TA Days 20 to 22: Bream Bay to Uretiti Beach

Greetings from the sunny beach of Uretiti; around kilometer 429 (268 miles) through Te Araroa!

Starting the Te Whara track at Bream Bay.

Yesterday we started early; Leaving Ocean Beach around 7:30am and following the Te Whara track towards the hills of Bream Head. It was a beautiful walk along the coast under a clear blue sky. At the top of the first main mountain section was an old WWII naval radar station, with great views of some nearby islands.

View from the World War II radar tower.

As the day progressed, some cloud cover made our climb to the summit of Bream Head more comfortable. In total, we gained just over 400 meters of elevation gain in several hours.

Weather Guru (left) and Dancin’ Dana (me; right) near the summit of Bream Bay.

The hardest part was descending into Smugglers Bay, which had over a thousand steps. My knees were shaking so hard the entire descent. It was a great relief to finally reach the bottom and begin the stretch of road towards Reotahi.

Rana distance passing through a rock arch along the trail.

Steps going up the track.

Steps, steps and more steps towards Smugglers Bay.

After a short rest at Reotahi Beach, we took a water taxi through the Whangārei Passage to Marsden Point. The ship even made a short detour around Motukaroro Island in the Whangārei Harbor Marine Reserve. We saw a variety of seabirds and some seals resting on the rocks.

Motukaroro Island.

Originally, we were planning to walk another 13km to Uretiti Beach, but by the time we reached Marsden Point we were quite hungry and tired. Lucky for us, a generous trail angel picked us up at the port and gave us a place to spend the night at One Tree Point. We were spoiled with hot showers, laundry, a trip to the grocery store, our own private rooms, and a trip to Waipu to get pizza for dinner (my guilty pleasure out of the way).

Dancin’ Dana, Weather Guru and Distance Frog with our amazing trail angel.

After a sleepless night on Ocean Beach due to the intense wind, a night in a real bed was very welcome. I slept very well and was glad to get a later start today.

Shells along the beach at Marsden Point.

This morning we returned to the harbor and began our walk along Marsden Point beach. Lots of pretty shells, starfish and sand dollars.

A small lizard on the beach.

Near the end of low tide, we reached the mouth of the Ruakākā River, requiring us to walk a bit upstream to cross the river. I drove to the other side, testing the depth and finally found a small sand bar running diagonally to the other side. Fortunately, the water stayed below my waist and the river was only about 50 meters wide.

Crossing the Ruakākā River.

After a quick change from sandals to shoes, we walked the rest of the way along the beach to the Uretiti campsite. It was nice to arrive early, have lunch, and set up camp for the night. I also went swimming for a bit, which felt good for my sore feet.

Wild flowers on Uretiti beach.

Feeling grateful for good company and a short, relaxing day at the beach.

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