Te Araroa Day 29: Tapakuna to Auckland 12km, (490km)

Of course it rained last night! Not to mention the hikers that rocked up at 9.00pm (after I had gone to bed!) who decided to pitch their tent right between Aubs and I, despite a large, green paddock. Or, the street light that blared all night long that was right above my tent…

BUT! To hell with all that! Because we made it! Goal achieved! We made it to Auckland!

With not far to go, we decided to splurge on a delicious breakfast at a bustling cafe right next to the caravan park. Meal consumed, it was on with the pack one last time and we were on our way.

Despite being so close to Auckland, it was a really pleasant oceanside walk. Water lapping the outskirts of the beach at high tide. No matter the cause, we can’t seem to keep our feet dry!

Up and around a headland hosting a range of military relics and we can see it! The Devonport ferry terminal…and the end of our walk.

It hasn’t been an easy walk by any means. In fact, it’s been rather tough. There have been a range of factors making this so…of course the weather. A bit of rain is one thing, but unrelenting torrential storms closing tracks, flooding rivers and wreaking havoc has been hard. The rain leads to mud. And the mud at times has been awful. Awful and dangerous. What’s more, the difficulty of the mud has meant that some of the intended highlights of the North have been anything but…

And the highlights are important, because much of the original forested areas of the Te Araroa are now closed off due to Kauri dieback disease. Long stretches of walking, often on extremely busy, narrow tar to connect wild areas is the replacement. Not a great deal of fun. When you get there you want to enjoy the good stuff! Not worry about your imminent death by mud slide or a potential broken leg and helicopter rescue.

Lots of people too. A positive and a negative. We’ve met some really good ones. And some really bad. We’ve jostled for spots in the limited campgrounds and been the only walkers around for miles. The walkers ebb and flow. Friendships are forged quickly and can be over before they even have a chance to really begin.

That being said, once again, it’s the people that make it. The laughs and kindness. Generosity and caring. Provision of help when needed. It’s impossible to do this on your own.

And we saw some amazing things!! New Zealand is beautiful. And although we didn’t see it at its best, we are keen to come back and experience more!

And what was walking with somebody like? Different to what I expected. I thought I would really struggle with needing heaps of time on my own. But I didn’t. And there were plenty of times where having a partner proved incredibly beneficial. Whether it be as boredom relief on a long beach walk, providing moral support in dangerous situations, judging the best mansions, hoisting packs above the head on river crossings, talking, having a laugh, being a team. Experiencing a walk with Aubs was fantastic.

So the plan is we’ll be back next year to tackle some more. Discover more of New Zealand. Put ourselves to the test again. But before then, we’ll need to buy a heap of new gear…again!