Progress to Bluff:
Start: Cape Reinga
End: Kaitaia
Distance: 115 km
Total distance: 115 km
My journey to Cape Reinga and the start of the Te Araroa began early Sunday morning in Auckland. The bus to Kerikeri left at 7:30 am, and from Kerikeri there was another bus to Kaitaia. The first bus was a mix of hikers and regular travelers, but once we reached Kerikeri and switched busses it was clear almost everyone was headed to the Cape. It was nice to already meet other hikes before even starting the trail.
We arrived in Kaitaia at around 2 pm and immediately jumped into a shuttle a fellow hiker had organized. It was eight of us in a van, which meant we only had to pay $22.50 (about 14 USD) per person. My initial plan was to hitchhike but this meant I could easily make it to the first campsite 12 km from the cape and didn’t have to stress.
It was also nice starting the trail with others, unlike all my other thru-hikes. Everyone is full of excitement and stoked to be out there, and it makes taking pictures easier!
We started hiking from the cape around 5 pm and our group of 8 quickly spread out as we hiked through brush down to the beach, where we’d spent the next few days. It was a beautiful and sunny day with just some wind, making for a great start and an easy first day to Twilight campsite. Adrian, one of many German hikers on trail, and I were the first to arrive with the rest of the group tricking in. The campsite was quite busy, with 15 or so tents already set up. It was late, so we ate dinner and went to bed without mingling with the early arrivals - we knew we’d have plenty of time later to get to know everyone.
The next morning I left camp early as I love hiking on my own in the morning. You have the trail all to yourself, the sun is still rising and there’s a general calmness everywhere. After a while, the monotonous beach walking got to me, and I slowed down to have some company, which came in the form of Rohan and Holly, a British/Australian couple living in Wanaka on the South Island. They were equally glad to have someone to talk to, and we made quick progress to the next campsite. In between, I got distracted by the dead sea creatures washed up on the beach, from Australian Burrfish to small sharks and seagulls. Obviously, there were a ton of mussels, clams, and jelly fish too.
It was nice to relax on the grassy campsite as there were very few nice places to take a break on the beach. Like the night prior, people kept trickling in slowly with everyone going their own pace and rhythm, which is the smart thing to do, especially on the hard beach surface. Some people already suffered from blisters and pain here and there. We also learned a possum had destroyed a fellow hiker’s brand new tent by chewing through the mesh to try and steal some food.
The weather was still pretty nice albeit more cloudy than the first day. Despite the clouds, the sun was intense, and we all had to keep applying sunscreen frequently. Of course, this wasn’t a surprise but feeling it in person is always a different story.
Day 3 was more of the same. The beach has lost its appeal. Unlike the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, there’s nothing to break up the monotony and not even the tide got high enough for it to make any difference. There weren’t even any interesting sea animals. We all were suffering from boredom despite being in a cool place all day, but we also all appreciated the privilege of being out here. Our main activity all day was discussing our plans for the next couple of days around Ahipara, hitching or hiking the road sections, and so on.
I planned to bypass the next campsite and go straight to Ahipara or Kaitaia the next day, so I was first to leave camp on day four and pushed through to Ahipara. I really wanted to be off the beach. I made it to Ahipara just in time for lunch, and after walking about 1 or 2 km on the road I decided to hitch. I am always torn on being a purist, but the road was quite narrow with no shoulder and more traffic than I anticipated. I stuck out my thumb and got picked up by four locals within a minute. They had a thick Kiwi accent and I struggled to understand them at times, but they were incredibly nice and even dropped me off at the hostel.
The hostel was full of hikers. I essentially had caught up to the previous group, while others were about to start their hike the next day. It was cool seeing new people and seeing what their plans were, but I also missed the group of friends I made in the last few days. I initially wanted to keep going the next day, but I knew my feet and knees would appreciate the rest and it would allow me to see everyone again. Taking a zero after four days of hiking is definitely a new one for me, but I’m trying to stick to my intent of this being a “holiday hike” rather than a pure thru-hike. Everyone here is way more laid back about skipping sections than on the American trails regardless.
Despite the repetitiveness of the beach, it was a really cool start to a thru-hike. I’m surprised by how many other hikers there are and I’m curious how it’ll be the rest of the trail once it disperses a bit more.