The Amazing Race

What once began as a struggle to get up every  morning at the crack of dawn and strap a pack to our shoulders that threatened to either topple us over or squash us into the ground has become the adventure of a lifetime. Our very own "Amazing Race."

Since leaving the comfy and homey surrounds of Ora Ora Wellness Resort in Kerikeri our lives have turned into a surreal adventure of which Alex and I can no longer anticipate what we'll face around the next corner. And we're loving it.



Me walking during sunrise in Paihia

 (November 5/10 . DAY #22 . 25 KM) As we navigated our way through Kerikier on route to Waitangi Forest, both Alex and I began re-adjusting our topped up packs. Having arrived at Kerikeri with almost no food/water remaining, this morning we about tipped over when securing our packs to our backs. Our next planned top-up town is Waipu which is about 8 trekking days away. As it is - the rain clouds have cleared for us and the sun shines down. Today was a good day.

After such a great start to our leave from Kerikeri, it came as a slight surprise when Alex crashed and burned just the following day. After having a few weeks of little to no sleep, Alex's body shut down to the point where we had to make November 6 a very short day and reroute to a nearby campsite for the remainder of the day where Alex was able to catch up on sleep and I enjoyed a peaceful afternoon in the sun.

It was the following day that we got our "game faces" back on. No more BS. Alex and I were tired of having setbacks causing us to take extra rest days. And so we cranked out 33km, doing nearly half of Russell Forest before deciding to camp near the wooden shelter on the track. We were back on track and it felt amazing. But before our confidence could get too high, there was the day of prickly bush disaster. November 8/10.

Our goal was to get to Helena Bay (27 KM away), but we first had to make our way throught the second half of Russell Forest. A forest track was nothing new to us at this point, but Russell Forest proved to be one to remember.

We had been trekking for a few hours already, threading our way through some native New Zealand prickly bush (I don't know the proper name for it) which tends to grow as much sideways over the path as it does upwards. Again, prickly bushes were something Alex and I were accustomed to, having numerous scratches to prove it. But then we came around the mountain to come face to face with a mini landslide.

A few trees, dirt and rock had broken loose from the mountainside higher up and created a massive mound over the track. So we decided to climb up over it, only to find ourselves attempting to balance on loose soil on a nearly vertical side of the mountain. As if that weren't enough, one wrong step and our weighted down packs threatened to pull us straight down over the landslide to a deadly fall in the deep valley below. Joy.

But we pressed on. Kind of. It was more or less like we took one step off the landslide only to find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a prickly bush jungle. The bushes were taller than us with branches so thickly overgrown on the trail that the only signs there WAS a trail to walk was if we looked down at our feet to spot the narrow strip of hard packed soil. We had no choice but to go forward.



Alex and I totally tired from a day of trekking

 A mere 30 long minutes later and the prickly bush jungle spit us out at our trailhead. We had made it - all scratched up and bloody - and it felt good. All we had to do then was get to Helena Bay. Alex and I did that with no further incident and managed to find a secluded campspot overlooking the ocean. Life couldn't get much better with a quick dip in the ocean (and getting startled from a giant sting ray) and a hot Back Country Cuisine meal.

The next day we trekked our way to Whananaki North Holiday Park which was like finding heaven on earth. Situated right on Te Araroa Trail the lovely ladies that run the park offer discounted rates for all us long distance trekkers doing Te Araroa Trail, making it an absolute ideal location to rest the feet after a full day of trekking. To top it off, the holiday park has a swimming pool and awesome kitchen facilities - not to mention it sits at the backside of the local grocery store! Needless to say, Alex and I only wished we had more time to stay there. As it were, we packed up and left at first signs of light the next morning.

And the kindness of New Zealand's local people continued to amaze us the following day when Alex and I trekked onwards to Ngunguru (35 KM).

(November 10/10 . DAY #27 . 35 KM) Today was a good day. A day filled with laughter and giggles. A day when everything was bright and cheery. A day where the sun shone so much we relished our moments in the shade. A day where Alex and I made it from Point A to B without so much of a hiccup. It was a good day - a really good day.

And part of that was due to the kindness of a local in Ngunguru by the name of Wendy. Alex and I had to check into a campground, stock up on some groceries and possibly find somewhere to use the internet to check for any updates on the trail ahead. We had found none of that and were instead having the natural debate of where we should go for Plan B.

And then Wendy came along. We asked here where the nearest campground was (our map indicated that there was 2 to choose from) and she informed us that there was no more campgrounds in Ngunguru. Upon seeing our crestfallen faces, she then suggested that we simply camp in her garden instead. We gladly accepted and proceeded to her home where we have been able to set up our tent alongside the garden patch of fresh veggies and even a banana tree! As if that weren't enough - Wendy opened up her downstairs floor so we'd have access to our own private shower and toilet. To be able to get clean 2 days in a row (yesterday at the caravan park) was more - much more - than Alex or I had bargained for!



Curious cows

 November 11 went rather smoothly, the only significant thing to point out was that Alex and I had started to become something of an entertainment for the cows as we passed by them. Many farms in New Zealand have cattle grazing, but when we pass them they stop to watch us go by - even running up to crowd the fenceline in order to get a closer look. Weird.

The next day our goal was Peach Cove and the DOC hut that was there. Only problem was that it was 35 km away and Alex and I were tired from the get go. We didn't know if we could make it, but we wanted to so badly as we aimed to make use of a proper rest day the following day. And so we walked.

Shortly into our journey for the day we came to an estuary where we were told we had to walk on its shoreline before crossing it on the other side - low tide only. Fortunately for us, the tide was out. And so we walked, careful of where we stepped as the damp sand made for some muck that our boots would sink in if we didn't watch our step.

In and around the mangroves we weaved and close to an hour from when we began we reached the crossing point. It was here that we took off our boots to wade through the small river exiting out of the estuary. The river was thigh deep. Once across, we found the sand to be increasingly more difficult to navigate through as we'd sink up to our knees in the muck before our feet hit the sharp rocks and shells below. It was here that I began to doubt our ability to make it to the shoreline again.

But we made it. Barely. By the time we cleaned our feet and nursed the wounds made from the jagged and rocky estuary bottom, put our boots back on and set off again, the entire estuary was full of water. Apparently we hadn't been heading through it at lowest tide. We were mere minutes away from the tide catching us right in the middle of it all. Close call.

From then on, we refocused our energy to just getting to Peach Cove. We climbed mountains, crossed farmland and roadwalked our way to Ocean Beach. Once there we walked along the shoreline until we got to our last big challenge - just one more mountain to go. And it was a big one. Sitting at nearly 500 metres above sealevel, we had to do the entire thing before we could get to Peach Cove. We were tired and just wanting to put our packs down. But we wanted our full day off at Peach Cove more. And so up we climbed.

And eventually we arrived at Peach Cove and the hut - all sweaty and muscles trembling we collapsed in a heap on the hut's sundeck. We had made it and didn't have to move for an entire day if we didn't want to. And we barely did. The next day we spent our time between the hut and cove's private beach, swimming in the ocean (avoiding jelly fish) and basking in the afternoon sun. We even managed to sleep in... until 6 a.m. and it felt amazing! By the later afternoon, an entire trekking club from Auckland had arrived and Alex and I sat around getting to know everyone - some whom even had brough homemade brownies, cheese and crackers to share with everyone (THANKS GUYS!!) - we were in heaven!

The next morning we were off and set up to the ridgeline again (a supposed 840 steps) to make our way to Marsden Point. Only catch was that to get to Marsden Point, we had to snag a fisherman and hitch a ride across to the other side of the harbour. Both Alex and I had never tried hitching in a ride in a boat before, but figured we'd give it our best shot. We ended up at Little Munroe Bay and tried our luck with the first fishermen we spotted, but they said their boat was too small to take us and were going the other way anyway. They told us to hang tough though as we were at a popular spot and surely someone would come around that could take us. About half an hour later a boat pulled into the bay and we flagged them down and asked them of our strange request. The two fishermen looked at each other and then back at us and said that they'd do it. Turned out, they were a couple of commercial fishermen and had just come from Marsden Point, but thought nothing of going back there to drop us off again. We were elated and promptly waded into the ocean to get onto the boat. Off we went!



Dinner of crayfish from the fishermen

 When we got to Mardsen Point and tumbled out onto the dock, we thanked the fishermen purfusely and they responded by chucking a crayfish onto the dock with us - they said we could have it for dinner. Not knowing what to do with the live fish (looked more like a lobster to me), we wrapped it in a plastic bag and stuck it in the top of Alex's pack until we were ready to set up camp and eat him. Craziness!

And so off we went, again in amazement at the kindness of New Zealanders we had encountered along the way. Eventually we made our way to the north side of Ruakaka River where we set up camp in the sand dunes and proceeded to cook our dinner.

November 15 started off with a bang, not only was it our one month anniversary of trekking Te Araroa, but we had to start it by crossing the Ruakaka River. Alex managed to choose an ideal cross point of which the water only reached her thighs, but I didn't fare so well. I had gone further upstream, thinking this would be better, but as it turned out, I ended up in the middle with the water threatening to go up towards my belly button. Fortunately there was no major current with the river and I was able to make it across and then we continued our way into Waipu.

We made it to Waipu by about 10 a.m. and were just walking down the main street to the hostel when we ran into none other than Dirk, who we started the trek with back at Cape Reinga. We had split ways in Ahipara and so it was a surprise to meet up with him again so soon as we weren't exactly sure as how far apart we were. It turned out that Dirk was staying at the same hostel (the only one in town) and so we agreed to catch up later. Alex and I headed off to the hostel only to find it to be not so much a hostel as a home away from home. The Waipu Wonderers Backpacking Hostel was absolutely fabulous, and it wouldn't be the same if not for Steve and Elaine who run the place. It turned out to be one of my more favorite places to date as Alex and I caught up on grocery shopping (thanks for the ride to the store Elaine!), did laundry and even made a massive celebratory meal in according to us (Dirk included) having trekked for a month now! It was awesome and I fell asleep in my own bed dreaming of all the good times yet to come.



Alex and farmland early morning

 November 16 Steve and Elaine watched Alex and I leave as we set off to continue our journey. Our packs were weighted down again with our new load of food, but it felt different. It felt normal. It felt as though we could conquor whatever came our way. Well - that was until we were walking along the track and came around the corner to face none other than 3 llamas who seemed as startled to see us as we were to see them. I never remember reading about that in Te Araroa's notes! Needless to say, Alex and I made our way past them alright and have since arrived in Mangawhai Heads where we prepare for our journey onwards.

It's amazing to think of the adventures Alex and I have had to date. There is no reality TV show following us. There is no specific challenges that we have to accomplish other than making it to Bluff. There is no incentive we get to do this other than the complete satisifaction that we did it. For us. For Solomon Islands. For a world that could be a better place if we all do our part. One little bit at a time.