Start – Mila’s Backpackers Ranch, Ngunguru
Finish – Tide Song B&B/Campground, Pataua
Daily Distance – 31km
TA Distance – 371km
Pan fried eggs with a pinch of salt are how I want to start every day on the trail! It may be terrible for
making big distances in a day, but a leisurely breakfast is definitely good for the soul.
I am finding the logistics for this section considerably more challenging than the beach and forest legs.
With several estuaries to cross, either by boats that are only available between certain periods, or by foot,
but only at low tide, there is a lot of planning required. Unfortunately after a few long days I’ve fallen
behind on this, so am just winging it at the moment and hoping for the best. Such was the case today.
Realising yesterday that the boat across the Ngunguru river only runs in late afternoon I was faced with
the prospect of sitting around for most of the day, or trying to hitch around the water by road and
rejoining the trail on the other side. There are several days of rain forecast later in the week, so I would
like to reach my next rest stop in Whangarei before then, so I can sit out the rain in relative comfort. With
that decision made Martina joined me in preparing our most winning smiles and heading for the road out
of town. I can only assume that she was dragging my efforts down (or maybe the lack of a mirror to see
myself in is currently a blessing), but nobody seemed interested, so it looked like being a long walk.
Fortunately Gerry, an avuncular South African ex-pat (with the keen sense of personal danger that seems
characteristic for his nation), stopped a few kms out of town. My abiding memory of Gerry, other than his
many warnings to stay safe, is that even on my best day I would have felt underdressed to be a passenger
in his car. It almost seemed a crime to put our muddy, soggy and generally abused rucksacks in the boot
of his spotless SUV. I particularly felt bad as moments earlier we had been frustratedly bemoaning all the
folk in their fancy cars who would never stop for a scruffy pair such as ourselves. Guess that should teach
me not to judge books by their covers. Anyway, after saying farewell it was a short 5-6km road walk and
we were back on the TA route again with no boats required.
The walking today was pretty forgettable to be honest. The 4km Mackerel track was very nice and called
to mind images of old weatern movies in places with its red dirt, big skies and sun bleached trees.
Unfortunately, it was followed by a 13km road walk into the town where we had planned to stay. Like
many TA road walks it was a unique combination of boredom and meercat like alertness listening for the
next car coming around one of the many blind corners. I shouldn’t complain as the TA trust has done an
amazing job with little funding, the drivers are virtually all very courteous and the roads are scenic as
roads go. It just makes for some mentally tough walking as the kms slowly trickle by. Unfortunately, life
took another downturn at our planned camping ground, which I hadn’t realised was still closed for the
winter. Not news that a pair of road weary trampers want to hear. Fortuitously, alternative
accommodation was only another few kms down the road. It was mainly listed as a B&B, but some of the
literature described it as also having a campground, so after a quick phone call to confirm it was back on the road again. So it was that we came to be consuming chocolate cake, flapjacks and cups of tea with
Ros and Hugh, the retired couple who run the Tide Song B&B. A bemusingly warm reception for people
who just wanted a flat space to pitch their tents, but it added a warm glow to an otherwise fairly tough
day. As previous TA walkers (in aid of kidney transplant patients) they offer discounted rates to trampers
and the warmest welcome so far on the trail. In the end I didn’t even have to pitch my tent. In a feat of
great and selfless lazyness I shall sleep tonight in a real bed in their tiny cabin in the woods. Writing
blogs while eating chocolate and swinging my legs from the decking is truly a fine way to end a day. Just
wish I had some more eggs…
