By Elliot

Distance: 31km

We are finally back in Auckland!

We woke up this morning at 5:15am and were walking by 5:45am due to a tide crossing we needed to do. Even at low tide, it was quite deep: I got most of my shorts and underwear soaked through. At least my pack stayed dry!

After the tide crossing and about an additional hour of walking, we were finally back in a population centre. So many people were out walking on the beach.

We stopped at a lovely cafe for breakfast and coffee at around 8am, and then continued. The rest of the day was going from one bay to the next, sometimes on the beach, sometimes on cliff walkways and sometimes through suburbs.

We found that the scenery changes a lot faster in urban environments. On other parts of the trail, you can walk for hours on the same road, with everything blending together. In the city, no more than half an hour would pass before we saw something different : beach, cliffs, suburb, business district, another beach.

Eventually, we made it to the ferry terminal in Devonport. We had been worried about a big downpour predicted for the afternoon. Luckily, we managed to make it to the terminal just in time. It started raining hard, and then pouring once we were on the ferry. It ruined the view of downtown Auckland from the boat, but at least we were dry.

Downtown Auckland was overwhelming. The buildings were immense and the people so numerous. We are no longer used to it. We found the bus to take us to our Airbnb, and felt relief once we were in a quieter neighbourhood.

We are happy that our Airbnb has a washing machine. But it has no place to hang things out to dry. Luckily, we’re engineers.

It feels strange being back in Auckland. In my mind, Auckland was the point we would re-assess our trip and decide if we wanted to continue. Anything shorter would have felt like we didn’t give it a proper try. But then, less than ten days in, we had already decided that we loved it. It also doesn’t hurt that the more beautiful parts of the trail are still to come.

It feels like Auckland is a sort of ending point. It is so big that it feels like the terminal station. Our fellow walker Stephen is ending here, as he was only planning to walk the Northern section. And we’ve been so focused on getting to Auckland that I now feel a bit aimless.

But in a few days, we continue. We will need to find new people to walk with. New connections to forge. More mud to walk in. Exciting times lie ahead!