Te Araroa
-
Te Araroa: The Northern Forests Part 2
29.10.2019 Day 9 (25km) With one foot on either side of the muddy ravine, I prayed that the terrain would hold as I swung myself over. If it didn’t, I would end up with a broken leg, or worse. It had rained all night and morning, leaving the track slick and dangerous. Ben and Tobi encouraged me from the other side; their longer legs had given them a slight advantage when they crossed over. It wasn’t our first sticky spot that day and it wouldn’t be the last. Later on, Ben would literally have to pull me up a slope of sheer mud. The beginning of the walk had been…
-
Te Araroa: The Northern Forests Part 1
25.10.2019 Day 5 (15km) My feet are decomposing, at least that’s what it looks like. My eight blisters didn’t have time to breathe of the beach so the skin has become puckered and tender. Fortunately, we only had road walking today. My body is still sore but at least there were things to occupy my attention and no sand. Not being constantly assaulted by heavy winds was also a blessing. I’m honestly a bit worried about my feet. I need them to callous over and at times the pain is almost unbearable. I feel like I’m not enjoying the hike as much as I should be because each step is…
-
Te Araroa: Ninety Mile Beach
21.10.2019 Day 1 (12km) The mild weather and gentle breeze made it the perfect day for hiking. After a quick photo at the iconic Cape Reinga marker we followed the dirt path through knee-high bushes and down the cliffs overlooking the place where the Pacific and the Tasman Sea intermingle. My smile was as wide as my face, and if my face had been larger, the smile would have grown to accommodate it. Everything I had heard about the beach was bad. People dreaded it as much as the plague, or so it seemed. From where I was standing, however, I couldn’t conceive why. The earlier tides had…
-
Te Araroa: The Days Before
I knew I would meet people along the hike; I just didn’t expect to meet someone thirty minutes after leaving the airport. The Department of Conservation (DOC) center closed at 17:00, and since I was leaving the next morning on the 7:30 bus to Kaitaia, I had to make it that day. Rather than stop at my hostel and drop off all my gear, I rushed across town to the quay. The center was empty save for a couple booking tickets to a tourist town on the east coast. I hung around patiently until a woman came out from the back to assist me. While we were processing my payment…
