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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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Date: 4th November 2023 Start: Beachcomber Lodge, Kaitaia (km 115.6) End: Broadwood (~km 138.5) Distance Walked: 5.1 km hitchhike + 16.8 km on trail + 9 km bypass (30.9 km total) Total Distance Completed: 133.1 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Slice of Heaven by Dave Dobbyn Time Taken to get a Lift out of…
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Date: 3rd November 2023 Yet again, I am very grateful that I rested. No alarm in the morning, no agenda to complete during the day, just relax in Kaitaia. Again. Somehow a planned 2 nights total in this town has blown into 5 nights, although I certainly don’t regret any of them. After listening to…
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Date: 2nd November 2023 Start: Ngapae Holiday Park (km 87.2) End: Beachcomber Lodge, Kaitaia (km 115.6) Distance Walked: 15.2 km + 13.2 km hitchhike (28.4 km total) Total Distance Completed: 102.2 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Conditions Of A Punk by half alive Calories Ingested in Ahipara: a glorious amount At some point I…
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Date: 31st October 2023 Start: Maunganui Bluff Campsite (km 40.2) End: Hukatere Lodge (km 69.6) Distance Walked: 29.4 km Total Distance Completed: 56.2 km Song Currently Stuck in Head: Zion by Kings Kaleidoscope (I’m not crying, you are) Right Side of Body: soaked to the bone Left Side of Body: drier than the Sahara I…
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I won’t be starting Te Araroa on the 28th. That’ll probably be obvious when this post comes out. To tell you the truth, I made the call during the coach ride up to Kaitaia. At 11am, an updated forecast came through which included an orange warning for all of Northland, estimating potentially 90mm of rain…
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Well, I’m here. In Aotearoa. Still not fully comprehending what I’m about to go and do over the next 4-5 months. The sheer scale of this trail is simply absurd, throwing much of my regular hiking preparation routine out the window. To give an example, on the Carnarvon Great Walk and Great Ocean Walk I…





Wow!, Jono. Nothing like a gentle hike to fill up a Saturday!!! You must have slept well that night (or…