Day 1: Cape Reinga – Twilight Beach campsite (12km)
Day 2: Twilight Beach Campsite – Maunganui Bluff campsite (28km)
Day 3: Maunganui Bluff campsite – Hukatere Lodge (30km)
Day 4: Hukatere – Ngapae Holiday Park (17km)
Day 5: Ngapae – Kaitaia (28km, 13km hitch)
Dec 1 – Dec 5 2024
Walking days: 5 | Rest days: 0
Total walked: 103km
Total hitched: 13km
Cumulative Distance: 115km
The Te Araroa trail kicks off with a long, sweeping stretch of sand – Ninety Mile Beach. Despite its name, it’s only 55 miles long, but could as well feel like 90 miles. The story goes that the early European settlers named it because they knew their horses could travel up to 30 miles in a day. However as the climate was hotter than their own, the horses ran slightly slower than normal, hence overestimating the distance. Here is my experience whilst hiking this section.
Before the trek even started I had to familiarise myself for this section of the trail. I realised I pretty much forgot all the information I had read before setting off after taking 3 weeks to explore Vietnam. Equipped with the Te Araroa (TA) trail app and my (regrettably heavy) notepad to hand, I jotted down that I needed 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches & dinners and a bunch of snack to keep me topped up for the days ahead. I made sure that the tides aligned with my plan and went shopping shortly after to purchase my supplies. I was shocked to spend $109 on what was mostly food, snacks and supplies for 5 days… NZ is not cheap.
The next challenge was reaching Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of New Zealand’s North Island. Public transport only gets you as far as Kaitaia, leaving you with a few options to cover the remaining distance: hitchhiking, hopping on an expensive tour bus, or coordinating a ride with one of the incredible trail angels.
Trail angels are one of the true highlights of the Te Araroa experience. These generous individuals open their homes and hearts to hikers, offering anything from lifts and accommodation to laundry services, and occasionally, a replenishing meal or a cold beer after a long day on the trail. They’re not just helpers, they are storytellers, gatekeepers of information and part of the magic that makes the journey unforgettable.
I had organised to spend the night at a trail angels place along side a couple of other hikers in Kerikeri on the 30th of November. The plan was to start the hike on the 1st of December. With my return to work scheduled for the 1st of April, I had exactly 4 months to complete the trail.
The night before setting off, I weighed my bag, and it tipped the scales at a hefty 20kg, loaded with food, water, and kit including my hiking poles. Even for someone my weight (6”1, 94kg), I was pushing it. I made the call to reassess and pack up some unnecessary gear – leftovers from Vietnam and a few excess food items. After a bit of trimming, I managed to bring it down to just under 19kg. While still on the heavier side, I felt confident carrying it, having managed similar weights on multi-day hikes before.
The iconic Cape Reinga point marks the very start of the trail, where the Pacific and Tasman Sea meet. To be quite honest, I did not know what to expect. I knew there would be some sand, long days, beating sun rays and hoped to spend time conversing with people along the trail.
I wasn’t wrong about the sun’s intensity. With daily UV index readings peaking at 11, hiking under the blazing sun with little more than the occasional cloud or ocean breeze for relief, turned into a slow and gruelling slog. Thankfully, I’d had the foresight to invest (with the help of a Black Friday sale) in a sun hoodie – a tightly woven, polyester long-sleeved top with a hood. This, paired with a sun cap, became my best defence against the relentless rays, sparing me the hassle of reapplying suncream every three hours and avoiding the dreaded greasy feeling that comes with it. Trust me, get a sun hoodie.
At first glance, the walk itself may seem dull. The scenery does not change a single bit – except for the tide slowly creeping in and out. At high tide, you are forced onto softer and much more tiring sand. At this point we tended to take a break from walking, refuel and hydrate until the tide lowered enough to uncover harder sand. This is where you can really put the miles on the map.
At the first camp, twilight beach, we had a group of six hikers and a bike packer who had just started his journey on Tour Aotearoa (the bike packing thru tour)
By day two we were still feeling fresh and we set off as a group. For the first couple hours we stuck together, however as the day went on each person developed their walking pace – some naturally faster, some slower and others just coping with newly forming blisters. We slowly broke up into smaller groups that matched walking pace but still met up with others frequently at breaks.
When we arrived at camp every night, the countdown for sunset began. The routine was pretty much always the same: setup the tent, refill water, get dressed into some cleaner clothes, cook and eat. By the time this was done, it was bed time – and aptly so as we were just about dozing off anyway. Sunsets were magical, the west coast offered picture perfect sunsets every night. We were blessed to have a raging sun rather than bleak rain to start the trip.
Some camps were free, but most were paid (~$25) and came with HOT showers, soap, a kitchen and surprisingly free WiFi. I can honestly say that I was not expecting such comforts so early in the trail. In the South Island, however, hot showers will be a luxury, spaced much farther apart.
Lunch consisted of wraps filled with chorizo, cheese, and a bag of salad that I had to finish within the first two days before it went bad. I thought the salad was a clever way to sneak in some greens while keeping things lightweight.
Protein and chocolate bars were my go-to snacks during the tougher moments on the beach. I’d eat them strategically whenever I felt my energy dip, using the sugar rush to power through and keep moving forward.
I had planned to complete the beach in 4 days, combining the last two into a 33km day. However when arriving at Ngapae Holiday Park for a quick lunch pit stop, I had realised I managed to loose a single croc somewhere along the beach. I had a sneaky suspicion that I had dropped it at a restaurant stop around 7km before the campsite.
Somewhat naively, I decided to head back and see if I could find it. Slapping on some 50+ sunscreen on the tops of my now slightly sunburnt hands, I filled up my 1.25L water bottle, plugged into some tunes, and set off running down the beach. My plan was simple: run until I either finished half my water and turn back or find the missing croc.
I kept my hat soaked in ocean water for a bit of natural air-con. Along the way, I passed another hiker who was still hobbling along the beach, and gave me a bewildered look as if to say, Are you seriously running back for a croc? After some time, I spotted cars in the distance and I got closer, I realized it was a tour bus that had stopped at the sand dunes for tourists to try dune riding. My water was running low, but I figured I could push on a bit further, knowing I might be able to hitch a ride back with the bus if needed.
Before running past, I decided to stop and ask if I could borrow a board to give dune riding a go. To my surprise, they were more than happy to. After a fun ride, I pressed on up the beach, and after about 100 meters later, I spotted a black oblong object resting in the sand in the distance. As it came into focus, I thought to myself – could it really be? And sure enough, there it was, my missing croc! A wave of euphoria hit me, and I grabbed it before sprinting back to the tour bus to catch a hitch back. What a day!
My feet were doing surprisingly well, only having a single hotspot show up between my 3rd and 4th toe. I accredit this to my shoes – I had taken the Altra Lone Peaks for a spin in Vietnam and had probably put over 200km in them before I had even started. Whilst this put faith in my shoes, it also means I will need to buy new ones sooner!
Along the beach, we ran into hundreds of thousands of little neck clams that squirt water up and onto your shins as you walk. Definitely a surprise when you’re not expecting it! Along with that, puffer fish, sting rays and even a shark!
Since I had gone back to get my croc, I ended up splitting my last planned day into two. My last day was a short stint to get off the beach, only 14km when compared to some of the previous 30km days. Reaching the 100km mark felt great. Not only was there the satisfaction that we had managed to walk on a sandy beach for 5 days straight without loosing our minds (or feet!), but also that there was so much more that lay ahead of us!
After stepping off the beach onto hard concrete, we treated ourselves to a nice cold Lemon & Paeroa (L&P) – a sort of lemonade drink widely enjoyed by Kiwis.
We then split into two groups for our first ever hitch. Standing with a smile on your face, thumb out along side a road trying to look presentable after hiking on a beach for 5 days is no easy feat. We received a couple of chuckles and waves, but eventually we caught our first hitch hike from a loved up couple that recently relocated from England.
Hopefully you enjoyed this section of the trail. More to come soon!!
Leave a Reply