Start – National ParkFinish – National ParkDaily Distance – 46 km cycle + 12 km walk to/from townTA Distance – Off-Trail (well, out-of-sequence anyway) Today…
Day 48/49 – Rest Days
Start – TaumarunuiFinish – TaumarunuiDaily Distance – 0 kmTA Distance – 1075 km After a great deal of thoughtful beard stroking I have burnished my…
Day 47 – Bennett road campground
Start – Bennett road campground (timber trail exit)Finish – TaumarunuiDaily Distance – 26kmTA Distance – 1075 km After today, I have a new appreciation for…
Day 46 – Piropiro Campground
Start – nr Piropiro Campground (the timber trail)Finish – Bennett road campground (timber trail exit)Daily Distance – 28 kmTA Distance – 1049 km Happy birthday…
Day 45 – Bog Inn Hut
Start – Bog Inn Hut (the timber trail)Finish – nr Piropiro campground (the timber trail)Daily Distance – 34 kmTA Distance – 1021 km 1000 kms!…
Day 44 – Pureora
Start – PureoraFinish – Bog Inn Hut (the timber trail)Daily Distance – 17 kmTA Distance – 987 km As it was put to me earlier,…
Day 43 – Mangaokewa
Start – TA km 933 (nr Mangaokewa)Finish – PureoraDaily Distance – 37 kmTA Distance – 970 km There was an interesting after dinner debate last…
Day 42 – Te Kuiti
Start – Te Kuiti (Casara Mesa backpackers)Finish – TA km 933 (nr Mangaokewa)Daily Distance – 20 kmTA Distance – 933 km Short distance, beautiful scenery,…
Day 40/41 – Rest Days
Start – OtorohangaFinish – Te Kuiti (Casara Mesa backpackers)Daily Distance – 0 kmTA Distance – 913 km After the horror show of day 39, yesterday…
Day 39 – Mt Pirongia
Start – TA km 855 (after mt Pirongia)Finish – OtorohangaDaily Distance – 42 kmTA Distance – ? I have suspected since planning this trip that…
Day 38 – Karamu
Start – TA km 832Finish – TA km 855Daily Distance – 23 kmTA Distance – 855 km At 958 metres mt Pirongia is the first…
Day 37 – Hamilton
Start – HamiltonFinish – TA km 832 (nr Karamu)Daily Distance – 32 kmTA Distance – 832 km Today I posed with a giant fish cutout,…
Day 36 – Rest Day
Start – HamiltonFinish – HamiltonDaily Distance – 0kmTA Distance – 800km Prior to filming “The Lord of The Rings”, location scouts searched for nearly 12…
Day 35 – Ngaruawahia
Start – NgaruawahiaFinish – HamiltonDaily Distance – 20kmTA Distance – 800km It’s fair to say that among Kiwis, Hamilton has something of a reputation problem….
Day 34 – Hakarimata Scenic Reserve
Start – Hakarimata Scenic Reserve (Remember When Guesthouse)Finish – Ngaruawahia (The Arrow Motel)Daily Distance – 14kmTA Distance – 780km After pushing on for longer than…
Day 33 – Hampton Downs
Start – TA km 736 (nr Hampton Downs)Finish – Hakarimata Scenic Reserve (Remember When Guesthouse)Daily Distance – 31kmTA Distance – 767km Despite seeming to dawdle…
Day 32 – Auckland
Start – AucklandFinish – TA km 735 (nr Hampton Downs)Daily Distance – 22km + Auckland-Pokeno busTA Distance – 735km After much deliberation, this morning saw…
Day 30/31 – Rest Days
Start – AucklandFinish – AucklandDaily Distance – 0kmTA Distance – 595km The main job for my rest days was an expensive trip to the outdoor…
Day 29 – Stillwater
Start – Stillwater Holiday ParkFinish – AucklandDaily Distance – 32kmTA Distance – 595km Auckland! I can’t believe that I am arriving back here with the…
Day 28 – Puhoi
Start – PuhoiFinish – Stillwater Holiday ParkDaily Distance – 33kmTA Distance – 563km Today was an exercise in positive thinking. That statement is itself an…
Day 27 – Dome Forest
Start – TA km 504 (Dome forest)Finish – PuhoiDaily Distance – 26kmTA Distance – 530km Today was just what I needed after the hard walking…
Day 26 – Pakiri
Start – TA km 483 (past Pakiri)Finish – TA km 504 (Dome forest)Daily Distance – 21kmTA Distance – 504 km I have discovered this past…
Day 25 – Mangawhai
Start – Riverside Holiday Park, MangawhaiFinish – TA km 483 (Past Pakiri)Daily Distance – 27kmTA Distance – 483km Thru-hiking is a strange relationship. Organising my…
Day 24 – Waipu Cove
Start – Camp Waipu CoveFinish – Riverside Holiday Park, MangawhaiDaily Distance – 30kmTA Distance – 456km It is becoming noticable that week-by-week, if not quite…
Day 23 – Whangarei
Start – WhangareiFinish – Camp Waipu CoveDaily Distance – 27kmTA Distance – 426km I’m a big believer in fate. Or, as I could more accurately…
Day 21/22 – Rest Days
Start – WhangareiFinish – WhangareiDaily Distance – 0kmTA Distance – 399km Two very relaxing days of sloth and gluttony. The weather has made a slight…
Day 20 – Ocean Beach
Start – Jagger’s Camp, Ocean BeachFinish – Whangarei Falls Youth HostelDaily Distance – 18km (+ off-trail hitch to Whangarei)TA Distance – 399km Sometimes decisions result…
Day 19 – Pataua
Start – Tide Song B&B/Campground, PatauaFinish – Jagger’s Camp, Ocean BeachDaily Distance – 10kmTA Distance – 381km Today was a short and fairly leisurely walking…
Day 18 – Ngunguru
Start – Mila’s Backpackers Ranch, NgunguruFinish – Tide Song B&B/Campground, PatauaDaily Distance – 31kmTA Distance – 371km Pan fried eggs with a pinch of salt…
Day 17 – Hansens Hill
Start – Hansen’s HillFinish – Mila’s Backpackers Ranch, NgunguruDaily Distance – 33kmTA Distance – 340km Waking up to the sound of rain on my tent,…
Day 16 – Oakura
Start – OakuraFinish – Hansens Hill (approx)Daily Distance – 22km (+3 off trail)TA Distance – 307km Day 16 of the trek and for the first…
Day 15 – Paihia
Start – PaihiaFinish – OakuraDaily Distance – 38km (including approx 5km hitching)TA Distance – 285km Refreshed after a pretty lazy rest day, today was a…
Day 14 – Rest Day
Start – PaihiaFinish – PaihiaDaily Distance – 0kmTA Distance – 247km Today’s rest day has been spent with the customary trail admin tasks of paying…
Day 13 – Kerikeri
Start – KerikeriFinish – PaihiaDaily Distance – 26kmTA Distance – 247km After visiting the supermarket upon arrival into Kerikeri yesterday my rucksack feels like someone…
Day 12 – DOC Puketi Recreation Area
Start – DOC Puketi Recreation AreaFinish – KerikeriDaily Distance – 22kmTA Distance – 221km Today was a day for changing scenery. Passing into rolling farmland,…
Day 11 – Apple Dam Campsite
Start – Apple Dam Campsite (Puketi Forest)Finish – DOC Puketi Recreation AreaDaily Distance – 25kmTA Distance – 199km A section that I have been looking…
Day 10 – State Highway 1 (TA km 156)
Start – State Highway 1 (TA km 156)Finish – Apple Dam Camp (Puketi Forest)Daily Distance – 18kmTA Distance – 174km A short day today as…
Day 09 – Ratea Forest
Start – Ratea ForestFinish – State Highway 1 (Beyond Raetea Forest)Daily Distance – 16kmTA Distance – 156km Today was a pretty brutal march through the…
Day 08 – The Trampers Inn
Start – The Trampers Inn (TA km 123)Finish – Ratea ForestDaily Distance – 17kmTA Distance – 140km I’m not sure if the toilet at the…
Day 07 – Ahipara
Start – AhiparaFinish – The Trampers Inn (beyond Herakino forest)Daily Distance – 22kmTA Distance – 123km Today was the long awaited start of 6 days…
Day 06 – Rest Day
Start – Ahipara Holiday ParkFinish – Ahipara Holiday ParkDaily Distance – 0kmTA Distance – 101km Not too much to write about today. My main task…
Day 05 – Waipapakauri Holiday Park
Start – Waipapakauri Holiday ParkFinish – Ahipara Holiday ParkDaily Distance – 14kmTA Distance – 101km Another short day today, the 100km point reached and a…
Day 04 – Utea Park
Start – Utea ParkFinish – Waipapakauri Holiday ParkDaily Distance – 17kmTA Distance – 87km What a difference a day makes. My sleeping bag dried overnight…
Day 03 – Maunganui Bluff Camp
Start – Maunganui Bluff CampFinish – Utea ParkDaily Distance – 30kmTA Distance – 70km Rain! Oh Lord did it rain! Starting just as I was…
Day 02 – Twilight Beach Camp
Start – Twilight Beach CampFinish – Maunganui Bluff CampDaily Distance – 28kmTA Distance – 40km First full day of walking and it was pretty tough….
Day 01 – Cape Reinga
Start – Cape ReingaFinish – Twilight Beach CampDaily Distance – 12kmTA Distance – 12km Day 1! Sleep was pretty elusive last night as excitement finally…