Alyse and I had breakfast with Clay and I got to try some Tanzanian tea he recently brought back with him called "Chaichai" (which is nothing like Indian "Chai"). Then it was time to change back into smelly walking clothes again (yep, they stink, even after only one day) and we bundled in the car and Alyse dropped me back out to Paekakariki--after taking my camp clothes and offering to wash them for me! I've opted to action her idea of leaving tent, sleeping bag etc at Bex's in order to make my pack lighter. I kind of feel like this is cheating a bit, but I did it at Ron's too so there is a precedent. Alyse and I agreed to meet in Porirua at 5pm.
Out of Elizabeth Park you walk through town along the head of the beach. A guy pulled up to take his dog for a walk and stopped to chat. Before I knew it he'd popped back to his car to retrieve a copy of his self-published children's book about an orphaned Tui he'd presumably adopted and other wildlife around Paekakariki. Though the man didn't actually introduce himself I noticed the book's author was Taffy the Clown; this explained the fellow's slightly unusual (Missionaries aside, how many people you just met give you a book for free?) and exceedingly cheerful character.
Beyond the beach a short road walk heads up to the Paekakariki Escarpment Walk which leads through a small park along the heads. Though I hadn't been going long I stopped on a bench overlooking the sea, and munched a muesli bar while soaking it all in. On the way down I met a retired couple out for a walk and checking the pest traps they lay in the reserve; so far today from five of nine traps they'd caught two rats.
Down off the escarpment the trail crosses the Fisherman's Table carpark and then follows the Centennial Coastal Highway, SH1. This mercifully has a footpath running alongside it the several kilometres to Pukerua Bay. While it was nice not to have to worry about traffic there was no escaping the constant roar of vehicles going by. I distracted myself by bird watching along the shoreline, managing to spot several oyster catchers, seagulls, spur-winged plovers, pigeons (yes, the quaint city park kind--weird), a white-faced heron and a tern. I was also able to successfully gauge on two short sections that I had enough time between the biggest in a set of rollers to walk past before a large wave hit the sea wall and splattered the pavement. Winning!
Occasionally the roar of traffic was supplemented with the encouraging toot of a horn and at one point an excited repeatedly honking horn. I looked up to see an SUV drive past, heading south, the driver furiously waving an arm at me out the window. I don't think it was anyone I know, so guessed it must just be some very enthusiastic TA walker supporter. I half wondered if it might not have been Geoff Chapple himself; I think someone once told me he lives somewhere along the Kapiti Coast. I figure no one would be more enthusiastic in their encouragement than him.
At the last vehicle pull-in before the highway climbs over the headland TA veers off down a 4WD track/driveway, diverting just before the private gate onto the beach at Pukerua Bay. I walked along the beach until a road ran parallel, fortuitously with a set of public toilets (actually two). Shortly after I arrived a guy pulled up to clean them and hesitated about going in the female end. Having just come from there myself I assured him there was no one in there and he went about his duties.
From beach level TA follows a goat track up to a suburban road on top of the headland. I accidentally took the wrong goat track but the headland was only so big and I quite rightly assumed the road I came out in would meet intersect the other one before rejoining the highway. I was back on the official trail when I reached the shop, and celebrated by buying a can of fizzy and an ice cream (I'll admit I'd scouted the shop as an afternoon ice cream stop in the drive up that morning...two things thru-hikers inevitably take notice of: public toilets and places that sell food!).
From the shop at the top of the hill TA follows the Ara Harakeke ("flax pathway") down to the Paremata Bridge, via Plimmerton. The walkway follows the highway as it sidles down a valley dominated by Taupo Swamp, a natural flax swamp environment saved from development by early settlers and the later building if the highway only by its difficult to drain swampiness (eventually the settlers played to the swamp's strengths and used it to farm flax).
The walk/cycle way is a broad, paved route at least a stones throw from the highway at most points and affords a great opportunity for a hiker to walk along for a good hour or more in a complete daydream. This I did, managing to solve one of the many plot problems in a story/novel that I started working on when I was fifteen, and one day, several years from now, might actually finish! There was also the added bonus of being able to score a few deliciously sweet blackberries along the way.
Down and through Plimmerton and across the Paremata Bridge the trail crosses the highway then veers off down a parallel running street, then up a hill, then down through the grounds of [sp] House and the aptly named Adrenalin Forest (think aerial confidence course slung between pine trees on increasingly higher levels. I've been before on a previous trip to Wellington and didn't get past level 4. It's good fun and physical exercise but also fairly terrifying; Mum, you'd pass out just looking at it).
By this stage it was getting on 4:30 and my feet were killing me, despite being strapped. I'd nursed them along with a couple of boots-off breaks but now laid them down in determined strides as the end--Porirua--was in sight. Down a pathway and over the road bridge and I was there, fortuitously right next to Countdown. I txt Alyse to say I'd meet them in the carpark then ducked inside to buy a trio of Lewis Road Creamery caramel milks (I'd never tried them but it came up in conversation that they're Pete's favourite, and I know Alyse is keen on anything caramel). By the time I'd gone through the self-checkout they were in the carpark. Celebratory caramilks all round. And there in the back was a neat little pile of my clean clothes. Saint. (All this generosity and help is going to make fending for myself in the South Island extra hard!).
The guys took me back to the barracks in Trentham where they are staying until they can move into their new house in a couple of weeks. I was astonished how easy it was to get on site; Alyse and Pete both have ID cards but all I had to do was show my drivers licence and sign in to be issued with a visitor's pass. Maybe I've watched too many movies but I thought at least they'd run my name through a system to see if I threw up any red flags, but apparently not.
In the barracks I made use of the little utilised females' shower (apparently there's Alyse and only one other woman in this wing). Besides these facilities and the occupant's private rooms there's a laundry, a small lounge and a kitchenette. The whole place reminds me of the student hall of residence I stayed in at ANU, except there's a notable lack of excitable students and people walking around rather more sedately in various army, airforce or navy uniforms instead. I never really noticed before but military personnel do have a distinctive walk...as civilians I decided Alyse and I must stick out like sore thumbs. Oh well, no one seems to mind.
With everything of mine washed, dried and socially wearable again the three of us headed into Upper Hutt town centre to try out an Italian Restaurant one if Pete's colleagues in the mess hall had recommended. It proved to be authentic Italian made by authentic Italians; I had the fettuccine Alfredo and it was superb. It was also too filling to be able to have desert, even for a hungry hiker!
After dinner we dropped Pete off and then Alyse and I headed to Bex's again, after saying a brief hello to Pete's kids via Skype, and startling our friends Lisa and Carlos with a Whatsapp image of the happy couple featuring an unexpected photo-bomber (Lisa and Carlos hadn't realised I'd made it to the outskirts of Wellington already). Alyse and Pete are going to check with the necessary authorities whether or not I might be able to stay as a guest in the barracks tomorrow night (Pete and Alyse have been issued two rooms but are only using one) in order to save Alyse the drive in and out of the city ferrying me about day and night. But we'll see what happens. I don't want them to be pushing the rules so early into Pete's new job, nor do I want to be a transport baggage. I've let them know I can fend for myself at a backpackers if necessary but will leave it up to them to decide what they can and want to accommodate.
At Bex's I was interested to learn that Bex has applied for an author mentoring programme as she has recently embarked on writing a murder mystery novel. Having spent a good portion of the day theorising about my own epic work of fiction in progress it was a bit of a startling coincidence to find someone else who is doing the same, but taking it to the next level. I didn't know you could get mentors for authoring, but I wish Bex all the best in her application--can't wait to read her finished novel!
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