Distance: 25 km

By Ruth

At last, we are on the trail! This morning we woke up early to get a ride with our hostel host up to Cape Reinga to start the walk, along with five other walkers. The drive up was a bit tense for Elliot as his anxiety was acting up, but we enjoyed the bucolic scenery as best we could. We first stopped at the Cape Reinga lighthouse, which is the northernmost tip of NZ. Normally the TA starts from there but unfortunately the first section is closed due to storms that happened over the winter and eroded the trail. Nevertheless we got our pictures, and then hopped back in the van to drive to our starting point, about 20 km south of the lighthouse.

And then, we were on our way! It felt like a relief after all the buildup. The trailhead where we started was called Te Paki Stream, and we very quickly found out why: not only is there a stream there leading to the ocean, there is in fact only a stream, i.e. no trail. So we were walking in ankle-deep water for the first 45 minutes. I had just enough waterproofing and height to my boots to keep my feet almost entirely dry, which I was surprised by – in a good way obviously! Most people wear trail runners which offer no such protection and lead to soaked feet almost immediately. On the other hand, if the water had been only an inch or two higher, water would have poured into my boots and I would be equally as soaked – without the benefit of lightweight shoes which dry out quicker. So it was really just lucky things turned out so well for me today.

After the stream, we reached the beach, turned left and started walking. As much as it is great to finally be on the trail, and we had perfect weather, it was a very long day and the beach did start to feel a bit monotonous by the end. It was a great feeling to arrive at camp where they have running water and even a cold shower! Now we are happily ensconced in bed and ready for a well-deserved rest.

Tomorrow is another long day, but that’s something to worry about tomorrow.