Palmerston North 1476km to Levin 1536km (Day 74 – 77) This section of the Manawatu was magnificent. Great tracks, some lovely forest, some working pine forest, decent facilities. Hard work and mud too, of course. One highlight was a new whare shelter at the nominal halfway mark of 1500km! We shared the evening with 3 German guys, Valerie (we met on Timber Trail) and Swiss … Continue reading Manawatu forest paths
Whanganui 1362 to Palmerston North 1476 (day 69-73) After a couple of days recuperation in lovely Whanganui (Tasy Indian food, craft beer, art gallery, and lots of just chilling out) we set off on a pretty grey day through mainland Manawatu. After a cool 1919 elevator ride, the highlight was getting completely drenched walking along a back road. Scenic though it was, the wind and … Continue reading Mainline Manawatu
Taumaranui 1036km – Whanganui 1362km (day 59-69) Be careful what you wish for….this rang in my ears for our Whanganui River trip. I had been campaigning for a few years to do the Whanganui Great Walk (which is the canoe trip). I pictured languid water, swimming holes, green gorges filled with sunshine and birdsong. Our December TA experience – not quite like that. After 2 … Continue reading Watery Whanganui adventure
Te Kuiti 872km to Taumaranui 1032km (day 54-59) We are much more comfortable making this trail work for us, so decided to avoid a knarley and then long roadwalk section out of Te Kuiti, and got a ride directly to the start of the Timber Trail, in Pureroa Forest. Val was our driver, and she was a local, and knew every inch of the countryside … Continue reading Tall timber
Hamilton 759km to Te Kuiti 872km (day 48-53) After a long weekend break, for a fantastic family gathering, we were refreshed and actually rearing to get back on the trail. We knew it was a meaty section through the farms and forests of the Waikato, for 6 days. It had everything! From the cycleways of Hamilton, to the mud staircases in Pirongia Forest Park. Sweltering … Continue reading Mud, glorious mud
Mercer 678km to Huntly 720km (day 41-43) After a lovely break with friends in Auckland, and before a long weekend in Wellington for a family gathering, we squeezed in two days at the beginning of the Waikato section of the trail. On paper a great idea. We started with the public transport adventure, which we have done so often in our overseas travels. Waiting for … Continue reading Waikato teaser
Orewa 537km to Onehunga 595km (day 32 to 39) For those following closely, yes, I just skipped from Puhoi to Orewa. The TA asks for a kayak, but it has to be outgoing tide, and nice weather for that. We had neither, so our TA included a ride to Silverdale with our wonderful hostess Pip, then a walk to Orewa, to a small bnb for … Continue reading Orewa to Auckland
Mangawhai 442km to Puhoi 516km (day 28-31) We knew this would be a tough section, so we didn’t let the wonderful 21km beach walk to Pakiri go to our heads. It was stunning, and isolated, with a great holiday park at the end. Magic. It was during the next 3 days which, if we could have teleported out, we would have. We did try to … Continue reading Auckland region adventure starts
Ocean Beach 371km to Mangawhai 442km (day 23-27) Northland keeps putting on it’s charms for us. The weather has now shot through to mid-20’s, and we are walking along or past more stunning beaches. It’s definitely a region we will come back to spend more time in. Due to my birthday, and our proximity to the champion small brewery, we made some adjustments to our … Continue reading Beaches and beers
Kerikeri 224km to Ocean Beach 371km (day 12 to 21) Now things started to change. Yes, we may have got a bit fitter, but the trail also got a bit kinder. And wow, the people of Northland came to the fore. Also, the subliminal, subconscious, unconscious thoughts about keeping up, doing x km per day, walking every single step started to fade. This was our … Continue reading Nice Northland
walk.laugh.wonder 