Author: Karen Griffiths

29 km of road walking in 7 hours – good going. Reached 1,063 km. Another hot day with little shade but better than the alternative kind of weather that NZ can dish up.

We were picked up early to go out to the Taumaranui Canoe Hire premises for our river briefing. They had picked up our bags of shopping the previous night and now we had to pack our 5 days of food and lots of goodies into barrels. My new shoes were there waiting for me.

It would be 8 days before we met them with our canoes at Whakahoro. I had grouped up with Dad Dave and Baxter and NZ Kate to do 5 days on the river. The place was alive with people all talking at once, packing barrels, collecting parcels etc. I found it all a bit stressful after the long quiet times over the last couple of months.

Then it was into town for more proper food and time to say my sad good byes to Frances. We left Taumaranui at 11 am. We is Dad Dave and Son Baxter.

This was my latest start to a day and meant we didn’t arrive until 6pm at the free camp area 3km outside of Owhango.

My new shoes were needed to replace the old ones which had holes on the top that were letting in mud and stones. The soles were still good. However, even though I ordered the same model and size they were slightly smaller. But they had to do.

Most of the day was spent with chatterbox, Baxter, so the day went reasonably quickly. He has been walking TA with his Dad Dave and has really embraced the spirit of the trail. He carries his share of the gear, does his share of the camping chores and is really involved in the planning. He is a real credit to his family.

One fast American guy passed us today, slowing down briefly to tell us about his walk so far. He had done the same total distance as us in about half the time. Some of these young guys are machines.

We used the mountains as our measure of achievement for the next few days as we we heading towards the Tongariro Crossing.

Every now and then we caught a glimpse of the 3 mountains ahead of us. (Ruapehu, Tongariro, and Ngauruhoe) Mt Ngauruhoe was Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings so most overseas people call it that which annoys me a bit.

An emu gave us a welcome diversion. The way it peed was rather interesting too

We arrived in Owhango, which is just a wee settlement with few houses, a pub that looked closed, a cafe that was closed and a full lodge. A local came out and pointed us towards the local Domain which was 3 km out of town. It is hard to move on when our minds had told us that we had arrived and finished for the day. But this is Te Araroa so off we trudged.

There was 9 campervans parked up there, mostly young travellers, sitting around cooking and playing card games.

I fell into the routine perfected by 49 days on the trail.

• Drop pack
• Take off shoes and put on sandals
• Find toilet
• Pitch tent
• Pump up mattress
• Lay out sleeping quilt
• Change into camp clothes
• Make a Cup of Soup and eat with half a bag of chippies
• Boil water for dehydrated dinner
• Eat dinner
• Check tomorrow’s schedule
• Clean teeth and pee again
• Crawl into bed
• Write up day’s blog
• Sleep

1,063 km completed in 49 days

We had decided that Frances could ride the Timber Trail better than she could walk it. The walk takes 4 days but we could ride it in just 2 days. Then we had another days ride on back roads into Taumauranui.

So along with Dad Dave and young Baxter we climbed on the mountain bikes that had been delivered for us by Taumarunui Timber Transport. They will take our packs to the first campsite at Piripiro, then collect them the next day and deliver them to the campsite at the end.

This meant we only had a couple of small day packs with lunch and snacks.

I haven’t been on a bicycle for about 7 years and I have never been game to do any mountain biking. I have ridden on the back of s tandem for a number if years with my eyes closed on the downhill stretches so this was going to be a real challenge for me. So I gave myself a good talking to and got on with it.

I really surprised myself at his well I did and that I actually enjoyed most of the ride. But I didnt like riding over the longer swing bridges.

Frances was okay riding the bike but still struggled getting on and off it. Also she was unable to stand up to ride making hills much more difficult for her. She also had a couple of nasty crashes so added bumps and bruises to her other injuries.

I was totally blown away at how she just kept going, sitting on the seat the whole way. Dave and I would get off and walk our bikes up the big hills and Frances would just toddle on past us slowly. My bum was sore and hers must have been a lot worse but she kept on going 39 km the first day with many steep ups and downs and 44km the second day in on and off rain. The 3rd day was a nice road ride of 24km.

Sadly, It was at this stage that Frances conceded that she needed to quit the trail and go home and get her foot sorted. It was not getting any better. This was a very hard decision to make.

On the second day we passed the 1000 km point of the Te Araroa. Wow that far already! In a way I feel that it has gone too quickly. I only need to do that twice more and it will all be over.

We had nice campsites. The second night we were in our tents during a thunder and lightening storm. That was exciting. Our tents were really tested and passed. The Dave and Baxter slept inside the shelter.

On arrival in Taumauranui we headed straight for a cafe and had a huge brunch before heading to a motel (yes a motel) for the night. Very posh, hot showers, clothes washed and packs sorted out.

Then it was shopping for me and about 30 other Te Araroa walkers. I needed to get food for the next 6 days ealking to Owhango then the 42 Traverse, the Tongariro Crossing. In addition I needed 5 days food for the Whanganui River canoe section. The supermarket was hectic with all the hikers looking for stuff and going up and down the isles the wrong way, chatting checking out what others had in their trollises and mixed in with the licals. It was a real circus.

The canoe hire people picked up our food bags outside the supermarket. There was a great crowd of us there, all happy to meet up again and swapping stories.

We left Te Kuiti at a slow pace again as Frances’s ankles were no better. Maybe walking so hard and far with a pack on and new orthotics in her shoes was not a good idea. Maybe not enough rest after her original injury?

Out of town we went then along a bit of a basic track until we met with the towns local domain and surrounding track called the Mangaokewa Track. This was lovely for about 3km, the kind of track I could imagine kids running along and locals swimming in the good spots in the river we were following. It was slow going as Frances continued on in her strong, no nonsense way, even though she was in obvious pain.

Then we came onto the Mangaokewa River Track 15km 5-6 hours the sign said. Our Trail Angel had warned us that the day would be “at least 7 hours” stressing the at least, so we dug in deep to keep going.

The “track” was very basic and reasonably new, which meant not very obvious and in need of a lot of work. It was probably made specifically for the Te Araroa to join up Te Kuiti with the Timber Trail, which is a well established mountain bike trail.

So we followed the river for another 9 hours. Sometimes close to the bank and, where that was not possible we had to climb up banks and sidle along cliffs. The tracks that had been made were on a real slope, one foot or less wide, so it was very hard going for me and even worse for Frances. She didn’t complain, just hobbled on in agony. Tough lady!

This was a long hard day. It was ugly, we kept taking the same wrong routes that others had before us, needing to back track many times. There was prickly blackberry, gorse that tried to eat us alive, swampy ground that stunk and wanted to swallow us up. Then we would come out onto steep farm paddocks covered in long grass.

To top it off we had been going for about 9 hours solid when we had to go up a very steep farm hill. Half way up a tiny French girl passed us as we sat resting. We watched her climb right up the hill then sidle along under a cliff. We thought surely she’d made a mistake. But when we carried on we saw the damn orange triangles up there so knew we had to follow her. The track was non existant, the grass slippery, and a fall would gave resulted in a 100 meter tumble. Sore ankles would have been the least of our worries!

It was awful, especially for Frances, who must have been close to the end of her ability to keep her pain and frustration under control. I wouldn’t have been so good! For God’s sake, what are they trying to do to us?

We managed to survive that and then tried to take a shortcut onto a farm road that we thought was above us, but that didn’t help at all. We still needed to get back down to that bloody river.

We had about 4 km to go before we reached the camp spot on the edge of the farm. We had been going for over 10 hours. It was time to stop. We found a nice camp spot where we could easily get to a small creek that fed into the river and there was a log to sit on. (Always a bonus)

We were soon cheered up by a cup of hot soup and a bag of chippies that I had carefully carried all day. Bloody hell! It was good to sit and munch on those chippies. Then more paracetamol and ibuprofen for Frances and I.

Tents up and then a wash in the creek. Frances was busy washing her nether regions when Dad Dave and son Baxter came around the corner. Like all good hikers they averted their eyes and stood quietly while she finished her wash.

They were going to press on so I gave them a lollie each and they were on their way…still looking happy. We wondered if we would have enjoyed the day more if Frances wasn’t injured.

We were both asleep within minutes. It had not been our longest day but it had been the hardest by far.

Day 45. Rescued by a couple of farmers.

We started out wondering how Frances was going to manage to 40km walk we had ahead of us. We got lost in huge BlackBerry bushes and had to retrace our very slow and painful steps a couple of times. A nights rest had not helped Frances at all: if anything she was worse this morning. This was not a good start to the day at all.

We were really out in the back blocks and the roads around had very few people living on them so they were notoriously difficult for hitching.

However just about 2km along the farm track we heard the wonderfull sound of cattle being herded by dogs. Yay, that meant a farmer. Then we saw him coming over the hill on a quad bike with a trailer. All our dreams had come true. What more could we want?

So we stood still so not to scare the cattle, and watched the farmer and his team of 7 dogs move the cattle. He came over to see us and we began by giving him lots of compliments on his great team of dogs, his good looking cattle and the healthy grass on his fabulous farm. We stopped short of saying that he was also a very good looking young man.

Then we apologised for having to camp on his farm and explained our predicament. In true Kiwi fashion he tied up his dogs, let us throw our packs in his trailer, and had us climb on the back of his bike, where the dogs usually sit. We were as happy as pigs in mud.

• 

• 

He took us down the road for a couple of kms to a house where the another young farmer offered to take us through to Pureroe, where were were to start the Timber Trail.

We felt slightly guilty as passed Dave and Baxter and the young French girl but we did what we had to do. The Te Araroa throws up things out of left corner all the time. And as I always say, if everything goes to plan, there is no adventure to be had. (Maybe I wouldn’t be so blaze if it was me with the injuries)

So we had a quiet afternoon lazing in the sun, Frances with her leg strapped and raised.

We wondered how the 2 young kiwi girls we had camped with a few nights ago, were handling the awful track from yesterday. They had taken an extra rest day in Te Kuiti so would be a day behind us. We didn’t think they would handle it well at all as they only actually done 8 days of the trail for various reasons. They were not a fit nor happy unit and that day was very difficult, even without injuries. I saw a helicopter go overhead and hoped it wasn’t them.

The French girl arrived about 5.30 pm having hitched a ride for the last 7km. Dave and Baxter didnt get here till about 7.30pm so another 10+ hour day as they couldn’t get a hitch at all. We were again very lucky girls to have found our farmers.

For a few days now I had been thinking that it was not a good for Frances to keep going as her ankles were not getting any better and I was concerned that some long term damage was being done. Our days were getting slower and longer.

We had already booked bicycles to do the Timber Trail (2 days instead I’d 5) and then onto Taumauranui (1 instead of 2). When we got dropped off she had a test ride on someone’s bike and was really pleased to find that riding didn’t hurt.

However, after some quiet time to think, Frances discussed some other options with me. I aired my concerns and we came up with some alternative plans. Neither of us wants to have us split up as we are a good team and we both want to complete the trail. However we need to be practical and wise about it all. Sadly, Taumarunui will be the end for Frances at this stage. She can rest up again and see how she is when I am ready to cross over to the South Island in January

That night we we inundated with mosquitos. I had dozens inside my tent and the others had them in the lining. Buzz buzz all night, Unable to kill them all I pulled my sleeping bag liner up over my head, put on my eye mask and my earplugs in and went to sleep hoping that I didnt get bitten on my nose and mouth as they were the only parts showing. Everytime I got up to toilet more came in with me.

The next morning I spent an hour squashing the little biggers with a wad of toilet paper. Some were full if blood so must have had a feed on me. Luckily I don’t react so no itchy bites to deal with.

Four of us left our little campsite for n 11km walk to Waitomo. I think it was interesting for the osteopath to actually follow her patient step by step after treatment. She kept coming up with more suggestions as the day went on. The other girl.eas struggling so I put on my Take A Kid Tramping hat and gave her a cuddle, let her have a cry and then got her moving along well with some of my stories to distract her. (Anyone who knows me will understand . Lol,

We soon came to the famous Waitomo Caves and were greeted with dozens of tourist buses. This made me want to get back into the bush but food called. I had been thinking about hot chips all morning.

On spying the first cafe we saw South African Jo who told us that there was a bus in about an hour to Te Kuiti. It was a quick decision for us to buy a bus ticket for $11 rather than spend 8 hours walking mostly road.

Off for pizza and that bowl of chips .

Our home for the night was at Sue’s, another lovely Trail Angel’s place, along with the 2 kiwi girls, and Jo and Morris and Francene from Germany. We cooked a nice shared meal to have after the 6 bags of chippies and kiwi dip I treated. I must be needing carbs, fats and salt. Dessert was hokey pocket icecream and good conversation.

Frances and I did some planning to see where we would be by 23 December when we will break for Christmas. At this stage it looks like Whanganui.

We also decided to have a few days with a change of pace and to speed things up a bit.

So our plan is to walk for 2 days to the beginning of The Timber Trail. Then we will pick up bicycles and ride to Tamuaranui. This will knock 3 days off and get us to our target finish at the end of the Whanganui River kyak section.

I haven’t been on a bike for a few years now and wonder how my bum will cope but it will give our feet a rest.

This was a 950 meter climb and the highest of TA so far. We had been told to expect mud nearly as bad as Raetea Forest so were pleased to get a ride by Frances’s brother-in-law for the road section. This meant we would be fresh and ready for whatever was thrown at us. This is Te Araroa – there is no choice, no turning back, delaying tactics do not work, just harden up and handle it.

I began to think that were were on the wrong track as it was dry and even crunchy underfoot. There were some occasional small muddy areas but I managed to arrive with dry socks and we had passed the 800 km mark. The track got steeper the closer we got to the hut but the dreadful mud did not materialise. Another day where we expected the worst and were very happy with the outcome.

We walked most of the way with Zilla from Germany so had some interesting conversation to make the day go quickly.

Eventually we arrived at the lovely new Pahautea hut. There are about 5 tracks leading to the hut and it was Saturday night so the people just kept on arriving. Luckily we had chosen our bed space as soon as we arrived. This was to be our first night in a Doc hut on the trail. For the overseas TA walkers this was a milestone for them and an introduction to our DOC huts. This was a nice new hut so I hoped they weren’t getting their hopes up that they would all be this nice,

The nice little tent sites scattered in the bush around the hut were soon taken up and a large group went to sleep in the warden’s hut. That had been the hut before the new one was built in 2017. Some late comers slept in the kitchen area.

We were very pleased with our fitness levels as we did not find the climb arduous at all. Yes, we were dripping in sweat and huffed and puffed a bit but could easily have done more. My theory was that our first few weeks walking would be our training for the next bit has proven to be right. Now this 950 m climb is the training for our 1,800 m climbs in the Tararua Ranges. We are getting fitter and thinner by the day.

There was about 15 of us there among the local trampers and we were first into bed. 7 pm is a late night for us lot. Among the TA Walkers was a father, Dave, and his 14 year old son, Baxter, from the Wairarapa. Baxter was very confident speaking with all of us and they seemed to be enjoying their time on the trail.

Day 41. 1 December 2019 Down Mt Pirongia.

We left at 6.45 am and ended up walking with Jo, a mining engineer who was originally from South Africa. She was great fun to be with.

The first 800 meters of the track was board walked so easy going, except that it was quite high in some places so I had to concentrate as I thought it would be embarrassing to say I fell off a wooden pathway. I did drop my camera over the side and was able to retrieve it with some clever actions with my walking pole.

After the boardwalk we continued up and down a bit through thick bush wondering where all the mud was. There was some patches but they were small and we were still getting through without wet feet.

Eventually we started the 3km decent and found the mud. There was not a lot but what became across was very deep and I managed to get quite stuck and had a fight to get my shoe out. Jo and a couple coming in behind us helped me while Frances laughed at me while making a video of the spectacle. Yucky stuff but a lot of fun.

After 5 hours were were off the track and onto a 8.5 km road walk. We had lunch in the sun with Moritz, the days token young German man and washed our legs and shoes on a well placed little stream.

A 26 degree day made the walk hard so we played a game to keep us occupied…”I walked the T A and took with me my phone” then the next person adds something and in it goes…walking poles, sunglasses which I lost, hiking poles, a carrot, sunscreen a PeeRag, 3 pairs of socks, sunhat etc. Etc. Etc. This gives us something to occupy our minds instead of focusing on our tired feet and how far we have got to go.

When were were all tired and had 4.5 km to go a nice fella stopped in his 8 seater van and dropped us at our Trail Angels’ place. I am proud to say that I actually ran 10 meters with my pack on to get into the van first.

Casey showed us around her lovely garden and we pitched our tents and had quick hot showers. Later a man from Stuff and the TA Project came and interviewed, photographed Frances and I and even took drone footage of me doing my foot yoga.

Casey made pizza and gave us Tui beers before dinner so a good evening was had by all. There were strawberries and fresh farm eggs for breakfast. We boiled our eggs to take for lunch.

Tomorrow is a 31km day to Waitomo, on country gravel roads, and across farmland and through bush tracks.

Day 42. 3 December. Pirongia to Waitomo (nearly)

We left at 6.45 am aware that we had our biggest day ahead of us since 90 Mile Beach. Frances was hobbling with sore ankles so we took it easy on the 6km of road walking. We are really in the back blocks of Waikato now so no cars were on the road. Panadols and Ibebrfen were the flavour of the day.

After a slight detour because the TA App was wrong, we started onto a farm road. These little detours make up for the little hitch hikes that we do.

It was easy going with some good views as we got higher. There were some muddy patches that were quite slippery as the soil now seems to have more clay in it.

We came across some very large bulls, lots of sheep, some of the  bulls progeny, 4 big goats, a few horses and a chicken coup.  The only animals that answered me were the sheep. The rest were not very talkative at all. The German lad seemed to think it was hilarious that I talked to the animals. Maybe German animals don’t understand human talk.

I think that this day has been the nicest walk so far as were were on bush trails through farmland, then out over paddocks, then back into bush all day. It was overcast too which was a nice change from the hot sun we had had for weeks. With 4 of us there was a good chance for a change if conversation and some fun times were had by all.

However Frances was not doing well so we hatched a plan when we stopped for lunch at a farm airstrip. It was 12.30 and we still had 15 km to go, 5 to 6 hours without any injuries. So Jo and Morris went on heading faster towards Waitomo and we plodded on slowly to a place where we knew there was room to camp near a stream. This would mean we had water to cook our dinner and breakfast and Frances could get off her feet sooner.

We had agreed that we would stop but Frances wanted to make doubly sure she had a legitimate reason for camping in an area that camping was prohibited. So she had her first major fall, slipping on the clay, and falling sideways onto her walking poles. There was an almighty crack and I hoped that it was her pole rather than her leg, that had broken. Luckily it was only her pole that broke but her already sore ankles got another hammering.

Therefore it was a slow careful walk down to the stream and nice little campsite having walked 21km in 8 hours.

I know some people may think that is slow but we have about 12 kgs on our backs and we are walking this day in and day out, up and down over difficult terrain. None of this is a walk in the park.

The first person that arrived after us was a policeman walking for charity. We made it quite clear that were only breaking the rules out of necessity and he went on his way. Dave and Baxter arrived an hour later and pressed on too.

My dinner was some flavoured couscous with dried meat added which was a nice change from our usual dehydrated BackCountry meals. Then we settled down to listen to a podcast.

It was about 6.30pm when a couple of young kiwi girls arrived. One in particular looked exhausted and I was slightly horrified when they said they were going to carry on to Waitomo. Based on the rate they had walked that day I reckoned they would not finish till at least 10.30pm. Very risky, I thought.

Anyway it turned out that one of them was an osteopath so she gave a tent side consultation and treatments for Frances.

When she had finished I suggested that they looked far too tired to carry on so, thankfully, they put up their tents and joined us for the night.

It was drizzling as we went to sleep but we felt happy that Garry has kept the Weather Gods happy so far for us.

I have had a week off the trail catching up with friends and family. They have all been following my blog so knew a lot about what I have been doing so it was my turn to find out about what has been happening while I have been off wandering.

As I have found when I have been away on previous travels, things at home don’t change that much compared to my “everyday being different” scenario.

My Dads 90th birthday was well celebrated with lots of family there to eat too much and talk too much. (Definite Webster traits). Note many more girls than boys in my family.

I felt okay going back for third helpings as I had lost 6kg since starting the trail. People kept saying how good I looked, which confirmed what I already knew, being that I was carrying too much weight and looked unhealthy before leaving. There is nothing like a damn long walk to get one fit and healthy and tanned.

I flew from Napier to Auckland and picked up my pack from an airport locker. Then I headed out with my sign to hitch a ride to Mercer.

I was no sooner out of the airport carpark when I was picked up by a young woman who cleaned the planes. She dropped me at Mercer where I just had enough to time to pitch my tent at Podges Place (local pub, motel, come TA camp ground, before Frances arrived.

Frances was dropped off by her parents with a working foot and a set of orthotics for her shoes. Hopefully they will do the trick and keep her going on this damn long walk.

There was about 7 other hikers at the pub to share a beer and stories with after an icecream at McDonalds. We like to share our spends around all the local businesses.

Day 36 Mercer to Rangiriri. 26 km 10 hours. Not much fun at all, long hot day

The trail started out over farmland through srub, bush and long grass. It was not well marked so we were continually going off track. When the markets (usually orange triangles) are not placed often enough we go the wrong way. As the days go on and more and more hikers go the wrong way we wear a track. So this then looks the correct way. So there was 8 or 9 of us out there going all over the show. 2km took us about 3 hours.

Then basically we walked alongside the mighty Waikato River which also has State Highway One running alongside it. Frances was limping and I feared the rest had not fixed her completely.

We walked along stopbanks on farms for about 12 km on a very hot day. We do appreciate the farmers allowing us to walk across their farms which saves us from playing chicken on the motorway. However walking on ground that has pugging from the cows walking in the mud is hard work now that the paddocks have dried out. The grass was long ready for hay making, sometimes waist high, also adding to the amount of concentration needed to keep upright and not twist an ankle.

The overseas hikers were suffering with hayfever and allergic rashes on their legs from the grasses so I shared out my anti histamine tablets. I am well desensitized to such things and have no reaction.

Eventually we came out onto a quiet country road and had a 8km road walk ahead of us in stifling heat.

It had been a very hot day and we were looking forward to a beer at Rangiriri. This is another little village that the motorway and life seems to have passed by. We have been through many places that were once thriving little communities and are now sad looking places with little more than a pub and a few derelict houses.

After about 4km we sat under a tree to drink water and eat some jet plane lollies (sweets). The only sugar snacks we have are at the end of the day, just to perk us up and get us to the end when we are lagging.

Along comes a nice local in his truck and he just can’t resist 2 gorgeous woman on the side of the road. In typical Kiwi fashion we jump on the back with our packs and get delivered to the pub. I offered to give the man a kiss but he said he was already in enough trouble with his wife this week.

Over a beer we decided to miss the next days walk to Huntly as it was another 25km of the same boring day we had just had. So on the advice if the local barmaid we headed to the end of the onramp to the motorway 100 meters way.

Our womanly charms worked again and we were soon on our way to Huntly with a nice young man who gave us some religious bedtime reading.

The Huntly Motorcamp was home for the night and I give it 20 stars. It was the nicest, cleanest and tidiest campground we have stayed in so far. An added bonus was a massage from a local guy. I am doing quite well with the blokes lately if I must say so myself.

Day 37 Huntly to Ngarawahia. 10 hour day through Hakarimata Scenic Reserve. 28 November 2019

Up and off by 7.30 we stared the day with a 6km road walk. Huntly doesn’t have a very good reputation but everyone who passed us greeted us warmly. There is a lot of graffiti around the train tracks but that seems to be a worldwide thing. Rail bridges seem to be good palettes for that kind of art. Or is it a sign of too many unemployed, or people with too much idle time on their hands?

Anyway off I went chasing Frances along the road for 6km . I take a while to get my body going in the mornings while she takes off rearing to go and with longer legs than mine. So she gets us moving and we always make good time on the roads. We even out over the day as I am faster on the more rugged and downhill tracks.

We entered the track through the Harkarimata Scenic Reserve and We both sweated like pigs for the next 7 hours (12km). It was hot and humid and we had a 400 meter climb straight up steps to start with followed by smaller ups and downs all day.

The bush was beautiful, the views magnificent, the track very rooty. But it was dry and not slippery so all in all a good, if not long day. We both decided that 4 hours of beautiful bush is actually enough in one day. The bush was nice but it just went on for too long. We were both over it and wishing we were back on one of those days where things changed every hour or so. Variety is good. This just went on an on!

The steps down seemed to go on forever as well. We passed many locals huffing and puffing up them. Our knees and feet were screaming for us to stop but at least we were no longer puffing and sweating. There were some good signs of encouragement to stop and photograph.

Our home for the night was at a Trail Angels in Ngarawahia. Originally from South Africa, this couple, and their daughter, are planning to do the South Island section of Te Araroa next season.

Gabrielle, their 10 yearold daughter met us at the gate and even gave us a piano recital before bed. An typical South African meal and lots of conversation made this a special place to stay.

Day 38 zero day in and around Hamilton, shopping and visiting Frances’s family and friends.

Frances has done the trail from Ngarawahia to Hamilton many times so we decided to skip that and get a ride into Hamilton with Regina our Trail Angel.

Some hikers are particular about walking every single step of the way but that is not for us. Sometimes we think it is okay to skip bits and believe that the extra kms we do finding ice-cream shoos and pubs makes up for it.

Many of the hikers have only 3 month visas so they skip the whole way from North Auckland to Hamilton. In the end everyone does their own hike. It is a journey that is personal to each individual and everyone’s story is different.

Today we passed the 750 km mark which us 25% or a quarter of the trail distance wise. I don’t think it will be a quarter of the effort as we have not yet been above the bush line. We ain’t seen nothing yet!!

On my own for the first time.

I left Frances behind at Orewa and had to find my way to Stillwater Campgrounds on my own. Frances loves her maps so has been in charge of directions until now so it was a bit stressful for me. Cars were coming at me from all directions like machine guns. After a month of bush tracks and quiet beach walks it was a real assault on my senses. Crossing roads freaked me out and I was really doubting myself. As I turned into Spur Road about 3 km before the camp I found myself on a busy narrow winding road with no shoulder at peak traffic time.

So I sat on a driveway until a lady pulled up and said “get in the car now. You people should not be walking on this road”. I was in like a flash.

I shared the recreation room that night with 8 other hiker buddies. We weren’t charged to stay at the campground as the owners enjoy having Te Araroa walkers there.

Day 31. Stillwater to Takapuna. 23km.

Another day when the tides determined our start time. We had an estuary to cross and we needed to be there at low tide so we had a leisurely morning and left camp at about 3pm. I made sure I wasn’t going to be on my own today so left with Gerban and Sanne and The 3 German Boys. We had been given directions by the camp owner as to the best place to cross however I didn’t really take much notice as directions has been Frances’s domain and I hadn’t really got into the swing of it. I presumed the others had taken more notice than me.

But when we arrived at the river mouth I found I was wrong. No-one really remembered the instructions. There was 7 poles in the mud, but which one was the one to cross by? We vaguely remembered mention of the 3rd pole but from which end we didn’t know. Then we found a pole that had a big cross on it. “Ah ha” I said “that cross must mean cross here”. No-one argued with me but it did look quite deep.

So we sent the tallest German lad out first. The water was soon up to his pack level so he retreated, stripped down to his undies and heaved his pack up onto his head. He managed to get over with the water lapping his chin, then returned to help us shorter people. This is why I made sure I wasn’t on my own for this day. So we all stripped off and the tall guys ferried our packs over while us shorter ones swam.

The water was warm and not swift so it was actually quite enjoyable and a bit of an adventure. We were all dressed and ready to go when we saw a lone woman in the distance and decided to wait to help her across. I yelled out for her to remove her clothes as one of the German guys undressed again. She thought we wee joking until she saw how deep it was on him.

Lesson for the day – walk with tall Germans when approaching river crossings.

So we now had another member of our trail family walking to Takapuna. It was 25 km day so we didn’t arrive until 8,30 pm just as it was getting dark. The last 15 minutes was over some dodgy rocks that were getting hard to see as it got dark. A lovely young German police officer helped me through it. Pleased to be there it was a quick tent set up, dinner eaten and bed.

The next morning I started chasing the Germans at 8.30 am through some leafy Auckland suburbs and along beaches. We seemed to be the only ones out without a dog and a doggy poop bag (presuming a peerag and a poop shovel do not count). I was pleased to be able to keep up with them, even if I was always at the rear.

A quick ride on the Devonport Ferry and we were in downtown Auckland. That is a major milestone for us all.

Off up Queen Street we wafted well aware that we all smelled quite bad alongside all the well dressed office workers They all gave off lovely odours of the kind we had not smelt for a month now.

We headed straight into the Bivouac store to pick up bits and pieces we needed. For me it was to exchange my Icebreaker socks for a new pair. “Just drop them in the bin and choose another pair” the girl said as she screwed up her nose. Good onya Icebreaker.

Then I said my good byes to the group who were all staying in the city center. I headed off to get to One Tree Hill for an arranged pick up by my brother. I would use his place as a base for the next few days getting dropped off in the morning and picked up at night as I made my way across the city to Pokeno at about 25 km a day.

I was pleasantly surprised as to how enjoyable it was. I mostly walking through university grounds, parks, Botanic gardens along the bays and back country roads surrounding the airport. The houses changed from up market to cheaper state house areas through to hundreds of new 2 storey lookalike places.

I passed water treatment plants, sewage disposal, the airport, lots of schools, churches and 2 university campuses. One I got horribly lost in (where is Frances when I need her?). But I managed to hitch a ride with a gardener in his little cart and he took me to where I needed to be.

The trail went through an area occupied by Maori at Ihumātao. The guard at the gates sent me off on a bit of a detour which okay with me.

I went through a number of Farm Parks which I thought was a great idea for a city. Sheep and cattle roam the parks, saving on lawn mowing and giving the city dwellers a taste of country life.

A growing city for sure.

My last day was from Dury to Pokeno over the Bombay Hills singing in the rain. I passed out of the Auckland district into Waikato.

I am now at about 670km through my 3,000 km walk.

I am off trail now until 26th as I head home for a few days and to Napier for my Father’s 90 th birthday celebrations.

Day 26. 24 km. 9 November. Mangawhai to Pakiri. Easy day

We are getting fitter and stronger so days are feeling easier. Our bodies are used to the weight of our packs even though we started the day with a full 6 days of food. My food bag included 7 protein bars which are very dense and heavy so must be eaten whether I like it or not. We are both not enjoying our porridge for breakfast and looking for alternatives but we need to eat what we have got before buying anything else.

However we are now feeling hungry and eating more than when we started. The continual long, hard days require more food as we use up our stores of fat and build muscles. My aim was to lose the wobbly bits I had developed over the last few years and I am well on the way to achieving this.

The day started with a track over farmland passing some flash looking houses.Then we had a really enjoyable beach walk all the way to Pakiri. It was overcast, quite flat and lowish tide so we had hard packed sand all day. Maybe the beach walks aren’t so bad after all.

Most of the sandhills were fenced off to protect some birds that nest there so we respected their space. We played leapfrog with other hikers all day and all met up at the campground that afternoon.

I really enjoyed the company; some old friends and some new ones. One Aussie lad had news that bushfires had meant his parents had to evacuate their home so we all supported him through that. All his belongings were stored in a container that melted in the ferocious fire. I really felt for him and he welcomed a cuddle from me. Our Trail Family is important.

We had heard that the local Cricket Club opened the bar on Saturday nights so we all headed over for a beer only to find none there. Everyone was disappointed but headed back for a game of table tennis instead.  Then we a crawled into our tents fir another early night.  8 pm is a late night for us and sometimes we are in bed by 6.30pm.

Day 27. 10 November. Pakariki to Tamahunga Ecological Area

We left early heading up into the ranges that were covered in fog. By the time we were at the top we needed to put on raincoats to protect us from the cold wind. We were on farm tracks which became very slippery as we descended. The track needed some repairs and maintenance because the huge cattle had been using it. The result was broken steps and very smelly mud.

We only walked 11km but it took 6 hours of concentration.

We arrived at our Trail Angels eventually and joined in with the rest of of TA family putting up tents, making our dinners then joining the family inside for beers. What a lovely family they were, another example of trail angels who have been giving shelter to walkers for a few years now. Their kids are involved in looking after us, handing out beers, coffee, and cooking home laid eggs for our breakfast. Our $20 koha (donation) is used to pay for the kids riding lessons.

My neighbours for the night were the chickens and a rooster who woke us at 4.4am.

We both had a tumble and I now have a good coloured bruise on my upper leg to prove it.

We left the next morning but Frances had unexplained sore ankle. So we had a slow and quiet walk through nice bush but with lots of roots on the track. We were both aware that these kind of injuries usually need rest and rehab. After a couple of hours we came to a forestry track and decided the best thing to do was to follow that for a couple of kms to the highway and call for a pickup from friends of Frances sister. We had been heading to the Dome Forest Campsite for the night.

The predicted thunderstorm arrived so we had a chance to check out our wet weather gear At Michelle and Garry’s home in Snells Beach we showered, washed clothes and dried out our gear. Then we were well fed and entertained for the evening. We were also very pleased not to be out in the storm in the Dome Forest.

We hitched a ride from one of their visitors into Puhoi the next morning to give Frances foot more rest. The cafe, library and the Pub were visited.

The rest of the crew arrived later in the day with their tales of being on Dome Mountain in the storm.

We have now passed the 500 km mark.

We spent a lovely evening being fed and wined, beered and beded at Trail Angel Ayme’s house. We shared with Gerben and Sanne, a lovely young married couple from Germany.

Next day we kayaked down the Puhoi River to the Wendholm Regional Park, crossing out of Northland into Auckland. There was a big group of us and we had a lot of fun and it was a nice change from walking. We had glimpses of the busy main highway into Auckland as we paddled. After very little mental stimulation for 500 kms I was not looking forward to dealing with a city and it’s noises traffic.

The others carried on while Frances and I made the hard decision that she needed to go home to get fixed up. Her friend was available to pick her up the next day so we headed out for a hobble to get a bus to Orewa. However Aymee and her mum were finishing a walk in the park and picked us up and delivered us to the campground where we sadly said our goodbyes. The plan was for me to continue and complete as much of Auckland as possible. Frances can come and join it a another time. We had already planned a time off from 21 to 26 November so I could attend my father’s 90th birthday so she could add to this break to give herself time to mend.

Thanks to some old contacts at WorleyParsons we managed to score a ride from Whangarei out to the Marsden Point Refining New Zealand site on the workers bus. Thanks Wayne and Medhi.

On arrival Medhi ushered us into the staff cafe where we had coffee and I had a scrumtious caramel and cream donut. Frances had a huge custard cake. Very cheap and okay because of all the walking we are doing. One of the advantages of walking over 50,000 steps a day is that we can afford to eat what we want.

Then we were off following a Pipeline Track, then a road through to Ruakaka. We were too early for the pub so continued on to the beach.

We were not looking forward to another beach walk after the last very long hot day. I was drinking heaps to try and keep myself as cool and hydrated as possible. However the beach was enjoyable as it was overcast and there was a slight breeze. Sometimes it is best to expect the worst and then you will be easily pleased.

We reached the 400 km mark today towards the end of the beach. Both of us are really pleased with our progress and how good we are feeling, bodies and minds. We have not come across anything yet that was unexpected or more challenging than we imagined. I think that we are both quite hard to surprise because we have both traveled and tramped in lots of different environments.

The only problem was all that water I had drunk wasn’t being sweated out so I had to have a record number if pee stops. One was not so successful as I had kept my pack on to do the deed. Somehow I over balanced in midstream and ended up sitting in my pee on the sand. And then I couldn’t get up without Frances helping me. She is too good to me and didn’t even take a photo. I would have taken one if it had been the other way around!

So we carried on with my sandy bum into Waipu where were were going to stay in hostel and have a shower. But it the hostel had closed down apparently because of a relationship breakdown

A local shopkeeper sent us off to the local pub but that was closed as well. (apparently owned by the same couple who owned the hostel). So like Mary and Joseph we had to take up the offer of the shopkeeper to pitch our tents in his backyard.

Larry was really chatty and has had a huge amount of cycling and tramping experience so we were entertained well by him before taking advantage of the offered shower.

We cooked our dinner on his back deck feeling happy to have met another Trail Angel. The people I meet on the way are so much of the enjoyment for me. Their daughter, Laura, was to start the South Island section of the TA after Christmas so Larry was interested in our snozzel as a Christmas present for his daughter. A snozzel is a bag used to capture air to fill an air mattress. It is a very handy piece of equipment as I am usually all puffed out at the end of a day and therefore not wanting to blow up the mattress myself.

Day 24 To Dragons Spell at edge of Langview Track

A strange night

An easy start to the day with a free TA walkers coffee at local coffee shop and I downloaded an ebook at the free wifi.

A fairly boring day today. We started the day 7 km walking alongside a road on a well formed walking track with many seats that beckoned us to stop and rest way before we needed to. Thanks Waipu locals for this.

This was followed by 7.5 km uphill walk along a forestry road. We are definitely getting fitter and stronger as we found the uphill easy. No huffing and puffing like we would have when we started.

The forest had been harvested and other than walking through some low cloudy mist, nothing was worth mentioning about the scenery.

However we came across a couple of youngsters spraying the edge of the road with no protective clothes, gloves or masks. I motioned to them “Mask?” And was told that they were licenced chemical user and glyphosate is harmless. No wonder the forestry industry is still one of the most hazardous industries in NZ.

We arrived quite fresh at our Trail Angel’s, called Dragonspell, not knowing what to expect. The place had been a dry out retreat for alcoholics for many years. You would need to be pretty desperate for a drink to walk 14 km to town (or be an average Te Araroa walker who does it for fun).

• 

• 

Usually I am easily pleased and take things as they come but I didn’t feel at all at ease in this place.  I am not sure whether it was the brown water coming out of the taps, the stale smell, the wetas in the sink, the cobwebs everywhere or the creepy poster above bed, or justs the ghosts of the poor alcoholics drying out there.

I did consider putting up my tent but manned up, put some duct tape over the hole in the horrible poster and read until I fell asleep.

I wear an eye mask and silicon ear plugs so can’t see it hear much through the night so if any ghosts or rats came to visit I didn’t notice too much. But I was up early and pleased to be leaving.

Day 25 Dragons Spell to Mangawai.

A pretty boring day really. We were off and away as soon as it was daylight not really wanting to hang about. Through bush and forest roads then along the Beam Tail Mangawai Walkway to Mangawai Heads beach.

I am definitely a bush and mud girl rather than a beach babe. The coast and beaches are beautiful up here but I have seen enough. Tomorrow should be our last day of beach walking and I won’t be too sad about that at all.

At Mangawhai Heads we asked a local man for directions to the nearest ice cream shop. “Turn left 100 meters up the road and then head a couple of blocks down the street”. Well it was at least 1.5 km to the first left turn and quite a lot more to the shops. We were getting pretty angry with the man who had obviously never walked there. It was hot and we were out of water. We only got there in one piece because we picked some fruit from a tree along the way.

The icecream was bliss. Shoes off and a lunch of cold toast, fish and cucumber revived us enough for our last 4km of road walking to Mangawhai Village.

We had booked a wee cottage in the yard Trail Angels who had also walked most of the Te Araroa. Unfortunately with only about 50km to go one of them broke a leg. That would devastate me if it happened to me. I would make Frances put me in a wheelbarrow and push me to the end.

There was 8 other hikers in tents in the yard along with a free range pet rabbit. We felt like the Ladies of the Manor in our cottage.

Then we put through a call to Frances’s cousin, Mark, to take us to his place for a shower. Coincidentally, Mark had worked at WorleyParsons with me a few years ago and had been following my blog since the beginning. Small world. Shower, beer and snacks in a peaceful bush setting was just what we needed. Thanks Mark.

We were up and ready to go for 8am but had coffee and chats with Hugh and Ros so it was 9am befire were were on our way.

Hugh guided us across the remaining part of the estuary and we went barefoot as he suggested. He carried a bucket and a towel over for us to clean our feet before putting on our shoes. Such a lovely man who clearly enjoys his interaction with the TA hikers.

Then we climbed and climbed and climbed. It is hard work for my old heart to go straight up in the morning especially when it is so hot.

A Trail Angel at the top advised us to fill our water bottles to the brim from her tap as we had a long hot day ahead of us. Thanks Sue.

Then we went down the other side of the “mountain” thankfully through the bush. Because after that we had 6km in 30 degrees along Ocean Beach.

At about 4km mark we had had enough of the soft sand and heat so tried to take a shortcut over the sandhills to a road. However, even though the road was only 500 meters away, there was private land to cross. The signs and full circle cameras made it quite clear that even a couple of harmless older ladies were not welcome.

So we walked along a track that had some vegetation for a km or so. This was better that the beach for sure as when we had to get back there it was soooooo very hot. We both decied that this beach walk was much harder than the Ninety Mile Beach, probably because it was so much hotter and the sand softer.

I felt like swimming in the ocean but it is too much bother taking packs, shoes and clothes off.

Eventually we rounded a point and found some surfers who we chatted with. They were in awe of what we were doing and offered us a lift into Whangarei. Good score.

We needed a day in Whangarei to do a bit of shopping and resupply for the next section. My cousin Josh and his partner Laura kindly agreed to take in 2 smelly ladies for a couple of nights and gave a free range to wash all of our clothes and resort gear.

We paraded around in Josh’s shorts and Tshirts and not much else. Family are great.

Josh cooked hamburgers for dinner and we had bought a big tub of ice-cream to share.

Day 22 Zero day in Whangarei.

All cleaned and refreshed we borrowed Josh’s car and went shopping

• Food for dinner tonight
• New shorts for me as mine are falling off me
• Nose pad for my glasses
• New socks for Frances as hers too hot
• Ankle strap for me. Just for some security
• Food for next few days

Then an afternoon to do the administration duties. I made contact with a mate, Wayne, from New Plymouth who knows people who work at Marsden Point Refinery. We need to get out there to start our walking again in the morning. So that is all sorted and we catch a workers bus at 6.45 am.