Our last proper meal before starting the first section. Beachcombers in Kaitaia has sorted us out with two fine meals during our stay here, we’d highly recommend. It’s a bit north of the town centre, on the main road.
Surf ‘n’ Turf
Weekly shop
The first section of the trial isn’t very long and pretty flat, mostly walking along 90 mile beach (which is more like 90km), most people will do it in 3 or 4 days. But we haven’t had time to do any warm up walks yet.. So we’re going to take it pretty easy and do over about 7 days.
This is what a weeks worth of food looks like, fortunately once we’ve un-packed it all into zip lock bags it looks a bit less bulky! Although water may determine how fast we walk along this section as I’ve read it can be pretty dry..
What’s your poison?
And no this is not for boozin’ ! I know what you’re thinking ;)Who would of thought a big bottle of poison was essential kit..Action Hero Steven Sea-Gal
More on him later ;)
Hot Mail
We’re not missing the big-smoke technology down here in the wild. We’re fully kitted out with the latest in kiwi t’internet gadgetry!I’m actually stood on a sand dune right now, trying to upload a few posts with the first bit of mobile reception we’ve found! View’s amazing as the sun sets, not sure how many I’ll do before I get too cold.Great Exhibition Bay
Beautiful white silica sand beach we visited on our way to the top. A good taste of things to come!
Alan and the Harrison’s Cape Runner Tour
To be honest, we weren’t particularly looking forward to the ‘tour’ to the top. But bloody hell this was the best tour I’ve ever been on. Our tour guide Alan (half Maori, half Scottish) was the perfect person to drive us to the top, not only did he grow up in the northernmost settlement here, but he was also the last person to man the lighthouse at Cape Reinga before they converted it to solar power and presumably fully automated in 2000. He was a very funny bloke, seemed to know everything about the Far North, even what all the farms were planting or how many head of livestock everyone had.
01. Far North
Here’s the first section of video from our walk across New Zealand, I’ll be uploading the rest as I get them finished. From Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island we walked down 90 Mile Beach, across to the east coast via the Herekino and Raetea forests, along the Bay of Islands and then through the Russell Forest.Thar she blows! Cape Reinga, the start of the walk
Brilliant to finally see the famous light house out in front of us and knowing the real adventure is about to start. But also feeling quite apprehensive suddenly. I think about the isolation, and being so far from people and help ( although I know that i’m in the expert wilderness-trained hands of Cookie of course ) and I know everything will be totally fine - but I think the remoteness of the location and the magnitude of the task in hand is starting to sink in! And, as they say in Bad Boys II, “This shit just got real!”.
The famous signpost & Cape Reinga Lighthouse
This marks the start of the Te Araroa trail, Only 1800 miles to go!
