Te Araroa : Whangarei to Auckland

KM this section : 197
KM completed : 594

On the Mangawhai Heads cliff path.

Whangarei is some distance from the route, but I am able to get a bus some of the way, then it is just an eight kilometre walk along a highway busy with traffic for the nearby oil refinery - mainly logs for some reason.  In fact it is fine, indeed I'm enjoying the walking, which hasn't always been the case for the last week.  Partly my body getting used to it I guess, also I suspect my enforced cessation of smoking has got me down a bit.  But now I feel good, the pack seems lighter, and even walking past the oil refinery is fun.

The way continues, more beaches, some easy forest, and a pleasant cliff walk into Mangawhai Heads, where I relax in a holiday home for the night with some beer and fish and chips.  I'm getting into prime holiday / retirement home territory here, for sale boards are everywhere, much of the forest I walk through seems to be available in acre sections.  I think the lack of amenities might put me off, many of the settlements here don't even have a dairy (NZ for convenience store), let alone a pub.

Big beer in Puhoi.

Campsites are good around here mind you, with kitchens, BBQs and TV rooms as standard.  Beats the typical UK camping experience where you are lucky to get hot water.  Walking is good too, though I do manage to go the wrong way at one point - I was only looking at the orange arrows (well, and my footing) so missed a crucial junction.  Why the orange markers, reliable up to now, lead me off the wrong way I know not, but I recover and make it to Sheep World (oh yes) before dark.

Of course now I don't trust the markers and keep checking my GPS.  Predictably this causes the batteries to run out, and it's raining so not ideal for using the phone as backup.  Thankfully the arrows point truly today, towards the pub at Puhoi where I dry out and eat a huge burger.  More beach walking and more meat next day, I cook up some sausages on the campsite BBQ at Orewa.  So much meat.  I leave the two German lads who've been keeping pace with me at Orewa, they're having a day's break.  Suspect they will catch me up again.

D'you see what I did there?

From here it is a simple enough walk down the coast to Auckland, but there is one obstacle, the Okura river.  The guide says this can be waded at low tide, I arrive at what I think is a hundred minutes before it reaches the lowest point, that will be at 3.30pm.  With another eighteen kilometres to do I don't really want to wait.  Wading then... I don't get far before starting to lose touch with the bottom.  OK, ignore the map, there is a post upstream with a cross on it, maybe there?  I get further... one problem is, my rucksack with the drybag inside is acting as a flotation device.  I unbuckle the waist strap and carry on.  This time I'm nearly half way across when my feet cease to reach the bottom.  Ah, screw it... I swim on, bag holding me at the surface by the sternum strap.  It's not easy with the bag, my shoes on, and poles clutched in one hand, but I manage a sort of doggy paddle, and it's enough to get me the few metres needed.  And the drybag worked, reaching the far shore my electronics, and better yet my trousers, are dry.  From here it is easy going to Auckland, where I have a room waiting in a student hall of residence near the centre, but tonight a seaside campsite out in the suburbs is plenty far enough.

Photos to go with this post can be found here and here.