Te Araroa: My Knee
5.11.2019 Day 16 (18km)
Not gonna lie I was in heaps of pain today. My knee was absolutely killing me and unfortunately, the painkillers weren’t even touching it. We said an early goodbye to Rose and Hubert before heading into the forests of ferns and vines. Although the inclines and declines were nothing compared to what we had been through in the days prior, at one point I was seconds away from crying.
Thankfully, the steps disappeared…by steps I mean roots and stones, and the slopes mellowed to gradual climbs. Sam and I walked together most of the day, chatting about life, our hopes for the trail, and travel. Near the end of the forest section we came across three beekeepers checking their hives. Without a clear way round, I held my breath and quickly ducked past their truck, praying no stingers found their way into my skin.
We also took our time to stop and pay our respects to a beautiful Kauri tree, they are kind of like the redwoods of NZ. It’s name was Tane Moana. As I stood under its branches I wondered at the life of trees, silent witnesses to the goings on of the world.
We resupplied at a stupid-expensive shop in Ngunguru, which dampened my disposition. The sun and soft waters of the bay helped. I sat on a quaint wooden dock as we waited for James to shuttle us over to Nikau Bay Eco Camp in his boat.
Gia and Sam were keen to push on so they borrowed a SUP (stand up paddleboard) from a local and made their way across the bay, dropping their packs, then returning the SUP to swim back across. Gia made it all the way, but after Sam realized how many stingrays occupied the waters, she elected to wait for the boat. Death by ray was not something she was keen on.
The Eco Camp was amazing! There was a tree house, huge rope hammock, and best of all a guitar. My voice and hands had been aching for music and the trail answered their call. Sitting by the bonfire, I sang to my heart’s content before drifting off to sleep under the protection of one of the huts.
Day’s Highlights: Music
6.11.2019 Day 17 (30km)
The morning was a bit of a mad rush; with lots of kilometers and two estuaries to cross before the tides turned, we had our work cut out for us. The first was only a few kilometers away and an absolute breeze, with the water coming up no higher than my knees. The second, was a bit more interesting.
James of Nikau had given us some not so good information on the tides, so by the time we arrived at the 3km long estuary, the water was steadily flowing inland. At its highest point it came up to the tops of my legs and had it not been for the sand bar, would have been past my waist. I was quite nervous about stepping off an edge and sinking down, generally using Dom and Nadia as my depth guides, as they were slightly ahead of me. Our group made it to the grassy hill on the other end just in time to watch the tides erase our footprints among the mangroves.
After a 200m climb up a rural hill and a quick jaunt through a dry forest, we spent the final 9km of the day walking along ocean beach. It was high tide which forced us up onto the softer sands, and it was brutal. Although the winds were calm and the views were far superior to Ninety Mile Beach, the energy required to plod through the shifting surfaces far exceeded that of the hard pack sand of my first four days. Nine kilometers felt like twenty and by the time I arrived at Ocean Beach camp I was knackered and several new sores adorned my feet.
Day’s Highlights; The second estuary crossing was pretty cool…I mean where else in the world do they say, “ Ah yeah, we’re just gonna have you hike 3km through an estuary.”
7.11.2019 Day 18 (18km)
I woke up this morning feeling broken in every way. On top of my mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, I had a migraine, swollen feet, and a monster of a knee. I desired nothing more than to curl up into my sleeping bag and forget the world existed. I didn’t, of course. I forced myself to gather my things and began my 400m morning climb.
Most of the others had elected to walk the roads, as a portion of the trail was closed due to construction. A road walk would do nothing to improve my disposition. Nature heals and that’s what I required, healing.
The climb was steep but relatively easy, a combination of grassy slopes and stairs. I caught up with Sam about halfway to the summit. By then I was already feeling better and her positive presence only furthered my improvement. We rose above the clouds, sweat dripping off the end of my nose, and my heart pounding in my chest. After a bit of rock scrambling, we came to a point that took our breath away. At that moment we were both above and below the clouds, floating in a castle high over the clear blue waters and lush green forests.
The journey was mostly downhill from there. I took a fall when my foot slid off a root, landing on my elbow and hip.
Back on the roads, the views continued to be delicious all the way to Whangarei Heads, as all of the clouds departed, leaving flawless skies and sparkling waters in their wake.
From the Heads, I hitched off-trail to an AirBnb in Whangarei where I planned to take a rest day with Ben, Dom, and Nadia. The only issue was the place was most certainly a refurbished drug den. We managed to get our money refunded for the second night. Dom and Nadia ended up getting different accommodations and offered me the spare bed. However, as I couldn’t really afford to pay for two rooms, I was forced to remain in the creepy AirBnb. Five fire doors led into a hallway space…we had no idea if anyone had a key to the other side so I set up a booby trap of glass bottles in front of my door. Hopefully, the sound of them crashing together would wake me in time to save my life.
Day’s Highlights: The amazing views from cliffs
8.11.2019 Day 19 and 9.11.2019 Day 20 (0km)
Well I survived the AirBnb! Due to the intense pain and swelling in my knee, I decided rather than push on and potentially seriously injure myself, a good rest was in order. I moved to the holiday park where Dom and Nadia were staying and we had an epic BBQ one night, followed by binge watching Eurovision clips (if you don’t know what Eurovision is, you should look it up). Carolyn joined us for the second night during which we had a Domino’s feast and watched random films on the two movie channels.
Days’ Highlights: Ice on the knee and a good mental recharge
