After hoping over half a dozen stiles and a few locked gates in quick succession, we stopped for a little break. The friendly folk who live nearby popped out with a big jug of iced-water and chocolate for us :) They were quite surprised to see so many hikers today (apparently a group of six came through this morning), and were wondering why it was so popular all of a sudden. Not sure who the six were, not heard of any group of Te Araroa hikers that large, but maybe a few people have merged together? They also confirmed our suspicion that the definition of a paper road was – it’s a road on paper (public access), but there ain’t no road in reality.
A cheeky rest respite from tarmac led us on a merry dance. Through suburban streets and over some fences into peoples gardens we went… were these Te Araroa signs glued up here as a gag? Surely we’re not supposed to climb in there. There’s a dog kennel! 
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