Eleventh week on Te Araroa: km 1313-1468
Day 72: Island Bay (southern terminus of North Island) to Ngaio: 22 km
Today marks the official start of the North Island section of the TA! After spending the day yesterday getting chores done around Wellington we were ready to start!! Such an exciting day!
Knowing we had a shorter day today we had a good breakfast before checking out of the hotel. The city has rental e-scooters by a company called Flamingo. They are pink and fast and awesome. We ensured we could park them at the southern terminus of the north island section of the TA and then rented one each to ride through town to arrive at the start of our North Island adventure!
We walked right down onto the beach at Island Bay to get some photos and videos and to take in this big moment! And we were off! First few kilometres on the North Island done!
Beach walking at the southern terminus of the North Island, Ship Cove
Crossing the road to start our first section of the North Island
Te Araroa trail marker
Brian and I excited to start hiking again
The route today utilized as many of the local walking trails as it could. We ended up with a view above town and could see the various neighbourhoods of Wellington. It was stunning! We then dropped down to the water and walked along their waterfront path. The trail then goes through the heart of downtown. I stopped at an outdoor shop to buy new insoles. Then it was lunch time.
Coastline of southern Wellington
We enjoyed the local trails that wind through the city
We loved our meal yesterday at Belén Plant Bakery. And since they are right on route, we went there again. We had a delicious meal finished with decadent donuts.
Entering downtown Wellington, ready for lunch
The trail then brought us through the botanical gardens which were such a beautiful and peaceful oasis so near the city centre. The rest of the day we were walking through neighbourhoods and local trails. We were well fuelled and the kilometres felt relatively easy.
Flowers of the botanical gardens
We enjoyed many different types of plants in the gardens
We met a lovely couple hiking on the South Island who invited us to their home. We arrived there in time for dinner. They fed us a beautiful feast! They set out cot beds for us in their basement. After a shower and some nice chats it was time for bed.
Day 73: Ngaio to Plimmerton: 32 km
Our hosts had some cereal and tea for us this morning. We had a bite and said our goodbyes. Such a nice visit with them!
The trail climbed up a ridgeline to the north of Wellington called Kaukau. It was the perfect way to start the day! Blue skies, panoramic views, and nice easy track!
Departing Wellington via a local trail
The lush scenery quickly changed to golden grasslands
We dropped down the other side into some farmland with lots of horse riding spots. We stopped in at a golf course along the way for a cold drink. We had mostly road walking for the second part of the day. The trail went through the bustling town of Porirua where we saw many locals swimming in the ocean.
We walked past many beautiful farm pastures
Walking between the towns of Porirua and Plimmerton
We had a private room in Moana Lodge in Plimmerton booked for the night. We hoped to make it there in time to cook up a nice dinner. The final 10 km were easy walking on a mixture of road and multi use paths. We were motivated and got the distance done quickly! Once in Plimmerton, we rented scooters to get to our hostel, since it was 2 km off route.
Our room was the nicest we’ve had in New Zealand so far! On the corner with two walls of windows, we overlooked the bay at sunset. I was so happy! We also had a delicious homemade meal in the very well equipped kitchen. Life is good!
Day 74: Plimmerton to Waikanae: 33 km
Whenever we have a really nice room we tend to get a bit behind schedule in the morning. This morning I slowly drank my coffee in bed while gazing out at first light over the bay watching the birds. I didn’t want to leave!
Slow cozy mornings with coffee in bed and a view of the ocean
Sunrise along the coastline
But we managed to check out by 10 am, ride scooters back to the trail, and get hiking again.
The first stretch of our day was along the main road but thankfully on a multi use path just off the road. We passed a dairy (convenience store) and popped in to get some ice cream before continuing on.
A slightly rainy start to the day
It was time to hike the Paekakariki Escarpment track. It was stunning!! The trail cuts midway up seaside cliffs. Snaking through the landscape allows for spectacular views of the sea and road below. It felt a little scary at times, since a fall would be very detrimental! It also sprinkled rain on and off. With our ponchos on we always gain attention from locals wondering what is under them. Just our backpacks full of gear we exclaim!
Walking along the escarpment track
A gem of a local trail
There were many wooden steps at the steep sections
We crossed paths with another NOBO we keep running into at the end of the track and talked pace and strategy to finish the North Island in time before our respective flights. It won’t be easy we all conclude.
The trail then goes through the town of Paekākāriki, which had a lovely bakery we had another meal at. I had the best chocolate cake ever there!
The funky and cool artwork on the wall of the Beach Road Deli
The best chocolate cake I’ve ever had
We then walked along the beach for several kilometres enjoying the sun lowering in the sky. A local walking his dog walked with us for a while to hear our story. Around 8 pm we arrived at a TA campsite and set up quickly. Tired after a big day.
Day 75: Waikanae to wild camp: 27 km
From the campsite into the grocery store was a few kilometres. We had to buy our resupply for the Tararua Mountain Range. We bought what we needed and then stopped at a funky coffee shop before leaving town behind. We had ~10 km of road walking, which was okay.
Road walking out of town heading to the Tararua Mountains
Then we were in hiking trail again! Felt so good! But it also felt kind of hard to try to adapt to hiking trail again. The ridgeline we climbed up was 812 m tall at its highest point, so we remained in forest cover the whole time. It made for a less motivating climb without any views as payoff. But I enjoyed it.
Deep in the forest, putting away my sitting pad after a rest break
Along the ridge we kept our eyes out for a nice flat spot to pitch the tent. We eventually found one as the sun was setting. It was a cooler night so we layered our ponchos on top of our sleeping quilts and nestled in for the night.
Setting up camp under a cotton-candy sky
Day 76: wild camp to Nichols Hut: 22 km
Today was a big day of climbing. 2,000 vertical metres. We started with a descent into the next valley and then the climbing began. I was feeling a little off this morning and found it really annoying anytime I took a wrong turn. I think I was just irritable.
Our climb was to get to the top of Mount Crawford. As we broke tree line around 5 pm, I knew it was all worth it! My pace picked up and I felt compelled to reach the summit. The ridge was rocky with some small brush and tussock. As I climbed, the sun set over the ocean. The sky exploded with colour. I couldn’t stop grinning. Sunset to my left and layers of mountains to my right. Magic.
Our first big vista after climbing past the tree line
The moon and the ridge
Ridgeline hiking at dusk, painted in the golden hues of the setting sun
We had to drop down a bit on the other side of the ridge to reach Nichols Hut. It got dark quickly and route finding was more difficult. I felt a little bit scared at times, but knew we could make it there.
There were two hikers and one hunter in the hut with us. It was an interesting mix of personalities. I didn’t sleep well.
Day 77: Nichols Hut to Waiopehu Hut: 18 km
I woke up feeling unwell this morning with a headache and nausea. I’m thinking perhaps it’s from the altitude and maybe the stress of being the only woman in a hut. It just always feels stressful for me. And the snoring 😖.
A misty and windy start to the day
The weather was misty and windy today. We had our ponchos on for most of the day. It was a lot of up and down. Ridge walking and gaining a smaller summit. But we didn’t get to see anything. We were hiking through a cloud all day. Which was beautiful in its own way. We got a little sneak peek of the views and that was it.
We spent a lot of the day talking about many different topics.
A quick pause in the cloudy weather allowed us to see the ridges of the Tararua Mountains
We arrived at the hut just before sunset. There was a lovely kiwi couple there. We had some amazing chats! It felt so cozy with our twinkle lights and the candles. As the storm picked up outside, I was very happy to be in such a cozy environment both physically and emotionally.
We setup our string lights to add ambiance to the cozy hut for the night
Day 78: Waiopehu Hut to Makahika Outdoor Pursuits Centre: 15 km
We woke up in the fog. Wished our hut friends well and started descending off the mountains. As we got lower the weather improved. I was taking my time since the grip on my shoes has all but worn out. We made it down into the valley after a few hours.
A foggy morning descent
Magical light filtering through the forest
A typical path through private farm land
We walked through a cow pasture, over a stile, and we were then on the road. We had to negotiate past a crew re-paving and then we were on the home stretch. We arrived at Makahika around noon. At first we couldn’t get ahold of anyone and I was nervous about whether or not our packages had arrived.
In the meantime we set up the tent, hung and lay our wet clothes in the sun, and had a shower in the hiker shed they have here on the property. Then one of the owners (a couple own and run this place) showed up and fetched our two packages for us! I was so relieved to see my new shoes had made it here!!
I’m so elated to trade in my old shoes for brand new shoes with great tread. Thank you to Robinsons Outdoor store for the new shoes!!
We were invited to dinner with the owners. After organizing our resupply and catching up on my video edits we headed over. They made us a delicious vegan meal and we had lovely conversation. They are ex-military, like Brian, and that was really nice for him to have that connection.
Back to the tent around 10 pm, which is quite late for us. Big day tomorrow!
See you in next week’s blog post to start up hiking again tomorrow. Thank you so much for reading and joining me on this beautiful section!
Much love,
- Story
