Friendly Faces

The country side of New Zealand is beautiful and sometimes spectacular, which makes for a great and interesting hike. But the awesome people we have encountered along the way, have left the fondest memories!
On behalf of the team, this blog post is dedicated to those who have opened up their hearts and homes to us often smelly and scruffy looking "blokes".


Gabrielle at Hukatere Lodge on 90 mile beach.  She was so welcoming to us...Enthusiastic and bubbly...since we could not stay the night, she sent us on with fresh fruit and goodies!




Lance, Tracy, and son Ephren were gracious enough to host me while my feet were healing from all those blisters!!  They are dedicated to living a self sufficient lifestyle and were so gracious to help me in my hour of need.  I had a great stay with them.

Keith & Raewyn are recently retired and enjoying their new life.  They offered good company and a restful break after a long road walk...with a good cup of coffee and yummy sweets before we continued on....





Janine & Robin and Grub & Vanessa were fun and hospitable couples. They put on a fantastic BBQ... hydrated and fed us to the max...great sense of humor and good laughs.




Wayne & Ara and son gave us a friendly invite for lunch on the beach.
 



Sheryl & Grant...what a treat to get poached eggs for breaky inside their motor home.




Sharon & Ralph are an adventurous couple from New York who immigrated to NZ via sailing yacht.  They invited us to stay the night and took care of  2 very tired hikers after a long day of road walking.




Denise & Urs are a Swiss couple now living in NZ...put us up for the night...comfy beds and good feed with Italian Polenta...excellent!!




Leonie & Julian invited us to share their picnic on the beach.  Leonie is a Podiatrist and gave our feet a full inspection with some very welcomed advice to ease our walk!

Warrick & Theresa invited us in and treated us like family...gave us a fantastic feed...minus having to do the dishes!  Salt of the Earth family.




Thankyou everyone for filling our bodies with great food, conversation and great memories
We will be adding more friendly faces as we go!

We also want to mention the following people that helped us out....

• Fran in Nungaru who hosts TAT through hikers on a regular basis.
• Owner of Nungaru Hardware...many thanks for the free bottle of cooking gas.
• Glynis and Kathy in Whangarei:  Glynis is the driving force of Special Olympics Whanarei and drove out and found us on the trail to make sure we were taken care of while in the area.  Kathy comfortably hosted us during our stay.  With Beni suffering from a knee injury, Glynis gave him transport when/where needed.  We also had a great reception from the Mayor and some of the SO Athletes...escorting us through the Mall in Whangarei.
• Cody from Puhoi River Canoes...very professional and helpful in setting us up with needed canoe's for our trip down the Puhoi River.
• Anthony with Central Backpackers in Hamilton:  Very welcoming and offered such warm hospitality during our stay.

     In upcoming blogs I will be talking about some of the unique bird life that exists in
     New Zealand and also the type of gear that we carry in our back packs.
    
     Question:  What is a "Moa"?

     Until next time----------see you later matey's.

Technical Difficulties

Stay Tuned.....We have experienced 2 failed attempts and some challenges in loading pictures for the new post. We are working on the issue and will have you updated soon!! 

Seasons Greetings from Te Araroa trail!

Greetings friends and fellow Nature Trackers!
We are now 650 km's into the journey, and enjoying 3 days with family over Xmas.
For 3 days we are eating more calories than we are burning. Go figure.

My personal blister count is now up to 9.
8 have dried and are dormant, with just one active.
Aches and pains come and go. But over all, adapting nicely.

Some not so good news:  Brother Beni has had to pull out for good, due to a torn cartilage in his left knee. His spirit will be missed very much.
Pictures below:

Sarn crossing one of the many streams along the coast. Some, we have had to time for low tide to be able to get across.

Beautiful tropical forest walking north of Auckland.

Like the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, the Te Araroa Trail occasionally passes through private lands.

Moments like these will be remembered forever...
Being invited in for a hot cup of Italian style coffee and sweet treats. Yummm...

Canoeing a 5 mile stretch of river.

The trail goes right through Auckland...New Zealand's largest city of 1.3 million.
About one fourth of all New Zealander's live here.

As we leave Northland and head into the central part of the North Island, we take with us some very fond memories of the country side and more importantly, the people we have met along the way, that have opened their hearts and homes to us. As I reflect more on that, I will dedicate the next blog to those who have touched our lives. You too will one day want to meet them.
Until then, may the season be full of good memories!

Food Glorous Food

Trail food?  What can I say!!

The never ending hunger we experience along the trail....It motivates...it inspires...and it fuels. We actually burn more calories than we take in every day.

Breakfast:  Dry cereal with chia seed. Coffee/tea.

Lunch:        Bread/crackers with tuna  or cheese.

Dinner:       Rice/pasta with tuna or salmon.

Dessert:      Honey on crackers...(we can't forget Dessert!)

Snacks:       Energy bars, chocolate and gorp.

Occasionally the menu changes...(fish & chips and a yummy ice cream when the opportunity
arises...if the trail wanders through a camp ground or small town).


1) The forest streams of the Northland are so beautiful and tranquil.
    We hiked over 3 miles through this stream heading for the coast.



2) One of the many coastal campsites...can you see how we dry out our socks?



3) The National Geographic Society calls this coastline #2 in the world for its beauty.






4)  We walked over this bridge known as The Whananaki Footbidge...a 350meter/ 1,050 foot marvel...It is the longest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.



5) View looking north from the Headlands of Whangarei (pronounced Fong-a-ray). A very steep climb in very hot sun.





Question?  What is the national bird of New Zealand?



In the upcoming blogs I will discuss the gear we are carrying and some of the people we have met along the way.

Several days have passed since we started our long journey. Between the 3 of us we have accumilated thus far, a total of eleven blisters. Unfortunately for me I have seven of them. On top of that I almost lost the toe nail from my little toe on my left foot. I had to take a couple of days rest to heal and the good news is the blisters have dried and the toe nail looks like it will live on. What next as we brake our bodies in to all day hiking with full packs?

Kauri Forest. These trees are native to New Zealand and have an incredible history worthy of exploring. The Kauri tree is second only in size to the mighty Redwoods in the USA.

 

 

We hiked in steady rain for a few days and most things we had in our packs became damp.

 

Beni is holding a species of the largest insect in the world. They get bigger than this one.

Can you name the insect?

 

 

 

As we make our way south east to the Bay of Islands we are warmly greeted with sunshine.

Sarn and Beni making friends.

 

 

 

We pass this historical stone building. The oldest of its kind in the country.

Worhty of exploring its colorful history.

 

This is a Maori Pa. A meeting house on the grounds where the "Treaty of Waitangi" was signed.

 

Unlike other countries, New Zealand does not have a constitution in the form of a single document. The Treaty of Waitangi is a founding document of New Zealand.  The Treaty consists of 3 articles.   All but one of these copies is written in longhand, and only one is in English. The structure of each follows a similar pattern, but the wording differs.

 

It is a collection of common laws, customs, and legislation, that establish a framework of government, entered into by representatives of the British Crown and Maori iwi (tribes) and hapu (sub-tribes). 

 

It is named after the place in the Bay of Islands where the Treaty was first signed on February 6, 1840. This date is known as Waitangi Day, a public holiday in New Zealand.

 

The Treaty was the initial agreement that established British authority.  This authority was later transferred to the New Zealand Parliment. It was a broad statement of principals upon which the British Officials & Maori Chiefs made a political covenant to found a nation state and build a government in New Zealand.

 

Based on the English Version & Maori translation, there are different understandings of the Treaty, and have long been the subject of debate.

 

The status of the Treaty has evolved over time.  In recent history, successive governments have recognized the significance of the Treaty in the life of the Nation.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the detailed hand carvings and designs in the wood that make up the meeting house.

 

 

 

Next time I will discuss the types of food we eat along the trail.

 

 

 

 

Looking down the ninety mile beach to the south. An arduous 3 to 4 day walk.




Beni and Sarn walking in step, mile, after mile, after mile...


 


A large variety of life exists along this stretch of ocean.
Can you name the different types of shell fish?

Finally, after all the buildup, preparation and excitement...the time has come to hit the Te Araroa Trail!
We started Nov 30, one day sooner than expected. The weather forecast looked great for the next 3 days, so we did not hesitate.
This photo shows me standing at Cape Reinga, the far northern tip of New Zealand, where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meet.