The beaches and estuaries continue as I hike the Te Araroa into the big city of Auckland.

If you missed it, here’s my last post detailing the trials encountered as I crossed from Northland into Auckland.

VIDEO

Check out the latest video from the trail as I hike into New Zealand’s largest city!

DAY 18 – Stillwater to Auckland

I was graciously driven back to the trail after a short night in Auckland in a real bed. I borrowed a small backpack from Ti and so I only had water, some food, and necessities. I was slack-packing today and would be back at Ti’s that night. I arrived on the trail at 7:45am, just at low tide. I had to cross the estuary of Kerapiro Bay, known for being pretty deep.

I had to hike for about an hour to get to the crossing so I was a bit late for low tide. It was a beautiful morning and pleasant trail.

At the estuary I began the long walk out across the sea floor. An hour after low tide and it was still easy going. I spotted lots of nesting birds that squawked at me as I passed.

At last I reached the river mouth as it flowed into the sea. I had seen online other hikers crossing with water up to their necks! If one crosses in the wrong place it can get very deep.

I entered the water with some anxiety, my shoes tied around my neck. The water quickly was up to my knees. So far so good. As I waded farther across the river channel and it was waist deep; I was halfway across. And then, just when I thought it might get deeper in the swift current, it got shallower and I was done. As the Kiwis say, easy as!

After the refreshing dip, I continued along the coast for some rock hopping and then eventually onto the coastal walkway. The views were incredible.

The rest of the day went on like this as I followed paved paths through increasingly suburban coastline, hopping from beach to beach and following roads in between.

I passed through many towns as Auckland grew near. I stopped for some ice cream and pancakes in a brief rain sprinkle before the sun returned. It was confusing at times trying to find the route as I left beaches to follow roads and then followed pedestrian walks up on cliffs and things. I spent some time pathfinding. My feet were not loving all the hard pavement.

At one point I followed the beach on a pathway built in front of homes and it was an adventure. Something different.

At last I reached North Head, an old WWII battle station, and then walked on to the Devonport ferry. Auckland was just across the bay.

The ferry was quick, a commuter route, and soon I was in New Zealand’s largest city, where a fifth of the population lives. I had been to Auckland before when I first came to New Zealand over a year and a half ago. It was all familiar.

But first things first, I headed to Sal’s Pizza for authentic New York pizza. They even import the ingredients from the U.S. so it tastes just right (Kiwi pizza just isn’t the same, even from the Dominos and Pizza Huts here). I can’t believe I ate the entire pie myself!

With a full belly and sore feet, I hobbled on for a few more kilometers as the trail wound its way through the city. When I reached a train station I hopped on and headed back to Ti’s flat and passed out. It had been a long, hot, tiring day.

Day’s Distance: 36.5km (22.7mi)

Total Distance: 584.5km (363.3mi)

Distance Remaining: 2,412.5km

DAY 19 – Auckland to AKL

I slept in until 9:30am. It was blissful. Then I took the train back to where I left the trail and hiked on. I was slack-packing again, carrying only my water bottles and some sunscreen.

It was easy walking along the paved sidewalks through the city. I passed through parks and a university campus and into neighborhoods. Many of the places I’d seen before when I first visited Auckland.

I stopped for some ice cream and Burger King and kept on going. The weather was beautiful. Eventually I left the downtown area and started hiking into the more industrial part of town, or rather the waste water treatment plant.

At this point the walking grew boring and tedious but I was making good time. Eventually I arrived at the airport, a good place to stop. From there I took the bus back to Ti’s place for some much needed rest.

Day’s Distance: 30km (18.6mi)

Total Distance: 614.5km (381.9mi)

Distance Remaining: 2,382.5km

DAY 20 – Zero Day

Not much happened on this day. It was my 20th day on the trail and I spent it off the trail at Ti’s house watching Netflix and relaxing. This was my first day off, or zero day, as hikers call it. I needed it badly!

Ti had been holding on to some new shoes for me since the beginning of my hike. Now I could finally swap out my old shoes for the new pair. These shoes had hiked 500 miles of the Appalachian Trail with me, plus countless miles across New Zealand, Hawaii, and Samoa. It was time to retire them. My trekking pole tips were also well-worn and so I replaced those as well.

Day’s Distance: 0km (0mi)

Total Distance: 614.5km (381.9mi)

Distance Remaining: 2,382.5km

DAY 21 – AKL to Ramarama

I slept in at Ti’s place and then scrambled to get ready. It was strange packing my backpack after slack-packing and my zero day. I hadn’t worn it in three days but it felt like so much longer. I didn’t bother packing much food since the next section of trail was pretty urban.

I said goodbye to Ti, my gracious host, and hopped the bus back to the Auckland airport. I walked over to the Dunkin Donuts for a most welcome reunion. There sat Tom, fresh-faced and jovial after his days off trail.

He had left the trail five days ago due to an injured toe. Since then he had let his toe heal, purchased new shoes, and went on a Great Walk. He had also sorted through his pack (which he hadn’t emptied since he hiked the Appalachian Trail more than a year ago) and claims to have shed 6kg (13lbs) of unnecessary weight (a number I suspect was exaggerated). Anyway, he was feeling refreshed and ready to get back on the trail again! But first I ate five donuts; Tom said I was looking too thin.

With my partner in crime back on the lam with me, we set off down the road. The day was filled with uneventful road walking. We walked along busy roads, sidewalks, and pathways, but all hard on the feet. Tom developed some blisters but nothing major. We stopped at many gas stations for candy and ice cream.

Eventually we hiked into the darkness and arrived at a holiday park to camp for the night. It had been a long day but we were eager to get through all this road walking (the trail used to go through a nearby forest but it was closed due to the kauri tree die back). I was exhausted but happy to have Tom back on the trail with me.

Day’s Distance: 34.5km (21.4mi)

Total Distance: 649km (403.4mi)

Distance Remaining: 2,348km

DAY 22 – Ramarama to Mercer

We left the holiday park and hit the pavement, quite literally. We road walked for most of the day. First on lightly trafficked streets and eventually on a major motorway with cars whizzing by at speed. It was quite dangerous.

Later we diverted onto farmland which was safer but the grass overgrown. Our legs itched with allergic reaction to the grass. Some cows blocked our way and we were careful to avoid two angry bulls keeping an eye on us.

Eventually we reached the small town of Mercer where we had a nice lunch and beers. We’d about had it with the road walking and then when there was trail, it was ridiculously overgrown and unmaintained. We’re still waiting for the trail to become enjoyable.

As we began to hike out of Mercer, Tom felt it best to set up camp early. He didn’t want to overdo it with his feet and his new shoes. So we camped at 5pm and had a nice long evening to relax (and suffer through our allergies).

Day’s Distance: 30km (18.6mi)

Total Distance: 679km (422mi)

Distance Remaining: 2,318km

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