WAIPU COVE TO AUCKLAND

• Start: 7:30 @ km 412
• End: 17:00 @ km 441.5
• Hiked: 30.5 km + 1 km from camp

We set the alarm for 5:35; enough time to hit snooze and still get up in time to watch the sun rise at the beach (which we were able to enjoy as it rose above the surfers catching their morning waves). It was pretty picturesque so we decided to go and grab our breakfast and eat it up at a picnic table overlooking the ocean. What a great start to the day.

We didn’t end up leaving camp until about 7:30 (perhaps our bodies were still in ‘Zero Day’ mode). First up for today’s hike: road walking! Although, it really wasn’t so bad, other than the never-ending steady incline. At one point Leah asked, “Ummm, have we just been going up for a really long time?!” To which Mathias replied, “yep”.

The road eventually turned into a 4WD track (these are better because although there is some loose gravel, it at least allows your feet to have a bit more diverse movement). We passed a few drivers (going the opposite way) that waved and smiled (perhaps thinking ‘Wtf are these idiots doing hiking with big packs in the hot-ass summer heat?!’ Or maybe they were just friendly Kiwis).

Next, we hiked the Brynderwyn Walkway. This was a lovely track with views of rolling green hills on one side and the big blue ocean on the other.

Unfortunately, after this there was some long and steep downhill, which really takes its toll on your knees! Fortunately, the section that followed became much more enjoyable, especially because we ran into Deborah again (you might remember her as the one we led into the cow-shit river a while back). We passed through a few pastures and we delighted that there were no bulls (even though before entering, there were danger signs posted about them).

From there we connected to the Mangawhai Walkway, which was a gorgeous trail along cliffs overlooking the ocean and beautiful beaches. Spectacular views, but hot as! The trail eventually led us down to the beach where we walked for about a kilometer before finding a shady spot under a tree where we could hydrate, cool down, and have a much needed snack.

A little while later we snacked a few more times with Deborah: First some ice-cream and then a little further up the road she bought some fresh cherries to share (thank you!).

With only 2km to go before reaching our camp for the night, we stopped at the small grocery store to stock up for the next 3 days. Leah pointed out to Mathias that due to all the recent snacking, she was not hungry at the moment and therefore believed that there would be no grocery store meltdown this time. She was wrong. What is it with grocery stores? We are trying to get to the bottom of this so we can break the meltdown cycle!

We made it out, eventually gave each other a hug, got to the campground (a site right by the estuary), showered, made a yummy pesto pasta dinner (eaten in a perfectly shaded spot found by Sarah and Julia), did some stretches, wrote down some notes of the day and went to bed.

• Start: 8:55 @ km 441.5
• End: 18:00 @ km 470.5
• Hiked: 29 km

Today was a sleep in day... yay! There were to be three river crossings in our afternoon future and they were all tide dependent. High tide was at 9:20am, so we knew getting to the beach a while after that would be best.

After enjoying our breakfast at the picnic table, looking out at the estuary, we said farewell to Riverside Holiday Park and we’re on our way... It began with road walking. The road section today was quite dusty. We could not only hear cars coming from a far, but could see the clouds of dust stirring up in the distance.

The road soon led us to the beach. There were big waves lining the ocean and a bunch of surfers lining up for the big waves. The three river crossings on the beach were easy peasy (because we had planned in relation to the tides) and helped to cool us down a bit. The sun was so intense. The last five kilometers on the beach seemed to go on forever, but we’re well worth it as they brought us to a campground with a store/dairy. Here we stocked up on water, cold drinks, ice-cream, and a bag chocolate chip cookies (which Leah ate like they were potato chips). ‘Hiker hunger’ is a thing y’all.

From the campground we headed back to a road where we crossed paths with Deborah Sunshine again 🙂��️. And then it was 7km to the summit of Mt Tamahunga. The 7km were intense but exciting. The path was overgrown with spiky plants/weeds (we need to find out what they are called) that poke you through your close as you pass through. We’ve seen a lot of these on the trail before, but not like today. Today, we couldn’t avoid them. They were filling the trail and coming at us from all angles. There was also some minor rock climbing that was involved (Leah obviously loved this part).

We made it to the summit where Julia and Sarah welcomed us with big smiles. There was a helicopter landing pad which we used as our stretching station, kitchen and hang out lounge. It was perfect.

Finding a good location for the tents was a bit tricky, but we made it work. The ground was either on a big slope or filled with uneven earth. Luckily we have a wonderful sleeping pad, and still felt pretty comfortable overall.

• Start: 7:40 @ km 470.5
• End: 16:00 @ km 490.5
• Hiked: 20 km 

We woke up to the sounds of locals taking to Sarah and Julia. They had just come for a morning hike and were excited to see that we had camped there overnight. “We should definitely do this. Come up here after work and have tea and camp. It would be so relaxing..” we overheard.

We slowly got up and started on breakfast (on the helipad, of course). We had just finished when the rain began. Lucky for us, it was a light rain. Unlucky for our tent, it was still up. That got us moving a bit quicker. We packed up the wet tent and headed off on the trail that began with a whole lot of downhill.

At first, the downhill was a bit tricky; uneven, slippery, steep but eventually the rain stopped and the trail seemed less daunting. We were pleased to see a sign that let us know when the next Dominos Pizza would grace us with its presence.

Side note: Every time Leah would order pizza in Dexter, her mom would always insist she use a coupon. “Make sure you order one of the deals listed,” she would say. This often would annoy Leah as she just wanted to order whatever she felt like in that moment; not wanting to feel restricted. If she wanted a medium size pizza with random toppings, than dammit, that what she wanted. Fast forward to the day we arrived in Keri Keri where we called and ordered our pizzas while walking there (we were so hungry and were trying to be efficient with our time). Our two medium pizzas were 30 NZD... The specials listed a large pizza for 5 NZD. And that was the moment Leah understood her mom’s pizza coupon craze. This was also the moment we decided that we needed to return to Dominos (multiple times) on this trip in order to lower our average costs. 5 NZD large pizzas will be consumed!

We made it to the summit of the dome and followed the ridge-line with sporadic views of the landscape below. The bush trail was quite narrow, but we were pleased there were less spikey plants to poke us.

The rest of the walk through the forest trail was quite lovely; Mathias loved the brownish-golden fronds that filled the sides of the trail and the forest floor. We found a perfect snack spot (and it was just in time: Leah needed food!), just over some boulders on a flat rock in the river.

We had heard that there was a trail angel offering free camping on their property. We had no idea what to expect and we’re thrilled with what we found: a flat grassy patch of land to pitch our tents. Wooo woo! It took us all a matter of minutes, dare I say seconds... to make the space our own: tents, sleeping bags and clothes sprawled out across the lawn to dry. The owner also gave us access to drinking water, which we took full advantage of; filling up all of our bottles.

All in all, quite a beautiful end to an already pleasant day.

• Start: 7:25 @ km 490.5
• End: 4:15 @ km 516
• Hiked: 25.5 km

Hot and humid! Oh my goodness, the sun in NZ is intense. We’ve heard this, we know this, and yet we still need to say it again: intense. At some points, this can be helpful, like when we need to dry our tent. Today, we found a perfect spot where we could sit in the shade and enjoy a snack while our tent could be laid out to dry in the sunny spot beside us. Just as we were finishing our snack, a friendly local came over and chatted with us for a bit. He talked about seeing TA walkers passing his house regularly and how he always offers water (which he did, but on this occasion we didn’t need). He also noticed walkers making 500km signs; something we also did. 500km baby! 🎉

After the 500km mark, there was a lot of uphill. Exhausting, but definitely helping to strengthen our leg muscles. “Preparing us for the South Island,” we like to say. As we descended toward Puhoi Village the trail became a very narrow path sandwiched between barbed wire and an electric fence: awesome. Oh, and spiky plants of course. Then you get to play the game (and Leah loves herself a game), which one will we let graze our bodies? 

We made it to Puhoi Village where a Dairy Market was just waiting for our arrival. We tried a new strategy today concerning food shopping: Go in separately. Leah went in first: Apple-ginger-lemon juice and blueberry danish? Yes please. Mathias went in second where upon his return he found a happy Leah who had inhaled her treats. Mathias then shared his treats; he always does (because he is wonderful). 

We had contacted Pip (a trail angel) the day before about staying at her place in Puhoi. When we arrived we were given the option of pitching our tent in the lawn or staying in the apartment. We are quite happy in our tent (our home), but the weather report was calling for rain, a lot of it, throughout the night and we figured why not keep things dry? So we, along with Sarah and Julia opted for the apartment. Sleepover party 🎉 

Pip’s place was wonderful! She had goats (including two baby ones), baby pigs, and two friendly dogs. There was a composting toilet just outside the apartment and Pip let us use the main house to shower. And, gave us towels! You have no idea how luxurious a towel is in our current life. Leah was obviously over the moon with smiles and utmost joy! 

After showering (and using real towels-yes, it does need to be mentioned again), we headed back into Puhoi to enjoy some dinner and drinks at the local pub; pizza and burgers and beer, oh my! Sarah and Julia meet us for beers, which we all enjoyed while sitting at a picnic table outside. Cheers to a happy day.

• Start: ~ 11:00 @ km 516
• End: 20:00 @ km 548.5
• Hiked: 25.5 km
• Kayaked: 7 km

We had a chill start to our day, waking up much later than our norm as the next part was dependent on tidal river times. We had arranged our short kayak section yesterday and were told that an 11am start time would be best (so no use getting up at 5:30/6:00).

The kayaking was not only dependent on the tide times, but also on the weather. The report was calling for thunderstorms all day (it hadn’t ended up raining last night). Luckily, when we called the kayak company to check, they seemed confident that we could make it happen. 

We said our farewells to Pip and her wonderful space and headed back into Puhoi Village where we enjoyed breakfast sandwiches and coffee at the Dairy. Leah got to Skype with her dad (which always fills her heart) and he even got to meet Sarah and Julia when they joined us a bit later.

Moments before we walked to the kayak starting point, we met up with Deborah Sunshine who was also heading that way. The kayaking section was only about 7km. It was a fun change from walking and quite beautiful along the river. The weather was perfect: no rain. How can we be so lucky?About a minute before reaching the end point it started to drizzle, which was fine by us (We really couldn’t complain).

After the kayak section, the trail goes along the beach, but due to high tide (which was very high) we had to bypass it and do lots of road waking instead. Today’s road walking was a bit more stressful as it was raining and there was little to no shoulder on sections of the road (and there were more cars, some driving a bit fast and too close for comfort). But we hung in there and eventually made it to Orewa.

The campground manager welcomed us and said we could pitch our tents for a fee or sleep in the rec room for free. Again, we love our tent, but were planning on waking up the next day at 4am and figured it would be nice to not have to deal with taking down our tent (possibly wet) in the dark. Why were we planning to get up at 4am the next day? Tidal river crossings. Oh, and she gave us free tokens to take hot showers 🚿 ❤.

By the time we started eating dinner it was around 9:30pm (later than our usual bedtime). It was so yummy (we stocked up at the last grocery store we’d passed). We also met another TA hiker; Joe. He was surprised to see us: 1. Because it was quite late, and 2. Because he hadn’t seen any other TA hikers for days. He was surprised (and later grateful) to hear about our 4:30am departure plan and decided that he would join us for the river crossing the next day).

Finally, with full bellies, we passed out.

• Start: 4:30 @ km 548.5
• End: 16:00 @ km 581
• Hiked: 32.5 km

We woke up at 4am. Yes, this was planned. We aimed for 4:30, so we had just enough time to hit snooze a couple of times before getting our asses into gear: pack up (but no need to deal with a tent), quick snack and head on out. We started our trek at 4:45am with headlamps to guide us.

Mathias led the way and we made it to the river just after sunrise. We made our way into the water, taking slow steps to see just how deep it would get. We were thrilled with how well it worked out! At it’s highest point, it came up to our bottoms (and this was low tide).

Leah was so excited about the crossing that she disobeyed all of the river crossing safety video guidelines; stopping and turning around to talk to those behind her, taking out a video camera to document the moment. Luckily, we all made it across safely and with no dramas. To celebrate our first big (and highly successful) river crossing we decided to enjoy some cups of coffee. The weather; however, had other plans and it began to sprinkle just as we were pulling out our stoves and cups. No worries. We just kept on walking. 

At one point we missed our turnoff (which can happen often on a trail that is not well marked in some places), but it wasn’t a big detour so morale was still high. The rain had stopped and a while later we stopped at a picnic bench in a park to have snacks. FYI- our snacks are now like meals... we’re always hungry (especially Leah). We decided to wait on coffee as we would soon be back in civilization and wanted to stop at a cafe. 

It began to sprinkle again and we got to the cafe, Scout, just moments before an intense downpour. We were so thankful to be inside, dry-ish (considering), with coffee. During our time at Scout, we were approached by a woman who offered us a ride and showers at her home. People here are so lovely. Had we not needed to walk many more kilometers, we would have taken her up on her offer. We stayed at the cafe for what seemed like hours (it had stopped raining midway through our stay) before finally motivating ourselves to get back on our feet and continue our journey. Just as we exited, the winds picked up and the heavy rains returned. Whatcha gonna do? Keep on walking. 

Due to what was now high tide, we could not walk along the beach and therefore back to road walking it was. But, we had some lovely interactions: 2 cars stopped to offer us coffee and use of their bathroom. We met two Kiwis doing the TA as well. They are raising money for gut cancer. We also said goodbye to Jules and Sarah who were stopping in Milford. We had planned to stop in Browns Bay (where we would be staying the night at Angela and Matthias’s place... and reuniting with our suitcases), but decided to walk on to Devonport and then catch a ride back. Joe would join us till Devonport. Doing it this way would allow us to have a Zero Day the next day.

We walked past Browns Bay and then the rain and wind picked up again. We had to hold onto our poles quite tight as the winds tried to blow them away. We finally made it down to the beach once the tide had gone out a bit more. There were kite surfers out on the water and we all thought they were crazy to go out in this weather. They probably thought the same about us trekking along the beach. Soon we were following the beach to a trail that went up onto land. We noticed a sign that said ‘closed trail’, but it was place in a way that was quite confusing. If it was talking about the trail we were on, it seems they could’ve placed it in a way that actually blocked the trail. We assumed the trail had been reopened and they just never took away the old sign. We continued on. Oh, and we assumed wrong. The trail led us through old WW2 sites. The rain and wind picked up even more and we were drenched. Finally, we walked into a dark tunnel which eventually led us to light and a way out. We hopped over a fence and onward we went. We made it to Davenport soaking wet and super hungry... so we took ourselves out for good food and tasty beers. 

Eventually we made our back to Browns Bay (we took an Uber) and enjoyed dinner #2 (Dominos) with Matthias and the boys. Angela and Matthias were again wonderful hosts! Hot showers, a super comfy bed, eats and nice chats.

Leah’s feet were feeling the pain so she took an ibuprofen, used Voltaren and went to sleep. Mathias joined shortly after. A wonderful sleep was enjoyed by both of us.

• Start: km 582
• End: km 584
• Hiked: 2 km of the trail + plenty in town

After a great night of sleep in a real bed, we sorted out our things - what to take, what to send forward in a package (in hiker slang: in a bounce box) for later on the trail and what to leave at Angela and Matthias‘ place for after the whole trip. Mathias decided for example that I don’t need three pairs of socks. Too heavy. Leah left a few of her five journals. ;-)

Matthias gave us coffee and breakfast and even a lift into the city center. After we walked off, he got out of the car again to even tell us that were walking in the wrong direction. We got a room for the next night in Haka Suites and were able to check in early. That allowed us to spread all our stuff in the big room, so it could dry off: tent, sleeping bags, rain covers, shoes. We headed into the city to get some outdoor gear we wanted to get and first had guilt free doughnuts. If you walk a lot, you can almost eat anything guilt free. Then we ran into Sarah and Julia in Bivouac (one outdoor store). We didn’t find what we wanted there so we walked a little bit of the trail from the city center to New Marked which has a great choice of stores. On the way we passed the city campus of Auckland university, some parks and monuments. It was a surprisingly pleasant walk. We expected more boring road walking along shopping and residential streets. 

In New Marked we first went to a Korean restaurant which made Leah very happy. She is a big fan of Bibimbap (and had been craving it for weeks). After that we went back to the outdoor stores ... and met Sarah and Julia again. They were so stoked about their new gear. Especially new lightweight backpacks and awesome Exped sleeping mats. 

After a lot of looking around Mathias finally made his decision and bought a new shirt and a new hoody. Just in time to get to our long Thai massages. Well, we had to race there a little. And that was our day off; stress. 

After the massages it was 20:00 already and thus for us pretty late. We went by dominos on the way back and grabbed two $5 pizzas (now we know how to play the game) and ate them on the sofa in the suite. Also we still had to wash things and pack everything... and dry the shoes off with a hairdryer. The Zero day turned out to be rather busy and unfortunately there was not much time to enjoy the room which made us a little emotional at the end; but we got all important things done.