Cape Reinga to Hospital!

And we're off......

We met a group of Israeli and Czech guys in the hostel we were staying at in Paihia who kindly said they would give us a lift up to Cape Reinga.  They were good fun and had actually spent the summer in Den Haag in Holland which is where I spent a few days before coming to New Zealand and they had some good stories to tell.  They had a good travel ethic which was to go everywhere slowly and we stopped along they way in Kerikeri for an amazing Israeli meal in a cafe there.  It was a hot sunny afternoon and there was a group of 9 of us so a good atmosphere and the food was great - even for their tough standards.  After lunch we set off up north to 90 mile beach, where the guys were insistent on attempting a bit of sand surfing with a makeshift board and a piece of rope tide to the back of their car.  Needless to say they weren't entirely successful but they did have a lot of fun trying!  With a lot of perseverance and determination, they managed to use the board of skateboard and surf along the sand before falling in the water and getting freezing cold and wet!  It was more fun for us, the spectators I think.  We arrived at Cape Reinga and after inspecting the lighthouse, we made it to the campsite down the road.  We had dinner together before Shalane and I headed to bed early ready for day one.

Day 1 on the Te Araroa Trail (Done in a UK Big Brother style voice)

15 October 2010 

Taputaputa Campsite - Kahokawa Beach

We woke up at 5.30am in an attempt to leave at 6.30am but a lack of sleep (due to excitement) it was quite hard to motivate myself in the dark so a slightly slow start for me!  However, once up and awake I was properly excited and ready for anything.  Kirsten kindly woke up to wave us off and Shalane and I set off with an additional trekking buddy in tow.  Chen, another Israeli guy that we met at the hostel we'd been staying at in Paihia, wanted a short trek so decided to join us for 2 of our days. 

The first 2 hours of the day were spent just trekking to the start of the trail.  I wee warm up you could say.  It was nice and hilly and definitely got the blood pumping and by the time we got to the lighthouse I had to laugh to myself that we hadn't even started Te Araroa yet.  Chen had a coffee break while we overlooked the lighthouse and we were soon on our way once more.   The trail was up and down, hills, cliffs and dunes with a small section of beach walking and was a really great variety.  The weather was a bit rubbish, with a bit of rain and very overcast but a great temperature for us.  By 2pm my feet began to hurt and I was pleased to stop when we did.  We had trekked for 26 Kms and had found a camp at the start of the beach that we were set to walk on for the next 3 days solid.  I ran into the sea before I cooled down for a very invigorating dip, as it was Baltic, before settling down for a night around a fire with some yummy Back Country Cuisine to reward us for our hard days trek.  We were sitting and chatting when a young Dutch guy strolled up -  Dirk Jan.  He is also doing the Te Araroa and asked to trek with us for the next few days of beach walking.  It was only then, talking in the group that it suddenly hit me....I'm going to be trekking for 5 whole months ahd I don't think I really realised that before now.  Shit!


Day 2  16 October 2010 
Kahokawa Beach - The Bluff

Blisters!  3 years with the same trekking boots in countries all around the world and they start to give me blisters on day 2 of the biggest trek I'll ever do!!!!  7 in total and the one on my little toe is the size of a whole other toe!

The blisters on my heals actually started at the end of day one and one or 2 of my toes and as soon as I put my boots on I knew it would be a tough day.  The start was ok though, they hurt but it was bearable, however, with a guesstimate of 30 Kms ahead, something needed to be done.  The blisters got more painful and I realised I was walking strangely to try and avoid the pain, so after we said goodbye to Chen at Te Paki stream, Shalane, Kirk Jan and I walked another couple of hours when I decided I had to change my shoes.  On one of our breaks I swapped to sandals and it felt great - at first.  More blisters started appearing on the bottom of my toes and the afternoon was a bit of a flop.  We stopped and started quite a lot and only trekked a disappointing 23 Kms instead of our intended 30 which meant 2 long days ahead.

The beach walking is pretty tough considering it's all one level and I know once we start climbing those mountains I'll wish I was back on the beach, but with no real landmarks visable and nothing much to look at but sand, sea and dunes, it's just one foot in front of the other for 8 long hours!  The one level of walking means the pack and boots give constant friction in the same place for many hours but on the bright side, I managed to carry maximum water and food AND my trekking boots and all my heaviest clothes and am still alive to tell the tale.   The weather was good too and we set up camp near a lovely stream with an amazing view of the ocean and the sun was glorious in the afternoon.

With a now swollen Achilles and blisters galore we were still in good spirits.  It's amazing what a bit of sun can do!  I just hope my body doesn't let me down.



Day 3  17 October 2010
The Bluff - 3 Kms South of Hakatere

Well, the good news is my blisters weren't too bad in the morning.  I taped them up and when I put my boots on they felt fine.  Through the day a few points hurt but not as bad as the previous.  After 8 hours and 34 Kms it was a slightly different story.  The good news is that if you keep walking, they go kind of numb, it was only really when we had a break and started up again that I looked and felt like an old woman.

The weather was rainy on day 3 but the hardest thing for me on this day was pure, 100% boredom.  Don't get me wrong, the beach is beautiful but very much ready for some variety now.  The clouds were thick on all sides of us and there were no land marks to tell us how fast or far we were going.  At least with the sea on the right and dunes on the left we knew we were always going in the right direction.  I would set myself a landmark, like a stone or shell or a slightly larger dune and maybe through a loss of sanity I would sing to myself. There was also a lot of traffic on the beach and the odd wave from the sandy highway would perk me up a bit.  There was also a nice bus driver man who threw a couple of bottles of water at us out of the bus door as he drove by.  He must have known that water was scarce along this stretch of beach and when we reached the stream we had been trekking hard to reach , we were very grateful for the water.  The stream was full of rubbish and I'm not sure I'd even wash my feet in the still, moldy looking water.  Shalane found us a good spot under some trees behind the dunes and the sun came out just in time for dinner.  All in all a good day and knowing that the next day was destination day felt good.  We had a sneaky treat of two back country cuisine meals each as we felt doubly hungry after a long day - Naughty but nice!


Day 4  18 October 2010
South of Hakatere - Ahipara

Well well well, what a day!  We woke up and set off at our usual 6.45am and began our walk  in some moody, cloudy lighting over the ocean, with some clear sky in parts and a dark rim of clouds heading our way and you could see the rain in the distance.  We managed to avoid the first onset and even got to enjoy a beautiful rainbow that appeared in the distance but before long we were wet and cold with some very strong icy winds.  One thing I will say about walking on the beach is that it shows no mercy to the elements!

By the afternoon we had some sun, wind but sun and lots of beach.  We walked along the beach and strolled some more beach when we sat and had lunch we ate on the beach and every now and then I'd look behind me at the long stretch of beach before turning round to look ahead at the longer stretch of beach.

We saw a man running up the beach playing gulf as he ran, and lots of tour buses driving up the beach with hundreds of noses pressed against the window staring at 3 (now quite tanned) beached looking trekkers.

The great news was that when the clouds disappeared and the sun came out we could see little white dots in the hills ahead - Ahipara!  I had a little pep talk with myself after lunch and I said "hey Alex, toughen up princess.  Those blisters and muscles aren't getting any better but if you carry on walking slowly they will just hurt for longer".  So I walked and I walked fast, and those little white dots in the hills got bigger and I felt really good until we turned a slight corner in the beach and blimey that wind!  As much as we walked and pushed and pumped those legs that wind was pushing us back.  We were getting nowhere fast.  Some sailing buggies things and quad bikes roared past me, just to confirm that I had picked the wrong hobby and I found myself swearing so hard at the wind.  With a bit more swearing and a bit more pumping of those muscles we made it to tarmac and after having a celebratory cold soft drink and a packet of salt and vinegar, we found a campsite down the road and wearily set up our home.

After showering and sorting ourselves out, it became clear that my fankle (fat ankle for those that don't know) was now worryingly large and very hot and red and a trip to hospital on our day of rest was a must.  We awoke early and after waiting for the bus to not turn up for half an hour we hitched into Kataia for hospital and food shopping.  After a referral to the Physio and a quick appointment back in Ahipara, it turns out I have Achilles Peritendonitis (or something like that.  Basically tissue damage around my Achilles tendon which has caused internal bleeding0 and I have doctors orders to rest for a week. Not the best start to the trip but with 4 days down and 146 to go, it's best I listen to doc and sit tight until the swelling goes down.  The injury actually started on our trial trek but it was the beach walk that finished me off and some new trekking boots (bought with my magic beans as funds did not stretch that far) will be needed.

A bit disappointing and I feel guilty for poor Shalane but hopefully we'll be on our way soon.