Te Araroa – Day 2: Twilight camp to Maunganui Bluff camp – 31km

Testing times for the brand new hikers. Testing indeed. Firstly a massive storm that ripped through camp at midnight, bringing with it crashing lightning and lashings and lashings of rain. Not really the start we were hoping for. Despite little sleep, two dry tents made for a successful start to the day….if not a bit of a late start. By the time we were packed up and ready the hordes had departed, leaving us alone to take a final look at the beach.

The days walk commenced in a civilised manner. Up over a little bush track, made even more pleasurable in the knowledge that once we hit the beach again, we hit it hard! They don’t call it 90 mile beach for nothing!!

So it was good times and a lot of laughs before…plop, plop, plop. Big, fat drops of rain. Slow and steady at first. Little by little getting harder and harder and harder. Until it was torrential. With not much else to do we splashed along in muddy puddles yelling defiantly to the gods of trouble .

I shouldn’t have done it, because before long we hit the beach. The long, long, long, long beach. In wet shoes and a dripping attitude. The gods of trouble continued with their rain wrath, the sand sticky wet, and clinging to everything it touched.

It wasn’t all bad. Beautiful coastline. The crawing of huge, fat gulls with black beaks. Shells and starfish littered the shore. Iridescent purple jellyfish swirling like space.

Although the rain eventually petered out, heavily running inlets kept shoes drenched. The wet sand in my socks began to rub both feet and mind.

It was lovely to have somebody to talk to. Steadfastly walk with, despite aching feet and tired legs.

We hobbled into camp late in the day, cheering excitedly at our achievement. On tender feet and legs, tents were slowly erected, and the unwinding was able to start. A freezing cold shower washed away the grime of the day and the last of the toils. Sitting in the sun, drinking a hot cocoa with my hair drying, watching Aubs come back from an exploration of the surrounding islands, I felt peaceful and happy.

Just need to do it all again tomorrow now! Another 30km day. The start of this trail is indeed, brutal.