessed knowing that these peace loving hippies charged us $25 each for the privilege of staying. Needless the say, “The Farm” now rates as the benchmark for worst place to stay on the trail.