A Dangerous Business

17/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 17

Date: 15th November 2023 Start: Pataua North Road (km 354.8) End: Ocean Beach (km 378.4) Distance Travelled: 23.6 km Total Distance Completed: 378.7 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Enchanted by Kings Kaleidoscope Mud: yes Being woken up by an alarm at 7am was oddly comforting. Because of the tide times at Taiharuru estuary, there
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16/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 16

Date: 14th November 2023 Start: Whananaki Holiday Park (km 322.2) End: Pataua North Road (km 354.8) Distance Travelled: 32.6 km Total Distance Completed: 355.1 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: The Path by Lorde Hours on Trail: 11 I’m convinced Earth’s gravitational pull is stronger before sunrise. How else am I supposed to explain by
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15/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 15

Date: 13th November 2023 Start: Helena Ridge (km 306.3) End: Whananaki Holiday Park (km 322.2) Distance Travelled: 8.4 km walked + 14.4 km hitchhiked (22.8 km total) Total Distance Completed: 322.5 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Dust by Kings Kaleidoscope Ability to Hand Wash Clothes: abysmal I woke to the sound of tents being
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14/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 14

Date: 12th November 2023 Start: The Farm (km 281.2) End: Helena Ridge (km 306.3) Distance Travelled: 16 km walked + 9.1 km hitchhiked (25.1 km total) Total Distance Completed: 299.7 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor Hours Saved by Hitching: around 2 Another night camping, another wet wake up.
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13/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 13

Date: 11th November 2023 Start: Peppertree Lodge, Paihia (km 244.7) End: The Farm (km 281.2) Distance Travelled: 25.6 km walked + 10.9 km by taxi (36.5 km total) Total Distance Completed: 274.6 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Dancing Queen by ABBA ABBA Vibes: immaculate I have often said that I’m really not a morning
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12/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 12

Date: 10th November 2023 Start: Hone Heke Lodge, Kerikeri (km 221.7) End: Peppertree Lodge, Paihia (km 244.7) Distance Travelled: 23 km Total Distance Completed: 238.1 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Praise by Elevation Worship General Health: 3.6 roentgen (not great, not terrible) It always feels a bit weird walking again after spending a couple
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11/11/2023

Te Araroa: Days 10-11

Dates: 8th-9th November 2023 I didn’t go to Paihia. Nothing could’ve convinced me to go walking straight away after the horror night I had after arriving in Kerikeri. I’ll spare you most of the gross details, all you need to know is I began coughing basically non-stop from 10:30pm till midnight, eventually forcing me to
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10/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 9

Date: 7th November 2023 Start: Puketi Campsite (km 197) End: Hone Heke Lodge, Kerikeri (km 221.7) Distance Travelled: 24.7 km Total Distance Completed: 215.1 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: random scenes from Cars Cough Status: making its presence known I’m getting really sick of having my tent fly socked in dew every morning. I’m
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09/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 8

Date: 6th November 2023 Start: Blackbridge Rd Campsite (km 177) End: Puketi Campsite (km 197.5) Distance Travelled: 20.5 km Total Distance Completed: 190.4 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: In Christ Alone Energy: completely and utterly drained WHY IS MY TENT ALWAYS SATURATED WITH DEW? Ok, rant over. It was actually a lovely morning, albeit
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08/11/2023

Te Araroa: Day 7

Date: 5th November 2023 Start: Broadwood End: Blackbridge Road Campsite (km 177) Distance Walked: 8.3 km walked + 28.5 km hitched (36.8 km total) Total Distance Completed: 169.9 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Évidemment by La Zarra Francophone Population of Tonight’s Camp: almost everyone Even in fine weather, I can’t escape getting a wet
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