Days 15-18 in Te Araroa

DAY 15

I spent the day at Waipu Cove to rest.

DAY 16

We returned to the trail and took the coastal route. It was a beautiful change to have a nice path to follow along the ocean.

I ended up in Mangawhai and stayed on a trail host’s property that was set up just for hikers.

The dinner included playing hits from the 2010s onwards. Ryan’s phone with a dance party. Followed by trimming Sam and Ryan’s mustaches with a fork as a comb and my little Victronix knife scissors. It works a dream!

DAY 17

Too tired.

11/27 DAY 18

He started walking at 6 a.m. and had planned to walk 38 km. I’ve been using FarOut, an app that was my lifesaver on the PCT, but bothers me on the TA. It keeps giving me incorrect distances and elevations. The map was drawn last night and it said it would be 38km and 1500m of elevation, which seemed fine to me.

As the day progressed, my watch said I had walked 23km and had already covered 1300m of elevation gain. If it really was what FarOut said it would be, I know I could have done it.

Sam’s knee was bothering him and he knew he wouldn’t have another 15km left, so he started organizing a place to sleep that night.

This trail is wild. Up and down and up and down. It’s not like the satisfaction of reaching a pass and knowing you have a descent. It keeps you guessing all the time and you can’t see anything because the bush is so thick.

What’s different about this trail for me is that I know I can do it. Physically, I can walk 24 miles and not have to question it. It all comes down to my mindset and drive. I remind myself that I started this walk to explore more of New Zealand, but in terms of what I want from Te Araroa, I’m still not sure.

The idea occurred to me that the ideal would be to finish 1,000 kilometers in a month. While I’m not walking EFI (Every Fucking Inch), I feel like I’m doing the most for me.

Sam and I talked today about how grateful we are to be on this journey together. Belly laughs every day. We start out wanting to show independence, but we know it’s much more fun to walk together or end the day at camp. We have been walking with a few of the same people and it has been a great dynamic.

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