Day 34: (December 8th) 22.9mi/36.8km Mangaokewa Road campsite to Ngaherenga campsite

I’m awake at the usual 6:30am, and walking at 7:15. It’s cold in the morning, so I keep an extra layer on for a couple of hours. The entire day is a roadwalk, and I only see 3 cars and 0 other hikers all morning.

But, I do see a nice “900” km sign someone made!

It gets hot by noon, and I pass Andrew (US), drying his tent and eating lunch. I stop for lunch an hour later, and we leapfrog again.

The next road is paved, and it’s a very hot 8km, and I’m glad to arrive at the campsite. I see the usual suspects at camp (Paul, Andrew, Andrea, Nathan), and Franzi, a Swedish duo, and a US couple show up later.

Some car campers are staying nearby, and they give us their extra food! Sausages, amazing!

Day 35: (December 9th) 22.9mi/36.9km Ngaherenga campsite to Piropiro campsite

As usual, I start hiking a little after 7am, and it’s fleece/hat weather. Today is the start of the Timber trail, a long bike trail that is very well maintained.

After a couple of hours, there is a side trail to the small summit of Pureora mountain. Franzi & I dash up to the summit, where there are great views of our upcoming terrain – Tongariro NP and Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu.

The trail is also very well signed. Even cell phone spots!

The Timber trail is also known for some very long suspension bridges (“swingbridge”).

The day was a nice relaxing cruise on a nice trail, and in good weather!

We got to camp at 5pm, and enjoyed some extended sitting time!

Day 36: (December 10th) 26.0mi/41.7km Piripiro campsite to Bennett Road campsite

There is so much to look at on this section! Since the trail is so good, I can look around and see the views, and not just my feet.

After the temperature warmed up, I had my usual 2nd breakfast.

This part of the forest was historically used for logging, and there is alot of old infrastructure that is on display.

There is even an old railroad loop that the path follows, and it goes thru a tunnel to cross itself. Cool!

The other landmark today was the 1000km spot!

We got to camp at 5:30pm, and Franzi and I sleep in the little hut, while Paul and Andrew choose to camp. I just don’t trust the weather around here….

Day 37: (December 11th) 15.9mi/25.7km Bennett Road campsite to Taumarunui

Today is a town day, and a short 25km walk, so it was easy to get up early. I was walking at 6:30am, planning to be in town for lunch & milkshakes! It’s an easy dirt road walk thru sheep country.

The rain held off, an I arrived to town still dry. I met Andrea for lunch at a Thai food place, then we all organized the upcoming canoe section.

It looks like there will be 8 of us (2 per canoe), departing on December 20th, and arriving at a holiday park on the 24th, for a total of 5 days on the Whanganui River. Since the canoe company will transport our food along with the canoes, we go a little crazy during the grocery shopping. Wine, sauces, fruit… weight is no issue!

We hitch to a holiday park, and hang out for a few hours until dinner.

Day 29: (December 3rd) 9.8mi/15.7km Hamilton CBD to Whatawhata/Backyard Bar

I get up at 7am in the hostel, and go and get the free breakfast in the kitchen. I have a relaxing morning with toast, juice and cereal, and update my blog. I leave at noon, and get my new shoes from the post office.

Then I walk to burger King and get a milkshake and lunch, and wait out the heavy rains. Amanda texts me at 2pm, and I leave to catch up to her and Ruben (we caught up to Ruben!). Of course there’s a roadwalk, and then a nice stroll thru an arboretum.

Unfortunately, the next 2km is thru an overgrown farm field, and it starts raining heavily. It’s a total carwash.

Knowing I am heading to camp at (yet another) bar, I push on to get indoors sooner. I get to the Backyard Bar at 6pm, and Amanda and Ruben show up a little later, along with a Czech guy named Tomas.

It’s raining hard, so Roger (the owner) let’s us camp indoors. Perfect!

Day 30: (December 4th) 19.9mi/32.0km Whatawhata/Backyard Bar to Pirongia Hut

We get up before 7am, and then watch as another heavy band of rain comes at 7am. We wait it out, and head out before 8am in a light rain. It’s easy paved roadwalking, and my umbrella is doing a great job!

The road changes to dirt, then deteriorates to a sheep track.

We follow this slippery wet track for a couple of hours thru farmland, then take a break on a bridge for lunch.

The rain has stopped, and there’s even some sun! The next roadwalk is easy, and then the big climb up Pirongia mountain starts off easy.

It’s a 900m climb, and it’s much colder at the top! I keep moving the last few km to the hut, the first hut of the trail! So exciting, I finally get to use my $90 hut pass.

We hit 800km today!

Day 31: (December 5th) 20.7mi/33.3km Pirongia Hut to Airstrip

I get up at 6:30am, and Paul and I pack up and leave around the same time. Tomáš, Amanda, and Ruben are just behind. It’s very cold & windy up at 950m elevation, so I hike in my fleece & beanie for the first couple hours.

The trail descends back to a low elevation, but it’s really muddy, so very slow going. Like 2km per hour! I was so happy to see a road!

I catch Paul on the road, and we stop for a lunch break shortly after. The afternoon is mostly walking thru farmland, and it’s a decent track.

At 6pm, we get to a flat spot just after an airstrip, and setup camp.

Day 32: (December 6th) 19.5mi/31.5km Airstrip to Te Kuiti

Paul & I wake early, before 6am, and pack up quickly before it starts to rain.

Which it does rain, about an hour later. We walk a wet forest and farm track a morning, and keep moving to stay warm.

We get to Waitomo, and have a lunch break, at a proper picnic table! Good stuff.

The afternoon is more farm track walking, but it’s mostly nice farm track.

At the end, there is a short roadwalk into Te Kuiti, and we get to the New World grocery store at 4pm.

Strange chip flavors.

We do a quick resupply, and call our hostel to get a ride. Andrea is there, along with some new faces – Nathan (US), Franzi (Germany), and a NOBO hiker named Wako (Japan).

Day 33: (December 7th) 12.6mi/20.3km Te Kuiti to Mangaokewa Road campsite

Everyone woke up at 6:15am, since we had to be ready by 7:30to get a ride into town. It’s a cold morning, so Andrea, Franzi and I stop at the New world first for some hot drinks.

Upon walking out of town, we see that Te Kuiti is the sheep-shearing capital of NZ! Cool.

The hiking starts off on a nice forest track, but after an hour it becomes a little muddy & slow. At least our lunch spot is nice – a picnic table by a river!

The trail improves after lunch, and enters some farmland.

Around 5pm Franzi and I stop to join Paul (and like 10 others) at an official campsite.

It’s a nice flat spot, and even has a toilet and a cooking shelter! Early to bed tonight, tomorrow is a long 40+km day of roadwalkin!

Day 21: (November 25th) 16.7mi/26.8km J Tolhopf Road to Orewa Beach Holiday Park

We wake up in the barn, and didn’t sleep well last night, because the lambs had just been weaned and were crying all night. Finally the rain stops, and we head out. The first hour is thru a high grass field, which is occasionally muddy and slippery.

Finally we come out onto the Puhoi River track, and it’s soo nice! It follows above the river for a couple hours, and drops us into the town of Puhoi, which is having a Sunday farmer’s market. Perfect!

After a nice break with fresh fruit and bread, we do a scary roadwalks along the highway 1 motorway, where it’s 4 lanes wide and the speed limit is 100. Yikes.

After another ice cream breakat a small dairy, we hit a beach section. It’s a rocky beach, but fun.

And it has a cave! Andrea & Amanda are exploring its depths.

We get to the town of Orewa Beach, and stay at a holiday park, where Achille is waiting for us. There are 4 of us, so it’s actually cheaper to get a cabin (4 bunks) than a tent site… perfect!

Day 22: (November 26th) 12.2mi/19.6km Orewa Beach Holiday Park to Brown’s Bay

We get a really late start, since we need to cross an estuary in 8miles, and low tide isn’t until 4:30pm. We hang out at the holiday park all morning, and leave just after noon. Andrea has a painful knee, so she takes a bus to Auckland and will meet us tomorrow. The 3 of us do the easy roadwalk to a grocery store, where I buy a trash bag to protect my pack in case the water crossing is deep.

The distances in the next section are a little off, so we end up running a few short stretches to make up time. I’ve attempted to link a video here:

Then, the crossing!

Achille and I find an optimal spot to cross, and it’s only mid-thigh deep. Not too bad!

Amanda catches up, and we make our way across some nice fields.

We are staying at a friend’s house tonight. I was introduced to Ben thru a mutual friend in Boston, and he and his family have invited us for dinner! So amazing!

Day 23: (November 27th) 13.4mi/21.6km Brown’s Bay to Auckland CBD

We get up at 7am, and have an incredible breakfast – croissants, coffee, all the good things. We say our goodbyes, and start moving around 8am.

Most of the day is roadwalks, or along paths on the coast.

It’s a good day for walking, not raining or too hot. We get to the ferry terminal at 1pm, where we have to take a $7 hourly ferry to get across the harbor to Auckland.

Of course, I find ice cream.

We get into Auckland CBD an hour later. I find the Christmas decorations terrifying, but admire the dedication.

We stay at a hostel downtown, and go out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Mmm… margaritas!

Day 24: (November 28th) 25.2mi/40.6km Auckland CBD to Manukau / Roscommon Rd

I get up late, and catch a bus to Manakau City, so I can slack-pack the 40km back to the same hostel. I start hiking at 9am, and promptly cross paths with Paul! I also see 4 other hikers, and then I enter the airport area.

I stop for a milkshake and lunch at a KFC, which are weirdly common here. A few kilometers later there are these amazing futuristic toilets here that talk to you, here is the video: https://youtu.be/74miL0G1GS0

The rest of the afternoon is quieter, along walkways, in parks and green spaces.

I go over the famous One Tree Hill, which is now missing its tree.

Also, Mt Eden, another famous Auckland landmark.

I get back into the city at 6pm, and Andrea has made dinner at the hostel! She rocks. Especially because it’s fish tacos. Good day!

Day 25: (November 29th) 16.6mi/26.7km Manukau/Roscommon Rd to Ramarama/Maxted Rd

I get up and check out of the hostel, and catch the same bus back to Manakau city, to pick up where I left off. It’s mostly a road walk day, though the trail does go thru a nice botanical gardens. Not a very eventful day.

I’m approaching my planned camping spot at Ramarama RV Park, and a woman pulls over and offers me a ride to her house, and a place to stay! So nice! I arrive to the house and meet her husband Brent, and we chat on the porch and watch the approaching rainstorm. Their kids arrive home from school, and we have a lovely dinner together.

Day 26: (November 30th) 18.0mi/29.0km Ramarama/Maxted Rd to Mercer

I say goodbye to Brent & family, and hit the trail at 8am when the kids leave for school.

It’s more roadwalks today, but Scenic and mostly on quiet roads.

There is a scary 3km section on highway 2, but it’s over with quickly. I turn off the road onto a “stopbank” (a grass levee to prevent river flood), and catch Amanda, yay!

The rest of the afternoon is on stopbanks, and we arrive to the town of Mercer. We setup our tents behind Podges Place, a hiker-friendly local bar. And there is a cheese factory next door!

After cheese, we indulge in the all you can eat BBQ dinner. Life is good.

Day 27: (December 1st) 24.5mi/39.3km Mercer to Huntly Whirotangi Park

It rained almost all night, and I pack up as soon as the rain stops, and Amanda and I hike out at 7:15am. The first 3km is in overgrown & swampy farm fields, and is annoying. We are so happy to see a road!

The 5km walk along SH1 isn’t bad, at least there is a nice wide shoulder.

The next part is on a stopbank along the Waikato River, and even has some cows for entertainment.

We stop at an amazing pie place for a late lunch, and wait out some heavy rains. The rest of the afternoon is on a stopbank, and we pass thru a beautiful Huntly golf course. We stop to camp in a small riverside park near a power plant, and setup our tents just in time before the next rain comes!

Day 28: (December 2nd) 25.5mi/41.2km Huntly Whirotangi Park to Hamilton CBD

I wake up early at 6am, as the area doesn’t feel super safe (graffiti & broken glass). I walk the road for an hour.

I get to a forest section, where I wait for Amanda. After 30 minutes, I figure she changed plans, so I continue on. The path starts off very nice, and even has stairs.

Then… 8km of mud & overgrown trail. Darn. It’s slow, and it rains hard most of the way, but I get to the summit tower on the other side of the ridge at 12:30pm.

I cruise down the stairs, and I start to warm up. I take a break at the bottom, where it’s nice and sunny, and spread out some gear to dry. The motivational sign helps my cold wet psyche.

I continue thru a small town, which is having a festival.

The rest of the walk into Hamilton is quite nice, on a bike path along the Waikato River.

I get to town at 6pm and checkin to my hostel. Long day!

Day 15: (November 19th) 11.4mi/18.3km Nikau Bay camp to Taiharuru camp

I get a planned late start, for the timing of today’s estuary crossings. The first crossing isn’t bad, only mid-thigh deep.

The are many other hikers around us, I think there were15 people crossing today!

After 10km, we hit the next estuary crossing. This one was much wider, and seemed more worrisome. We were kind of racing between the two crossings, to try to hit the lowest tide at both of them. After a few minutes of poking around the tidal mud, we found the proper (shallowest) place.

The crossing went fine, again only mid-thigh deep, with no current. After crossing, one of the hikers fell in the thick mud on the shore. Oops!

The camping options in this area are rather limited, so we opted for a shorter day, and stayed at a spot a few kms after the last river. A local 16-year old had set up a camping area, and even had an old trailer setup for showers, kitchen, and a sitting area!

A few other hikers joined the 4 of us, including a kiwi couple, Ben and Amy. We had a very entertaining group!

Amanda “grocery shopping” in the rubbish bin.

Its rains for an hour, so we hang out inside for the evening. After a nice shower and dinner, I went to bed early, a big day planned tomorrow!

Day 16: (November 20th) 22.2mi/35.8km Taiharuru camp to Ruakaka Beach Holiday Park

I got up and moving on trail early, at 6:30am, for the long distance to cover today. It was very cold (7C), but the views were incredible!

By the time we got to the beach section, it was a little warmer.

Our view for the next couple hours.

The hills that are at the end of the beach in that photo, we climbed up, they are about 300m high.

The view from the top, back to the beach.

Another view, looking west.

The route traverses the ridge, with many good views. Some hikers accidentally make the wrong turn here, and have to to a roadwalk!

The trail drops off the ridge, and heads towards a harbor. On the nicer tracks, the DOC has installed stairs!

I meet up with the group around 1pm, waiting at a dairy. It’s cash-only, so I’m able to exercise some willpower and skip the milkshake this time!

There is a harbor crossing, with a boat that will pick you up, for a nominal fee. Since the boat usually arrives at 3pm, we get there early at 2pm. After several passing thunderstorms, and a comedy of errors, we finally get a ride across with some sympathetic locals!

Ruben is always ready for the camera!

The boat drops us off, and we walk the remaining 10km to the holiday park. It rains…hard. I love my umbrella! And we are thankful to be staying in a cabin tonight!

Day 17: (November 21st) 10.5mi/16.8km Ruakaka camp to Camp Waipu Cove

Another rainy day! We wake up in the cabin, and it’s pouring out. It stops around 9am, so we head out shortly after. It’s only 12km to the next town, where there is a pizza place & brewery! And just as important, an indoor spot to escape the forecasted rain!

The rainy beach walk.

At lunch, Ruben, Andrea, Amanda and I celebrate the 400km milestone…using pizza and chips (fries)!

We lounge around for a couple hours, but then venture out into the gloomy skies. It’s another 12km to our destination, and I use my umbrella for most of it. It’s not quite raining, but “mizzling” (thanks Andrea for the new word!)

Ruben joins the 4 of us, and we all split a cabin at Camp Waipu Cove holiday park. There is a playground on site, so some shenanigans ensued.

It rains again after dinner, and it’s nice to be going to bed early…and indoors!

Day 18: (November 22nd) 18.4mi/29.7km Camp Waipu Cove to Riverside Holiday Park

Ruben, Andrea and Amanda all get an early start, as the weather looks nice. I make a hot breakfast (which I almost never do), so I don’t get moving on trail until almost 8am.

It’s a nice morning!

I walk alone all morning, enjoying the green countryside and blue skies. After a couple hours in a forest, the trail begins to approach the sea again.

I meet up for lunch with Achille, Andrea and Amanda in town. I get too much food (as usual), but it’s so delicious!

Today is Thanksgiving, so we stop at a grocery to try and get some stuff. No turkey, but I pick up chicken, gravy, and apple cider. And the usual suspects get some wine!

American Thanksgiving in NZ!

We hang out in the lounge room, and have fun messing around with the piano and other toys. A good holiday!

Day 19: (November 23rd) 20.5mi/33.0km Riverside Holiday Park to Govan Wilson Road

A big day! I didn’t know exactly how long it would be, as camping options are a bit nebulous around this part.

The entire morning was a beach walk. The last long one too, I believe.

There are two spots on the beach where a small stream crossing is necessary, obviously easier at a lower tide. The first crossing was only a couple meters wide, and quite shallow:

The other crossing was 20m wide, but also only knee deep, so easy. We caught a nice lunch break at the end of the beach, under a shady tree.

Then, onto the forest!

It started off nice…

Then it became a root-y mess. This spot is especially confusing, as the sign blocks the trail, and sub-consciously diverts you the wrong way. Oops!

Our intended camping spot was overgrown with gorse (a thick, sharp grassy plant), so I texted a local who offers his garage to hikers. Matt replied back with an invitation, so off we went! We arrived at 6pm, though he did get home until an hour later. So we made dinner and hung out with the resident chicken, “Jamie”

We set up in the garage. So nice and dry!

Another long day, some rain, and a dry bed!

Day 20: (November 24th) 20.2mi/32.5km Govan Wilson Road to J Tolhopf Road

Guess what…it rained again last night! And, most of the morning too.

My umbrella hasn’t dried out in awhile!

We hike all morning thru the Dome Forest, which is muddy, but not too bad considering all the recent rains. Our planned lunch spot is the Done Cafe, and I make it there just before noon. Then at noon, it starts raining HARD. And sideways. Nice to be inside!

After a couple hours indoors avoiding the hardest of the rain, we venture out after 2pm to finish the day. It’s mostly walking on farm roads, and is nice to be out of the muddy forest. Along the way, we hit the 500km marker!

After a couple more hours of hiking, it’s getting late, so we knock on a door, and a very friendly nice older woman answers. She says we can camp on her lawn, but it’s forecast to rain tonight, so she calls up her neighbor, and he invites us to sleep in his barn. Score!

Hopefully this rainy spell ends soon. But for now, another dry night “indoors”!

-Recon

Day 10: (November 14th) 15.9mi/25.8km Kerikeri to Paihia

I woke up as usual just after 6am, and packed up a wet tent. Camping near rivers is a losing battle against moisture. It’s a nice quiet walk back through town, and I’m back on trail 30 minutes later. It’s a nice walk along the Kerikeri river:

The path leaves the river at the Stone Store, NZ’s oldest building, from 1821!

It feels like not a day goes by without walking thru some farm fields, which of course means the requisite greeting “Hi cows!”

The water sources on this section are less than desirable. Good thing it’s a short section!

As I got closer to the next town, Paihia, the Bay of Islands came into view… beautiful!

The rest of the walk into town was on dirt and paved roads. It’s easy walking, but it makes my feet unhappy. At least I was distracted by the views and thoughts of town food!

We got into town early, and the three of us (Andrea/”Kumquat”, Amanda, and I) shared a bunk room at the Pickled Parrot. It was a fun spot, and we saw other TA walkers come in, so we all got to swap stories!

Day 11: (November 15th) 0mi/0km Zero day in Paihia

We decided to take a zero day, to rest our feet & legs. This trail is kind of relentless with the roadwalking, and it’s catching up. Paul is moving on today, but I’m hopeful we can catch him again! We have arranged for some kayaks tomorrow morning, as there is a 17km water section that requires paddling. But for today, nothing to do but some quick town chores (groceries, laundry) and relaxing!

Andrea is a food lover, and made this wonderful Mexican casserole for dinner in the hostel kitchen!

Day 12: (November 16th) 16.0mi/25.7km Paihia to Russell Forest hut

This was an easy day on the feet! We woke up late, since we didn’t have to be at the kayak shop until 11am, and it was only 5 minutes away. We had a brief safety introduction, and then we were on our way!

We paddled across the bay, and up Waikare inlet. Such a nice day too!

After 3.5 hours of paddling, we pulled our boats up to shore, and Dan (kayak owner) picked them up in his truck, and we were back on our way into the forest.

The trail into Russell Forest started off nice, then quickly joined a small stream, which we hiked in for 4km or so.

We decided to camp near a hut in the forest, it had some flat grassy areas to pitch tents. It will be wet and dewy, but the terrain in these forests doesn’t give many camping options!

Day 13: (November 17th) 20.8mi/33.4km Russell Forest hut to Morepork Track

As expected, I wake up with a tent soaked in dew. Sweet- another long lunch break to dry it out!

The first hour is nice walking on a forest 4wd road, and then it drops us out onto a paved road for 13k. Bleh.

As we are nearing our planned lunch spot by a small beach, a man approaches us, and tells us we can get water from his house down the street. People here are so nice!

Our lunch spot by a beach. Lots of people and gear drying out!

The afternoon is a hike up into the forest, climbing up 300m. It’s a very new and well marked trail!

We take a nice break at the top of the 300m climb, and enjoy the beautiful weather. We’ve had nice sunny weather for the two weeks that I’ve been here!

Hikertrash heap #27 of he trail: Amanda, Achille, and Andrea

We decided to camp on a highpoint on the Morepork track, so after another 10k of walking, we arrive at 6pm and setup our tents. It’s a very small spit, since the tents are suuuper close.

Day 14: (November 18th) 21.6mi/34.8km Morepork Track to Nikau Bay camp

Well, last night’s camp spot wasn’t as ideal as we thought. So…. many…possums. We slept with our food to keep it safe, and the possums kept screeching all night long. We didn’t get much sleep, but had to get up early to push almost 35km to a river crossing by 5:30pm, where a local man (James) would pick us up in his fishing boat.

I was half awake, but I remembered to take some morning photos:

Andrea cleaning off her shoes, at one of many cleaning stations designed to prevent Kauri dieback disease (a fungus which kills the large trees)

A few kms later, we cross the longest pedestrian footbridge in the southern hemisphere!

The rest of the morning is a beautiful walk thru some farm areas

As we are walking by some houses on a roadwalk, a man says “would you all like a cold beer?” It’s only 11am, but why not?

The four of us hikers joined the six of them, and they had been watching the “All Blacks” game and drinking all morning, haha! After a couple beers and an hour, we got moving again to catch our boat at 5:30pm.

Along the way, we passed a MASSIVE tree!

We made it to the boat dock around 6pm. A little later than planned, but we had a fun beer stop, and I forgot my hiking pole at a dairy, so I had to run back the 1km to get it…ugh.

We stayed at James’ camp, camp Nikau. A great spot, we even had a campfire!

We can sleep in tomorrow– there will be an estuary to cross tomorrow, and low tide isn’t until noon. A relaxing night!

//Recon

Day 5: (November 9th) 19.4mi/31.2km Ahipara to Takahue Saddle Rd

We pack up wet, dew covered tents, and after a delicious breakfast of leftover fish and chips, start the long road walk to town (Kaitaia).

SH1 is a busy paved road, but there is good scenery

In town, I stop by the Post office and mail my extra shoes ahead to Hamilton, using a service they have called “Post Restante”. The resupply at the grocery is always entertaining, food is so different here:

The rest of the day drags on, along another roadwalk along paved and then gravel roads.

There are hundreds of cows to keep us entertained along to way! Moo.

We saw several mailboxes that were old microwaves…very strange. Later, we asked some locals and they explained that some people were trying to save money, clever!

As we are approaching the end of the roadwalk, a man walks up to us from his front yard, and offers the 3 of us a place to stay tonight! Rain is in the forecast, and he is very kind in offering, and we decide to stay. Amazing luck!

Day 6: (November 10th) 13.6mi/21.8km Takahue Saddle Rd to camp near Mangamuka

We sleep in till 8am, and lounge around having a late breakfast, hitting the trail at 10 am. We say goodbye to Joe and Koryna, the very generous and hospitable local couple who we stayed with last night.

The roadwalk starts off easy enough, and has no traffic. It climbs up and up to the start of the Raetea forest.

The forest itself is a huge muddy mess, and I spend so much time avoiding the deepest parts, that I completely forget to take any photos. Here is one from our break spot

After our break, the 3 of us started moving faster, realizing that there were only 4 hours of daylight left, but 10 more kilometers, and our average pace in the shin-deep mud was only 1.5 km/hour. We left the forest at 9pm, 30 minutes after sunset, and got to camp soon thereafter. It took so long to wash all the mud off in the creek, I didn’t get to bed until 10pm. Long day!

Day 7: (November 11th) 11.3mi/18.3km Mangamuka camp to Apple Dam camp

I was actually looking forward to the roadwalk today, because it’s not a muddy forest. After an hour or so of walking, the route goes by a dairy. We were talking about milkshakes and ice cream all morning, but unfortunately it was closed! D’oh!

It was an easy rest of the day, on some dirt farm roads. I made some phone calls to family back home; it’s rare that I have service when it’s also a reasonable hour back in the US.

Just before camp, there was a cool huge old stump, of a Kauri tree (NZ’s version of a sequoia, I think?)

This section has limited camps, so this camp was quite crowded, with 15 people. I met some new faces, including a group of French hikers, and another group of German hikers. Cool!

We got into camp quite early, so we played cards, socialized, and went to bed early (8pm) for the long day tomorrow!

Day 8: (November 12th) 20.3mi/32.7km Apple Dam camp to Puketi camp

I started out in the dark, since I knew it would be a long day.

After awhile, the dirt road degraded to a nice trail.

This section was the most fun I’ve had in trail so far, walking in the Mangapukahukahu creek!

After the creek, there is an hour of following a different river on a trail that runs alongside it. It was in the process of being improved, with nice boardwalks to avoid the sidehill sections.

Then, the trail climbs the Puketi ridge, and becomes a very nice trail, the nicest I’ve seen so far here.

Giant Kauri tree.

The final few hours were on an old 4wd road, with no cars, no people, and plenty of views!

Again, camp was busy this night, as it is the only legal camping in the Puketi forest area. The restrictions are to prevent Kauri dieback disease, a fungus which gets into the tree roots and kills the (already endangered) trees.

My favorite day so far!

Day 9: (November 13th) 13.9mi/22.2km Puketi camp to Kerikeri

The walk started at the usual time, just after 7am, and we all were excited to get to town today in Kerikeri. Hot food!

The morning was some fun walking thru sheep and cow fields.

Along the way, a very curious herd of cows was a good diversion. Moo!

Eventually, we entered a short forest, and then joined a path along the Kerikeri river. We had to wash our feet here (this seems common) to prevent the spread of Kauri dieback disease.

Just before getting to town, we passed by 25m high Rainbow falls.

I thought about swimming, but the water was so cold! And I was hungry. So, onward!

The 4 of us got to town at 2pm, it feels great to have the whole afternoon to relax! I grabbed a nice chicken sandwich and chips, and then checked in to the backpacker’s camp down by the river.

We’ve now crossed almost all the way from the west coast to thr east coast…what a week!

-R

The last 36 hours have been a whirlwind of activity here in NZ. I landed Saturday afternoon (never saw Friday!), and had the experience of going thru NZ biosecurity. They ask all sorts of questions about plants, seeds, & food, and even check your hiking shoes and tent! I picked up a couple of 60-day Sim cards for my phone, I went with Vodaphone since I’m told that company will work better in the rural northlands. It’s an easy bus ride to downtown Auckland (public transit is great here), and I finished my errands, checked-in to my hostel, and promptly passed out.

Sunday was mostly a transit day, I rode a bus from Auckland to Kaitaia.

As the driver was loading the luggage on the bus, I saw some hiker packs (gossamer gear, osprey, ULA), so I kept my eye out for other hikers. Partway through the journey, we switched to a smaller bus, and I was seated next to a couple hikers! They were friendly women, doing their first long hike, traveling from the US also.

Once in Kaitaia, I did my food shopping and started hitching to Cape Reinga. The first two rides only took me 10km each, and the third offered to bring me to “Utea”, a camp for TA hikers. It was almost 5pm, so I accepted, and camped at a nice facility with showers, smoothies, and a full kitchen!

Day 1: (November 5th) 7.6mi/12.2km Cape Reinga to Twilight Camp

I woke up late, since I knew the ride to the Cape wasn’t leaving until 0930. Tania was a fun driver, pointing out local landmarks on the way. Then, almost at the end, we got stuck behind a herd of sheep on the road!

We arrived at Cape Reinga just before 11am, took our photos, and started walking south at 11am.

We passed many tourists the first 2-3km, then…no one. The trail drops down 50m to sea level, then re-climbs a bit to a sea bluff. Great weather and amazing scenery!

Paul & Amanda (USA) heading down the trail.

We stopped at Twilight camp at 2pm, so it was a very short day. But the next camp isn’t for another 28km, and it’s the first day, so it makes sense to stop. And it’s always fun to have a nice nap 🙂

I stayed awake until 8pm to watch the sunset over the Tasman Sea.

Day 2: (November 6th) 17.3mi/27.9km Twilight Camp to Bluff Camp

This was a fun day! An early start meant we could roll into the next camp in early afternoon. I love morning miles, they go by so much quicker than afternoon miles!

After an hour, the trail has many staircases, and it drops down to 90mile beach.

Amanda, Alon (Israel) and I stop for lunch on the beach. It’s not hot, but the sun is very intense.

Later that afternoon (“arvo” in kiwi), we walked by a dead….animal? Not sure what this was.

We get to camp early again at 3pm. The beach miles are very hard on the feet, and we are glad to be done. It’s like walking on concrete.

Day 3: (November 7th) 18.2mi/29.3km Bluff Camp to Utea

I had camped in a nice grove of pine trees, and woke up with a dry tent and feeling refreshed. I started out hiking alone, and covered 9k in the first two hours, before stopping for a break.

My usual dress in this sunny climate…

Hiking the beach is generally boring, but high tide makes it much more exciting… sometimes you get pinched between an incoming wave and the dunes!

We arrive to Utea (Maori for “journey to heaven”?), where I had camped 3 nights prior, just before I started the hike. It was another long day of hiking on a flat beach, and all our feet are unhappy.

I feel bad for some of the other hikers, this is their first long hike, and they are carrying way too much weight. Plus, the trail starts off in a brutal way, forcing people to walk on injurious terrain with widely-spaced camp spots. There are 15 TA walkers staying here tonight, I hope they are all able to continue!

Day 4: (November 8th) 18.2mi/29.3km Utea to Ahipara

The last day on 90mile beach! It’s a long day, and our feet all hurt, but it’s motivating to be done!

Paul & I wait for Amanda (Panda), and we are all done with 90 mile beach!!

Then we headed to the YHA hostel to camp, shower, and get off our feet. A quick dose of vitamin I, and we are able to walk to the fish&chips stand. I order wayy too much food, but it will be just as good for breakfast!

I’m writing this in the hostel/campground lounge, which has free WiFi. (Note: most WiFi in NZ isn’t free, and this place limits you to 500MB).

Tomorrow, we walk to Kaitaia & into the Raetea forest!

//Recon

Well, it’s been a hectic few weeks, but I managed to get everything done in preparation for this hike. The gear is mostly the same (added an umbrella and better rainshell — see gear list page), but it was mostly all the small tasks associated with international travel that added a lot of work. Oh well, it’s all done now, and I’m relaxing in the airport!

Here I am, all packed, along with a *few* extra pairs of shoes & insoles, which will be used for other hikes in 2019 – more details later! 🙂

After 22 hours of flying and 2 stops, I’ll arrive in Auckland on Saturday afternoon, which should give plenty of time to do shopping errands (food, fuel, Sim card, hut pass, etc). Then it’s a 6 hour bus ride on Sunday morning to Kaitaia, and a hitch to Cape Reinga, which is the northernmost point of NZ, and the start of the TA. If all goes well, I’ll be on the trail Sunday night, hiking south!

Wheeeeee!

//Recon

Day 11: (Saturday November 11th) 17.5mi/28.2km

NH Border (208.0) to Richardson-Zlogar Cabin (190.5)

I was feeling good about today – it was sunny weather, this was my last section, and I was hiking with my friend Michele! We got started early, staging each of our cars at a terminus trailhead, and then heading into the woods at 7:30am. We hiked the 3/4 mile trail to the NH border, tagged the sign marking the northern terminus, and then retraced our steps back to the car.

It was a cold morning, but very sunny!

The temperature was near freezing when we started.

We picked up some more snacks from the car, and continued past the parking lot headed South.

Since it was now mid-November, the foliage is almost gone, and the scenery was opening up again!

This section traversed some marshy lowlands, which had nice long views across the small valleys.

We stopped for a late lunch at the Mt. Grace fire tower. Mt. Grace is the highest point on the entire NET, at 1617ft/493m. I walked up and down the stairs a couple of times during lunch to stay warm.

Michele demonstrating how cold it was, and it’s 1pm!

The rest of the afternoon we hiked in a Westerly direction, into the setting sun.

The evergreen trees were nice for blocking the wind, but it was nice to have an opening once in awhile. We could see so far on this cold, clear day!

The sign at this road crossing was a gentle reminder that we still had about 5 miles to go before dark, and it was 2pm. I wish New England would adopt the proper time zone, so the sun didn’t set at 4:15pm in winter.

The marshes were eerily quiet, and a thin skin of ice had formed around the edges. Winter is coming!

There were shenanigans on this bridge, beer was involved, and a fuzzy photo resulted, ha!

We arrived to the Richardson-Zlogar (RZ) Cabin at 4:30pm and began setting up our tents on the provided tent platforms. The group of guys who had reserved the cabin were very nice, and invited us to stay in the warm cabin. Yay! We had dinner and a campfire with them.

Eventually we all migrated indoors, and drifted to sleep from the tiredness of a long hike in cold weather, campfires, and warm drinks.

 

Day 12: (Sunday November 12th) 18.4mi/29.6km

Richardson-Zlogar Cabin (190.5) to Lake Wyola (172.1)

We packed up inside the nice warm-ish cabin, and made out way outside into the cold. My zipper thermometer said 25F/-4C, so we started walking right away.

We had arrived to the cabin in the dark yesterday, so I was surprised to see this amazing view right outside the front door!

It was much cloudier today, and more wind too. Brrr.

We hiked for 15 minutes, and then found ourselves right back at the cabin and the firepit. Oops. The web of social trails on this mountain was very confusing. Finally, we found the correct path and resumed hiking south on the NET.

After a couple miles, there was a short roadwalk. Of course, hikers can’t simply walk by a “free stuff” shed, so we had to investigate. The bricks were tempting, haha!

We strolled along for 30 minutes of paved roadwalking, enjoying the farm fields and open space, while the sun warmed my cold hands and feet.

To the left, to the left…

After another short 10 minute of roadwalk, we entered the Erving State Forest.

The trail skirted a cliff system for awhile, and we had amazing views down to the Miller River, far below.

The Miller river flows west into the Connecticut River, and we would soon have to descend all the way down there to cross it.

After a 600ft descent, we crossed the Miller River on a tiny one-lane wooden bridge. It was a very remote area, so there were few options for crossing the river.

We stopped for a late lunch in the warmest spot I could think of, in a sunny area near train tracks. Much to our surprise, it was an active rail line.

We had a nice lunch, talking about all our different hikes, and plans for other adventures. Soon after we started hiking again, I was warmed up from the re-climb of the 600ft out of the valley. I was surprised to see so much ice on the trail, and I almost slipped on a flat trail.

For the rest of the afternoon we traveled along a low ridge in the trees. There were many side trails in the Wendell State Forest, but none sounded as delicious as the Moose Trax trail. Mmm….ice cream.

We took another break at Ruggles Pond, it was a neat area formed by a low dam that the trail passed over.

On the outlet side of the dam, these huge “frost feathers” had formed, they were quite impressive to look at.

The final hour of the day was in a forest on private land. It was nice, but the signs were weird. “Respectful visits welcome” and “Managing forests since 1741” were posted frequently. I’m pretty sure forests know how to manage themselves…

We arrived to our finishing trailhead at Lake Wyola at 4:15pm, just a few minutes before sunset. This was the same spot I had finished my previous section, which means I had completed the NET! We celebrated with snacks and drinks at the car, and then drove the 45 minutes north to retrieve the other car. It was great to have a hiking partner, especially for the final section of an otherwise solitary trail. I’ll see Michele again in January, where we both teach cold-weather hiking and camping skills at Winter Mountaineering School.

I’ll have a short summary of this trail posted in the future, for anyone following along who might want to plan their own hike.

-Recon

Day 9: (Saturday October 14th) 17.3mi/27.8km

McLean Reservoir / US202 (126.2) to Mt Norwottock summit (143.5)

I had devised an elaborate plan to make the logistics for this section work out. There were two issues to contend with – the Connecticut River, which requires a driving detour; and the long distance between trailheads. I parked my car on the West side of the river, so I could drive the 10 road-miles to the East side trailhead. To get to my starting point today, I biked the 11 miles from my car to the trailhead, and then hid the bike in the woods.  It was a nice hourlong ride along an old rail-trail.

I arrived to my starting trailhead pretty quickly, and stashed the bike in the woods, to be retrieved Sunday night. This pond was a memorable landmark, and I also marked it on GPS.

There was lots of nice ridgewalking today, and the temperatures were perfect.

I’m not sure what the smokestacks in the distance are, and I was surprised how green the foliage was.

After two miles, I came upon a tower which was easily climbed. It wasn’t signed, and it doesn’t seem to show up on any maps, so I don’t know its name.

The trail was very exposed in this section, usually skirting the western edge of the ridge. I captured a short video for the full experience too.

As I approched the more popular tourist area, I saw some grafitti on the rocks. Stupid egotistical people.

Yes, this part of the trail was just as exposed as it looks. I wouldn’t want to hike this part in the dark!

I think this was communications or weather equipment, it looked bizarre!

After a brief descent to cross a road, the trail re-climbed so steeply up into the Mt. Tom State Reservation. I was only hiking at 1mph, but making good vertical progress.

These information kiosks were scattered throughout the Reservation (park).

You can tell the local trails were named by college kids, ha!

A rare eastern view, looking over the Connecticut River valley, and a huge bend in the river.

It was a hot, sweaty climb up to Mt. Tom!

A little sssnake! They were getting harder to see with more autumn leaves on the ground.

The last mile to the trailhead was on a beautiful smooth trail, and the crunchy leaves made it a perfect fall day hike.

The trail just ends at the Connecticut River, under a set of high-voltage power lines. I’m guessing there aren’t any plans to build a footbridge over such a large river.

The official route of the NET has a half-mile gap, with the trail picking up again on the opposite bank of the river. But, to get across the river, I drove 5 miles up the west side, crossed a bridge, and then drove 5 mile back down the east side. I was driving thru either Holyoke, and I noticed the car in front of me was a triple-crown hiker (AT, PCT, CDT). That’s a pretty rare person, and quite a coincidence!

I parked my car at the trailhead right next to this sign, and then started hiking. I had 7 more miles to go today.

It was a tough, steep climb up to Mt Holyoke, and I wasn’t making the progress I had hoped. But the setting sun was amazing from up there!

There was a huge white building on top of the summit, appropriately named Summit House, where tourists can drive up and visit in the summer. It looked like it was closed up for the winter, though.

With three miles to go, darkness forced me to get out my headlamp. This sign wasn’t exactly encouraging, either. Darkness, AND “confusing unmarked trails”…how can I lose?!

I passed this sign near Devils Garden trailhead, which meant I only had a half-mile to get to my campsite.

Finally at 9pm, I stopped walking and setup my tent on the summit of Mt. Norwottock. Since I had made dinner an hour earlier at a picnic table, I simply crawled into my tent and fell asleep.

 

Day 10: (Sunday October 15th) 28.6mi/46.0km

Mt Norwottock summit (143.5) to Lake Wyola (172.1)

I woke up at 6:30am to a dense fog on the summit, and it felt colder than yesterday.

I had planned to cover about 28 miles today, so I packed up quickly and departed the summit by 7am. Plus, the sooner I descended into the proection of the trees, the warmer it would be!

The first two miles were quite slow going and technical, with lots of rocks to squeeze though, around, and over. This specific spot was named Horse Caves.

At a trail junction near Long Mountain, I found a trail register! These are so rare on this trail compared to other long-distance trails.

For most of this section, the NET and the Robert Frost Trail share the same path.

In order to get down to a road crossing, there was rope to use as a handrail. It was the steepest grade that I’ve ever seen on an established trail, good thing it was only 30ft long. It should have steps or a switchback, but I think the private property owner prevented that improvement.

Most of the rest of the day was in dense hardwood forests, with the occasional roadwalk. The miles went by quickly and easily, which was good because I had a long way to go!

That log didn’t stand a chance.

There were many nice and overbuilt bridges in this section, usually donated by local hiking clubs or boy scout troops.

I have no idea why there was a chair here, at least 3 miles from the nearest road, but I took it as a sign to sit down and eat. Nutella always tastes better in a proper chair!

The Quabbin Reservior is the public drinking supply for Boston and suburbs, almost 70 miles to the east. Four towns were evacuated and flooded in the 1940s to make the reservoir.

Just a nice autumn day, perfect for hiking.

At 5pm, I realized that I still had four miles to go, so I picked up the pace. Sunset was just after 6pm for this time of year. The dense forest was already starting to darken in the low angle of the sun.

Just before sunset, I hiked by an unnamed pond, and then emerged from the woods onto a small country road. I only had a mile to go, and it was on an easy to follow road.

I arrived to my finishing trailhead at Lake Wyola at 6:15pm, perfect timing! But, I had no phone service to call a taxi. So, I spent an hour exploring the town’s local highpoints in hopes of gaining a usable signal. That didn’t work, and it was getting cold. So, I started walking south on the main road, knowing that eventually I would get a signal. After 20 minutes of walking uphill, it worked! The driver was a little wary about picking up a passenger in the middle of nowhere in the dark, but after some explanation it was fine. She dropped me back at my car 30 minutes later, and then I drove back across the river to retrieve my bike. I returned home quite late, but it was worth it!