"Blrgh" was the first thing I said when I woke up this morning, but I managed to haul myself out of bed by 6:30. Having a shower helped and after having the packet of noodles I'd bought for dinner last night (prior to getting a MUCH better offer) for breakfast I managed to set off by 8:15 (through the back gate this time!). I was astonished that eight days' worth of food actually fit in my backpack on the first try; having my clothes in a compressions dry sack really helps make a bit more room for other essentials, namely food! (This was an additional acquirement during my break, along with my new mattress. Previously my spare clothes were in a mere dry sack which proved nearly impossible to get all the excess air out of; Sea to Summit eVent Compression Dry Sacks--highly recommended).
Enjoying my walk through the Esplanade far better than yesterdays I made the bridge and crossed, only to be momentarily confused by the road splitting off in various directions and not a TA marker in sight. I asked a lady walking her dog which was the way to Bledisloe Park and was stoked when she pointed to the road going around the hill rather than up and over it. I set off. After stopping then at 2km, I ended up stopping about every 3km for the rest of the day for a short break of a few minutes (anywhere there was a handy perch: bus shelter, large rock, tree stump, fence...the list goes on), with longer breaks every six kilometres or so. Having my foot strapped certainly helps but its still a bit twingy and I was sure it would be sore as per usual by the end of the day.
From Bledisloe Park the TA follows the Turitea Walkway out past the Massey University Campus. It's a pleasant little walk through native forest, following a stream for a while before heading up and over a hill bordered by pine forest and recent subdivisions. The cicadas were loud and proud and positively deafening in some little patches of woods. There were a lot of dog walkers out this morning--it's so nice to be sharing the route with them and not traffic! It's such a relief to be off the road!!
Beyond the end of the walkway there's a short section of road walking through semi-rural though affluent neighbourhoods (judging by the percentage of pricey cars driving past). I had stopped for a boots-off break on the broad shoulder of the road just before this when a car towing a trailer drove past and I got the fright of my life when just as the car drew level with me the back gate of the trailer fell off in the road with an enormous clatter. The car promptly stopped, pulled a U-y and came back to retrieve the gate. I nearly had my boots on to go help but the guy behind the wheel seemed to have matters well in hand, muttering a string of curses as he picked the offending gate up and secured it back into place. The curses were redoubled when he discovered the gate had smashed one of his trailer lights as it fell. He recovered enough when the gate was back in place however to cheerfully laugh and apologise at the fright at must have given me. I was just glad there hadn't been anyone following along behind him...
Down the road a stretch the trail veers off Green Corridor footpath the wends its way between roads and houses through a small ribbon of native scrub. I had stopped on a handy bench (never turn down a good seat) and got talking to a local couple out for a short walk. They're just about to go and do the walk over Bream Head (at Whangarei Heads) and were interested to hear Te Araroa does it too. I was astonished to learn that the two of them were about to turn 70--they looked like they were in their fifties! Maybe there is something to the benefits of outdoors and exercise after all?!
I stopped for lunch as the Green Corridor emerged into farmland, then followed a gravel road down to Kahuterawa Rd. Following this as it wends its way up a narrowing valley I stopped to sit on a boulder in the shade of a few trees by the gate of a small recreational reserve. The sign at the front didn't say anything about facilities so I didn't bother walking the extra hundred or so metres into the Reserve. A carload of youths were there and decided to leave while I was still perched on my boulder. I'd left my pack in view by the gate so they should have known I was there, but they obviously weren't very observant as one of the back seat passengers spotted me as they drove past, prompting one of his cohorts to yell "Creepy!" out the window from the front seat. Meh. Once you get into this through-hiking lark you don't really care what people think after a while, especially not when you've secured an elevated seat in a shady spot on a hot day. Creepy or not I was staying in my shady spot!
The joke was on me however when round a bend in the road I spotted a toilet block at the back of the reserve. It was only a short distance away so instead of going back I jumped the fence to use the facilities, which left a lot to be desired but at least had ample supplies of their own toilet paper. I was jumping back over the fence, pack on back, when a car came round the corner. What they thought of the spectacle of a burdened hiker delicately trying to climb a fence without overbalancing in any particular direction I don't know as they did not yell any sentiments out the car window.
Kahuterawa Rd ends at a massive parking area and entrance to the Kahuterawa Recreation Hub. It's a popular spot frequented by mountain bikers if the several minutes I spent resting my feet on one of the picnic tables was anything to go by. I was disappointed that despite having a water tank there seemed to be no ready access to water (I didn't think to check to see if the loo had a wash basin--doh!) and no one stopped to chat, so after a while I packed up my stuff and headed off up Back Track. It was getting toward late afternoon by this stage so as I was going up most mountain bike traffic was coming down and two guys stopped to ask if I was going in to camp for the night when I waited for them to cross a bridge ahead. I explained about the trail and they were amazed. I'm glad that despite the hoards of hikers that must have come through here over the past two months that there are still people who haven't heard about the trail and are intrigued enough by people lugging heavy backpacks to stop and ask them what they're up to. I have had the feeling since restarting in Whanganui, mainly from the looks passers-by have given me, that they are fully aware of what I'm up to, their faces reading "there goes another one" with only a passing interest. Call me an attention seeker rather like it when people are perplexed by me and my pack passing by, not only because their sometimes exclamations of awe are amusing (and even a little encouraging--you feel like 'yeah, I am doing something a bit nuts but cool!'), but also because its a good ice breaker with which to have a conversation with someone, which for me has become all part of the fun of the trail. I've never met so many new and different people in my life! I had feared, and it seems partially justified in my fear, that getting back on trail so late, everyone I would see along the way would be a bit hikered-out and have no interest in just one more crazy walker moseying along their street. But happily at least a few people are still intrigued enough to stop and have a short chat to this crazy walker.
After saying farewell to the duo who'd stopped to chat I set off up the hill, stopping at a stream to top up my dwindling water supplies. Near the top of a hill the track pops out of the trees and at about 1499km (TA 2016 route) there's a lookout over the valley below. Though not especially flat, I though there might be just enough gently sloping ground to pitch a tent. It was 5:30 already, so while I debated about staying the night here I made dinner and had a cup of tea. Perhaps because I'd paced myself and had so many breaks today I still felt like I had a few kilometres left in me however so I packed up my things and set off again. Following the track further up and back under the trees I soon came around a bend to find a picnic table where someone had used rocks to spell out "TA 1500km Half way to Bluff". Having my own small celebration that consisted of warm fuzzies and an audible "Yay!" I carried on up the hill and soon emerged at a large parking area at the end of Scott's Rd. Numerous mountain bike trails set off from here, back down the hill or along the ridge in various directions, a private road continues up the ridge, and Scotts Rd heads off down through farmland into the next valley. It was starting to get dusky so I sized up the camping opportunities. Unfortunately these were few and far between and I was soon faced with the decision of whether or not to stay here in a mediocre spot (there were no water or toilet facilities at this parking area) or keep following the trail down Scotts Rd hoping to find a better spot. After about half an hour's exhaustive search of all the nearby pitching options I decided to stay put, hoping against hope that the empty carpark would remain empty all night and that I wouldn't be disturbed. Just in case however I pitched my tent as stealthily as a I could, between two low grassy mounds. The only way I could be seen would be if someone drove into the carpark, drove right up to the end then turned around to drive out again, then they'd see the fly of my tent in between the two mounds. The last of the mountain bikers had disappeared over the ridge just after 7 and as I settled nervously down for the night I hoped that that meant I would be left alone and in peace until at least 7 the next morning.
As it would happen, my hopes were completely unfounded...
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