Nineteenth week on Te Araroa: km 2,795-2,938

Day 129: Paihia to Kerikeri: 22 km

Welcome back to another week on Te Araroa! It’s hard to believe this is our second to last week hiking the 3,000 km length of New Zealand! Today we are starting at km 2,795… very close now!

In the last blog post we arrived in the town of Paihia where we had a motel room booked for the evening. This morning we checked out of the motel and then bought food for the day at the local Four Square Supermarket and got coffee to go. We stopped at a picnic table along the ocean for a coffee and breakfast break. The route today was very straightforward on 95% road. 

Morning in Paihia

Most of our day was on road today

I tossed my poncho over me and my pack at lunch when a rainstorm came through

At first we walked along the coast and through the golf course, then we were on forestry roads. We dropped out of the forestry area into the outskirts of Kerikeri. The trail around town was lovely. The oldest building in New Zealand was on route. I enjoyed checking that out. 

Then it was straight into town. I got us our next resupply at the New World Supermarket. We needed 3.5 days worth of food. Then back to the motel where we ate, showered, ate some more, and rested.

Day 130: Kerikeri to Puketi Forest Campsite: 25 km

The start of our day was on a beautiful community track past cascading waterfalls. After 5 km were done, we confirmed that the farm track was closed, so we planned our road walking alternate. We opted for the route recommended by the TA association and then hit the road. 

Kerikeri’s beautiful community trails

Gorgeous waterfall on the outskirts of town

We have a 3.5 day resupply with us and our packs and joints were creaking under the weight. At this stage 3.5 days of food is comparable to 6 days at the start of the trail. We are hungry hikers. 

Partway along the farm gravel road Brian’s hip belt on his left side completely broke away from his pack. We stopped for an hour while he rigged up a solution with our extra rope and duct tape. It seems to be working so far. Considering his pack has had this happen twice now on this hike, it seems to be a bit of a weak point. I have the same Durston Kakwa 55L pack, but with a different material, and it hasn’t started to come apart at all. I have the UltraGrid fabric on my pack which I highly recommend. I don’t recommend the more expensive Ultra200X, which is what Brian has. 

The road walking was unremarkable. We walked past rolling green pastures, sheep, and cattle. The sun was out and the skies were blue. 

Relishing in the blue skies after so much rain!

We arrived at the DOC campsite and while we were looking around for a spot to pitch our tent, we spotted our friend Helen! We were so excited to see each other. Of course, we decided we would just pitch near her :). We had a lovely evening eating together and catching up on the past few days since we saw each other last. 

As the sun set we all got ready for bed. In our tents by 6 pm. It’s a chilly night. 

Day 131: Puketi Forest Campsite to random camp: 36 km

We said goodbye to Helen this morning. Hopefully we see her again soon! We had a long day of road walking ahead of us. It was all gravel road and mostly it was a backcountry road, which was great because it was really quiet. Not much exciting happened today. There were some views sometimes of the valley below, but mostly we were hiking through pine forest.

Quiet road walking

Taking our shoes off while fording the streams to avoid trench foot

The few cars that passed us today were hunting. We saw one truck leave the area with a wild boar on the roof.

When the day started to come to an end, we found a spot to pitch our tent and tried to get cosy for the night. Not a lot of water along this stretch so we don’t have water tonight for cooking. We’ll get going early tomorrow so we can get water ASAP. All things considered we’re doing well though. The sunset and the stars were spectacular tonight. Lying here falling asleep to the sound of the crickets is very peaceful.

Day 132: Random camp to random camp: 27 km

We dropped down off the hillside first thing. We actually got hiking by 5 am to get ourselves to the Dairy (aka convenience store) for opening time, which was 7 am. It was eery walking through the dark and the mist. But it was worth it for the hot food and coffee we enjoyed at the Dairy. The couple who runs the place were lovely and it’s been so great getting to interact with so many local Māori people in the Northlands. 

Misty morning, fuelled by the promise of hot coffee

Starting to see road signs for Cape Reinga makes the terminus feel tantalizingly close

We did the next 8 km of road walking quickly as the fog cleared and the sun warmed us up again. When we reached the start of the hiking trail we filled up all our bottles with filtered water. While I managed the filtering Brian had a nap. He was tired. 

Climbing up into the forested hills was difficult and so good for the soul. I’ve been craving a challenging hiking trail after these long stretches of road walking. With mud, roots, lush foliage, and a steep climb, the trail definitely delivered. We spent the rest of our hiking day climbing up to high points on the forested ridge, dropping back down a bit, then climbing up again. 

The path was overgrown in parts

Satisfying view point

The views overlooking the valley and farmland below are spectacular. We initially thought we might make it further today. However, when we realized we could wild camp up here on the ridge, we decided we absolutely had to. 

We found a little grassy clearing at a high point and set up our tent as the sun set. With bellies full of ramen and our twinkly lights shining we feel very cozy and content tonight. What a perfect day. 

Happy happy camp

Day 133: Random camp to Ahipara: 41 km

It was very nice to wake up on the ridge this morning. We had a lovely and slow hike out through the muddy forest to get off the ridge. Our pace was about half what we can do on the road or 4x4 track. It was beautiful and enjoyable. 

A lovely place to wake up

The rest of the day was road walking. Again. The roads were busy with very tiny shoulders. It wasn’t enjoyable. My body did okay with it though. We stopped in the town of Kaitaia for an early dinner and a little resupply at the food mart.

The shorter days sometimes sneak up on us

We finished our road walking as it got dark. Definitely not our preferred method, but what we had to do to make it to our destination! We are staying at a Top 10 holiday park tonight. It’s super nice with great facilities. And our friend Ken is here!! If we all stick to our itinerary, we will finish the trail on the same day. So cool!

Making us our dinner in the communal kitchen

Up a bit too late tonight. But will have a later morning and a shorter day tomorrow. 

Tomorrow we start 90 mile beach, a milestone we have been looking forward to for the last 5 months. I cannot wait to share our final days on trail with you in the next blog post.

Thank you so much for reading!

Much love,

Krysta