TA Days 84 to 86: we go to Wellington!

The drive to Wellington was really nice. Many people skip this section because it seems like a lot of walking on the road. However, most of our walking was along the beach, a trail, or a sidewalk.

The first day in Wellington was another marathon stage; 43 km (26.8 mi) from El Rancho to Camp Elsdon. The day started by following the Waikanae River to Paraparaumu Beach. The walk along the beach was about six miles, so by the time I had gone a few miles the high tide was in full swing.

At one point I had to escape to a neighborhood to avoid being hit by the waves. I ended up walking a few blocks down the street before heading back to the beach.

From there, I ran around a corner, stopping momentarily on some beach stairs to avoid being hit by the water as I made my way down a narrow strip of beach.

Fortunately, the beach opened up enough that I could get to a raised sandy path without getting wet.

Although it was nice to be away from the beach as the waves were now crashing against the rocks, the sandy platform was not the most pleasant. Imagine walking through thick sand with shoes full of holes. Slow and a lot of sand in your socks!

Over time, the sand track became a sidewalk and a pretty path through Queen Elizabeth Park.

After a short walk through the coastal town of Paekākāriki with its frescoed murals, I headed towards the hills of the Te Araroa rugged track.

The track climbs steeply over exposed hills overlooking the west coast. It was quite windy at the top, but the beautiful clear skies made the ocean pop a vibrant blue.

As well as the great coastal scenery, the track crosses two suspension bridges before descending into Pukerua. As soon as I turned off the road I started craving ice cream and was pleasantly surprised to find a small shop at the end of the street.

While I was sitting outside having a small snack, another family walked by and joined me. The son, who was probably a few years older than me, had completed TA last year. It was fun talking to him about his experience.

Since I still had a long day ahead of me, I decided to have a real lunch…which in this case was omelettes with hummus. A guy driving the adjacent food truck saw my dismal lunch and gave me some lettuce and tomatoes to add to my wrap.

After the break, I did it again; walking south along the Ara Harakeke footbridge to Plimmerton. When I arrived at Gear Homestead it was after 6:30 pm and I was starting to get tired. There are still 5 km (3 miles) to go.

Walking through Porirua town was a bit confusing and I had to backtrack a bit to find the correct route. As I was passing through the mall, a guy my age who was sitting on the road offered me some KFC. While I didn’t eat any food, we talked briefly and I told him about the TA before continuing.

I felt a little bad for not staying longer, but I didn’t want my legs to become paralyzed from stopping. It was already after 19:00 and I was finally approaching Camp Elsdon.

After another accidental detour, missing a turn in the trail; I arrived at the camp shortly before 8:00 p.m. It was a long day, but a good one, with wonderful weather, fantastic scenery, and tons of friendly people.

The next day was a little shorter; 32 kilometers (20 miles). The morning started in the forest climbing numerous flights of stairs in Rangituhi. Then we went up into the hills, down into Spicer Forest, along the road and up the northern trail past Johnsonville.

Finally, central Wellington came into view from Khandallah Park. Once again, good weather made an appearance along the promenade above the city.

I was definitely starting to feel pretty sore and tired as I came down from the hills and headed towards downtown.

As I got closer, the gas activated and I began to fly along river trails and forested hills. I was suddenly in a hurry to get to the botanical garden gift shop to get a new journal before it closed.

Although we would spend a couple of days relaxing in Wellington, I really didn’t want to have to go back up the hills to visit the gardens. I went to them in early September before I started TA and saw a journal I wanted because mine was almost full.

I did it just in time. Now less stressed, I was able to enjoy walking among the colorful flowers along the TA trail before descending through the historic Bolton Street Cemetery towards downtown.

It had been a long couple of days, so I couldn’t wait to rest and prepare for our trip to the South Island. Plus, now there’s only one more day left to finish the Te Araroa around the North Island!

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