Today was full of magic, and I attribute it to the amount I was suffering that brought it on. Last night I arrived at a picnic spot by the beach that allows free camping for one night. My feet were in agony from the roads and on arrival I came across a group of surfers who offered me dinner and a beer. I was served curry and homemade naan bread and could barely even finish my bowl there was so much. The guys and gal were from the UK and Ireland and brought out guitars as the sun went down for a sing along. I was given the egg shaker to play so I didn’t feel left out!

Despite my good sleep, or maybe because I got a taste of life that wasn’t sore feet and hiking, I woke up in a foul mood and was about ready to collapse after the first 3km. I left at 6:15am without making breakfast because I didn’t want to wake the campers around me, so when a woman called out from her home as I walked past at about 7:30am and asked if I wanted a shower, I threw my hands in the air with relief.

Janie gave me a towel and hooked me up with soap to scrub myself down in her outdoor shower. She then made me coffee and breakfast which we ate in the early morning sunshine outside on her patio. Luxury! She told me I HAD to do the coastal walk to Whale Beach and Matapouri Beach, and even though an extra 45 minutes on my feet didn’t appeal, leaving my pack on her patio to collect afterwards did. The walk did me a world of good, reminding me that I do in fact love walking, I just hate all these bloody roads.

I was riding high for a while after that and even met a section hiker named Susan on the trail, but the last 6kms of road walking into Ngunguru basically killed me. It was about 28 degrees, no shade, and my feet were broken. I’d spoken to a man named James earlier who was going to ferry me over the Whangaumu Bay estuary, and he was going to check if the town of Tutukaka close by sold runners. I’ve been dreaming of wearing sneakers for two days now and had my hopes up about this town, but 1.5kms out from Ngunguru James texted me to say he’d called the store and they had nothing. When I received his message I collapsed on the side of the road and balled my eyes out. I can not describe my foot pain, other than to say it’s all encompassing!

When I arrived at the corner store in Ngunguru 20 minutes later a woman said to me, “it’s a hot day to be walking.” At that point I just shook my head and burst into tears again much to her horror. When I finally pulled myself together and explained my foot pain, the woman named Erika told me she lived about 1km south down the trail, and gave me her sandals off her feet to wear. She told me to come to her place to try on shoes and relax with a glass of wine. I did both, and walked away with a pair of new kicks and a host of stories from such a generous and intriguing woman.

A day has passed since I started writing this and so much has happened since then. Susan, the section hiker, and I caught the boat over the bay with James and stayed in one of his cabins that night. His daughter was having her 19th birthday party so there was a large group of young people and tables full of food. I ate myself sick, and the next morning when I left to hit the trail quite early, I found Susan on the floor in the toilet having a major migraine attack. She was trying to give herself an injection, and after running to find help, James and I drove her to the hospital in Whangarei about 30 minutes away. It was all quite frightening, and after Susan was admitted we contacted her son who left immediately from Auckland to collect her. I’m happy to report she’s doing okay, and will hopefully take some time off the trail to recover.

I ended up going to a shoe store in Whangarei as Erika’s sneakers were already hurting my feet (they were the old style rocker sort that are designed to give your calf muscles a work out). I ended up buying a cheap pair of $60 sneakers and a pair of advanced memory foam insoles. They seem to be working well so far!

After leaving James’ late last night I found myself road walking after sunset with nowhere to sleep other than the side of the road for the next 15km. Thankfully I came across a couple leaving their farm and asked if I could sleep in their driveway. They invited me to sleep in their old caravan instead, and despite the 30+ mosquitos I killed, the unit was luxury compared to sleeping in a ditch.

This trail forces you out of your physical, mental and social comfort zones on a daily basis. I’m really learning to take each day as it comes, because something unexpected always seems to be waiting around the next corner.

Today I completed 1/10 of the trail, which actually feels like a big achievement despite having so much still ahead of me. I remember hitting the same milestone on the PCT in Big Bear I think it was. I do a lot of mileage comparisons with the PCT, in fact, I think about the PCT A LOT on this trail, which I’m trying not to do. It’s like thinking about your ex when you’re getting into a new relationship. Not good! 😊

300km mark (I tried to write the number with sticks in the foreground).

My new hiking/tramping strategy is to be on trail by 6:30am, have a short foot rub break at 10/10:30am, and then stop for a long lunch at 12:30/1:00pm to wait out the heat and let my feet rest before pushing my last 10km. I’m averaging between 25-30kms a day, which is pretty good given the grade and surface of the trail, especially when I’m doing long stretches along the road like yesterday.

It was great to get off my feet and paddle across the inlet, and one thing I do love about this trail is that it’s constantly changing. The day before last I went from paddling to road to river to forest and then back to road. I make a point of knowing what’s ahead only enough that I won’t run out of water or go off track, but the surprise of what’s next is part of the adventure of this crazy trail. Loved seeing trail markers on the water!

River section at the beginning of yesterday.

Yesterday when I thought I had another 10km of road there was actually a forest track that absolutely destroyed me! I could only laugh, the steepness of the hills beat the hard ground of the road I guess.

The trail was as steep as the line on this chart I guarantee you!

Despite my excitement about my camping location, I had the worst sleep on trail so far. Instead of waking up to gunshots, I woke up twice to what I think was a possum charging my tent. It literally hit me in the feet and then later straight in the head. I woke up screaming and heard the animal racing into the bushes. I dragged my pack and even my shoes inside with me and just heard the critter racing around me all night. Never during my 6 months of sleeping in the desert, mountains or forest on the PCT did I actually get rammed by an animal in the night!

My dinner last night – I was too tired to cook!

I’m planning to camp at a picnic ground by the beach tonight that apparently allows one night free camping. It might be crowded, but after possums and gunshots and wild horses I’m prepared for a bit of tourist noise… (well we’ll see what the trail brings!)

Back in my element…😊

(Hope this video shows up, WordPress has been playing up on me recently!)

My location on Marriott Island

Yesterday felt like I was part of a moving community again (which is by far one of the best things about the sport/torture/adventure of thru-hiking). I bumped into Sacha from France on the Main Street of Kerikeri and immediately inundated him with questions and incessant babbling as if I hadn’t spoken to another living person for about 6 years. Sacha is kind of doing his own thing, hiking obscenely long days of 40+ kms and then not hiking at all. He was on his way to Paihia to work for a family for a few days and then who knows, but he did provide me with Alex and Bevan’s numbers who arrived later that afternoon.

Cool, random swing bridge before Kerikeri.

Shannon from the States went off the grid, and the boys haven’t heard from or seen her since Ahipara. She might be walking with Katrin from Germany or they also suggested she may have hitched ahead. The boys received the same output of words as Sacha did when they arrived at the holiday park in Kerikeri. I literally recognised their footsteps from inside my tent and shot my head out like a meerkat on alert. I was hoping they’d want to paddle the Waikare Inlet with me, as going alone will cost me double, but Bevan has a friend with a boat that can take them over the water, which has left me stranded in Paihia today hoping another hiker may want to paddle tomorrow.

Paddling route down the Waikare Inlet except I’ll be starting a little further north from Paihia.

Nick and Dan at Bay Beach Hire who rent the kayaks know me as ‘Miss Te Araroa’ after I’ve called them multiples times over the last two days checking to see if anyone else has contacted them. They posted a note on Facebook for me but still no luck. My plan is to wait until tomorrow afternoon and then go on alone unless someone books in for the following day which would be Sunday. Where is everyone??? We need a big group to paddle the 119km section down the Whanganui River further south to cut down on costs, so I need to catch some other hikers soon!

View of the Bay of Islands from Mount Bledisloe.

On the last section I lost my sunglasses two days in, which made for a lot of squinting and dust in the eyes on some of the road sections. But yesterday when Alex arrived he had them in his pack. I had bought a cheap $10 pair to replace them a few hours earlier, but I was SO happy to have my original pair back, and I donated the new pair to a backpacker working on fruit farms for 8 months called Cloe instead.

I was tempted to paddle the crossing today after hiking 25kms to get here, but Dan told me to chill and enjoy Paihia instead. This is my biggest struggle when I have my mind set on a task at hand. I don’t know how to switch out of hiker mode into holiday/relax mode. Some people do it easily, but for me enjoyment comes from being on the trail and making progress. Maybe it’s something the trail is trying to teach me, but when I get momentum I hate to slow down.

Typical lunch break with my feet up.

While I was writing this another thru-hiker arrived at the Pickled Parrot backpackers where I’m staying. Her name is Kess from Vermont who came to NZ to WWOOF (work on organic farms) and hike, and when she learned about the trail she decided to give up the WWOOFing and just hike. I was shocked to discover she’s only 18, which made the fact she’s out here alone that much more impressive! Unfortunately she’s sprained her feet and has been advised by the doctor to take a few days off, so still no paddling buddy, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

I ate fish and chips by the beach tonight to celebrate crossing from the west to the east coast of the country. I’ve hiked almost 250km in 11 days so I’m a little off the 25km average I need to sustain, but my feet will hopefully toughen up soon. I bought some new ‘shock absorbing’ insoles for my shoes but they haven’t seemed to do much. I still haven’t got my hiker hunger yet either, but I expect that to kick in next week some time too!

I feel SO much better with those first two sections behind me. Never once on the PCT did I consider quitting. It wasn’t even an option. But during the forest section I thought about quitting everyday, not in a ‘I’m actually going to quit’ kind of way, but more of an ‘imagine not having to do this anymore’ kind of way. I wonder if maybe in my older age I’m getting soft, or that perhaps I don’t have that naive trail innocence anymore. Either way there’s no way I would allow myself to quit, even if I really wanted to, I don’t think my conscious would ever allow it. The pain of quitting would be worse than anything this trail can throw at me… I think?!?!

Happy Trails from Paihia! Muk 🙂

Yesterday was literally one of the most painful days on my feet I’ve ever experienced. I thought I’d walked at least 30km, but my app sadly told me I only went 25 while it felt like 40! Leaving camp I travelled a few kms along a 4WD track until I descended into the Mangapukahukahu Gorge and found myself walking for 3km down the river. It was absolutely delightful after I was sure I was on the right path!

Best lunch spot on the trail at km 183.

Following the river section there was a very sketchy track along the Waipapa River, which was heavily eroded and downright dangerous at times. The comments on my Guthooks app said taking the river would perhaps be safer, but also that it could be waist deep so I stuck to the trail instead.

It was then up, up and up out of the gorge on one of the steepest tracks imaginable, then once at the top I had the chance to dry out my feet before another 9kms of rock-hard 4WD track.

I was in agony when I went to bed, and when I woke up this morning I had another 24km left to make it to town. If you watched the video from my last post about the farmland you know how my day kicked off, and sadly after a good giggle at myself my right ankle started giving me grief and I started limping through the next paddock. I ended up wrapping my wrist brace around it for a bit of additional support, but I’m zeroing in Kerikeri to give my whole body and mind time to recover.

My wet feet after the horrific farmland.

I cried a lot today, like a child really. I’d convinced myself I would be able make it to town if I swam in the Kerikeri River, and then when I expected to be able to access the river it was too steep to get down. At that point I lost it and burst into hysterics, stamping my feet and yelling, “but I wanted to swim!” I also cursed the incredibly overgrown section along the river that gave me all kinds of allergies, but then right at the end before town, the trail showed it’s charm and seduced me into appreciating it again!

It actually got worse after I took this pic.

Rainbow Falls

It’s amazing what a boost arriving in town and meeting some nice friendly locals can do! Thanks to Peter for the ride into town, the lovely woman at the holiday park reception whose name starts with a ‘B’ for the encouraging chat, and to Andy and his kids Frank and Lucile for keeping me company on the neighbouring tent space! 🙂

My hiking pole broke already!

Kerikeri Holiday Park

I had to post this video now because I’m literally in stitches watching it. As horrendous as this section was, I haven’t laughed this hard since being on the trail. Enjoy!

I’m camping at km 174 tonight at a campsite called Apple Dam 500m off the trail. I can tell you now it was not worth the additional 500m to get here, but considering the trail is a 4WD track through the Omahuta Forest, I’m happy not to be out there on the side of the road by myself.

After the horror of the mud this morning and then 6 painful and rather dangerous kilometres along the side of State Highway 1, I ran into some very unexpected trail magic. When I was on the beach on my third day resting in the shade, a car drove over to check if I was okay after I’d waved to it as an acknowledgement. In the car was a Kiwi called Jason, and when I told him I’d been walking since 2:30am he was astounded. I think his actual turn of phrase was “you’ve gotta be shittin’ me”, in a very thick Kiwi accent. He sat and chatted for a few minutes and then drove off, and after I arrived at the Mangamuka Dairy at 1pm today (a takeaway/corner store along the highway), Jason’s truck pulled in just after I arrived.

Now I must admit when I saw him and he said “hey you’re still walking”, it did cross my mind that maybe he’d followed me somehow or timed my arrival, and when he offered to buy me a cold drink I politely declined. But then after ordering a burger and looking around the store for a beverage, my travel Visa card declined, as did my Aussie debit card. I was forced to walk back outside to Jason’s truck with my tail between my legs and ask if I could borrow $10 for lunch. Without blinking an eye he stuffed $20 in my hand and told me to keep the change. I didn’t keep the change, but the $10 allowed me to eat the burger I’d been dreaming about for the last few hours, and drink a cold Gatorade after surviving on less than 500ml of water for 4 hot hours.

Jason and I ate lunch together and chatted about NZ and all the random businesses he’s involved with including Manuka honey, of which he insisted I take some. We had some pretty damn honest conversations, which I promised I would never share and I will hold that promise, but being able to speak to someone like an old friend after 2 days of solitude was just what I needed.

I declined Jason’s offer to drive me the last part of the highway, as I want to stay true to the trail even though the roads are KILLING me!! Once off the highway I thought I was going into forest again, but it was all gravel road for the last 10km getting here, and my toes are so sore they feel itchy and hot like they’re burning up or sunburned.

Where are all the hikers?? If the guys behind me skip the roads they might catch up, but I haven’t caught up to anyone else this whole section which seems really strange. I also thought I was arriving in Kerikeri tomorrow, but after checking my app I realised I still have 50km to go which will take me two days. Thankfully I have a ton of food still, but mentally I was already standing under a hot shower tomorrow afternoon. I reek of sweat and actually forgot how rancid one can smell after four days of sweating through clothing.

Time for bed now. Goodnight from the TA where the birds are still singing me to sleep at 8pm, and for the first time on this trip, it’s raining!

I’m currently camping at km 146 of the TA trail in the Raetea Forest 721m above sea level. I thought yesterday through the Herekino Forest was bad, but that was just a warm up. Today the trail literally kicked my arse, and dropped me in the mud multiple times after so carefully avoiding it yesterday.

I’m glad the Herekino Forest was so horrible, because after 15km of road walking today, when the Raetea Forest section proved worse, I was already prepared for it. For the first four hours I just sucked it up, then I got a little more aggressive in my cursing by the afternoon. I was going to push 31km to get out of the forest, but after so many hours, there’s no way my knees would have stood up to the 8km descent.

This was a video I took towards the end of the Herekino Forest yesterday.

I’m pretty sure I can camp in this forest, but there’s absolutely no water here, and after sweating through my clothing so badly that I even had to ring out my handkerchief from my pocket, I’m rationing the 400ml I have left for tonight and the 500ml I’ve saved to get me 8km to water tomorrow. I walked from 6:30am until nearly 6pm this evening and I only made it 24km. This trail is no joke. I’m not sure I’ve climbed anything this steep except for maybe the Howe Sound Crest Trail between Vancouver and Squamish in Canada. The Kiwis obviously have no desire for switchbacks because the trail literally goes straight up and down.

It hasn’t rained since I arrived in NZ, so I can’t even imagine what these sections must be like when it’s wet. It’s sad really because these forest tracks are only going to continue getting tramped on and the mud situation will only get worse. Yesterday I seriously asked myself what the hell am I doing here, but today my body and feet actually felt better so I didn’t have such dark thoughts, but it’s a pretty morbid start to the TA – the painful beach and then the steep muddy forests. What on earth will be next?

I can’t wait to catch up to more hikers to hear what they think of the trail. I seem to be two days behind the folks ahead and one day ahead of the folks behind so I’ve seen no one for the past two days. I even slept in a weird thru-hiker shack in the middle of a cow paddock alone last night which was fun but creepy when I heard a possum running under my bunk bed. I was too tired to write last night so here is the video I took instead.

I’m actually really glad I camped when I did tonight because I’m feeling pumped about tomorrow and the trail for the first time since day one. I already feel stronger, and apart from the painful road walking I’m feeling psyched about what’s to come! I just hope I run into a few more hikers in my next town stop in Kerikeri. I should be there in 2 days time!

Today was the first time I really connected with other hikers on this trip, and from what I learned on the PCT, that’s what makes a thru-hike what it is. You can’t appreciate the pain and suffering until you laugh about it with someone else who’s just suffered the exact same mental and physical pain as you. I realise it’s only Day 5 and I’m complaining as if I’ve been out here for months with 1000 miles under my belt, but I tell you, that beach was something else, and I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain upon anyone.

After finishing my post this morning I sat up and inspected my blisters and immediately got out the needle. After yellow goo started oozing out I decided to rest up for the morning and see how I felt by the afternoon, and after tucking into a great book – ‘A life in stitches’ by Rachael Herron with my feet up on the couch, I decided if I’m going to spend a day off trail, this place is not a bad one to be in.

One of the hikers I met today was an amazing German woman named Katrin, who after studying biology and getting 3 years into her PHD decided to quit academia and now does energy healing and bee keeping on the South Island of NZ. Her pack is the size of Pac Man’s on the PCT and must weigh about 80 pounds. She’s got a full size camera tripod strapped to the outside and has a CPR mask in her first aid kit. She also carries Hydrogen Peroxide drops (food grade strength) that she gave me to put on my blisters to stop any infection. It literally bubbled on my foot so we’ll see what my blister looks like tomorrow.

Later in the afternoon the gang I’ve been bumping into along the beach arrived. There’s Alex from Germany, Shannon from the States and Bevan from Bay of Islands in NZ. They’re an awesome crew and all have their unique qualities. Shannon has an ultralight pack but bought a packet of carrots, two full onions and three packets of spinach for the next leg. Alex eats like me, noodles and potato chips, and when asked if he’s hiking the whole trail always says ‘I’m trying to’ instead of yes. And Bevan is a happy go lucky Kiwi that seems to just go with the flow. I think only Alex may leave tomorrow and since I’m off early I wonder when I’ll see the others next. That’s the fun part about thru-hiking, you might see them tomorrow, in a week, or in 3 months time! You just never know!

I need to grab some supplies as I head out of town tomorrow for the next 120km stretch. I’ve been told you can’t camp in the forest, and when I asked where you can camp the answer was nowhere. I’m taking this trail as it comes, not planning too far ahead and going with whatever comes up as it does. We’ll see if this tactic serves me well or not!

Goodnight from the Ahipara Holiday Park!