Day 13: Paihia to The Farm campsite, Whangaruru (26km, 7 hours)

Goodbye, Pickled Parrot!

Today and tomorrow should normally be heading through the Russell Forest - but kauri dieback means there’s been another bypass. So I’m going to be heading over to Russell, and road walking for most of the day, ending up somewhere south of Whangaruru.

Jay say the next resupply point may be 3 days away, so I stopped by a mini Countdown on the way to the Russell ferry, to provision up. No more dehydrated meals - I have tuna pouches, Uncle Ben’s rice, cheese, flatbread, peanut butter, and 2 chicken wraps (for breakfast and lunch today).

I was at the Paihia wharf about 7:45am, but the next ferry wasn’t until 8:30am. Time to chill and have breakfast.

Breakfast of champions!

Digression: That’s the second Kurt Vonnegut quote I’ve dropped into the blog so far. He had a good line in existential quotes that I’ve been trying to remember on the road. “Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone” (very appropriate on the TA; even if the quote was misattributed to him). “Make me young, etc” (which makes little sense outside of the context of the book; but also happens to be the title of my favourite Thumpermonkey album). And “sitting-up mud” (I’ll have that at my funeral, I think).

Damn it Kurt, now I’m crying over my chicken wrap looking out over the stunning Bay of Islands. This walk is messing with my emotions. 

On the ferry to Russell.

A little after 9:00 I was on the road out of Russell. For the first hour I was on a hard-to-find walking track that branches off the road and eventually ends up on a boardwalk through the mangroves. Actually this brought back memories - I did this exact walk about 10 years ago, when I was staying briefly in Russell.

My 10am pic: on the boardwalk.

After that though it was back on the road. 22km of road, passing the estuary, farmland and bush. A fair bit of traffic, and very little verge. I spent the next 10km jumping off the road every time I heard an approaching car.

After that, the road surprising veered to the right and turned into gravel, through a forest. The first 4km of which were steadily uphill. Grrr.

Bypasses. I hate bypasses.

Stopping by the side of the gravel road for a power nap.

Eventually it levelled off, and I picked up speed going down. The rest certainly helped!

A sign! Clare must have come this way recently.

In the end I made it back onto a tarsealed road. There were almost no cars on the gravel section, but elsewhere I’ve been getting encouragement from the passing traffic. Many raise a finger (I guess to say thanks for me leaping out of the way); but I’ve also had 2 waves, 1 thumbs up, 1 “kia kaha/stay strong” fist, and 2 offers of a lift.

My campsite was only a few more kilometres away. It’s called “The Farm” - a farmstay with a menagerie of farm animals and a motley collection of farm volunteers, holiday campers, horse riders, motor bikers and eco warriors. I’m the only solo camper, and still the only TA walker.

Checking in to The Farm.

Bonding with the locals.

Spot the tent!

My shin held up today just fine; and while my feet took a hammering, they seem to be recovering well. A salami-cheese-peanut butter wrap and some tuna for dinner tonight - not my best work, but I’ll do something hotter tomorrow. 

After dinner the Farm manager Mike introduced himself. When he heard I taught at Western Springs, he rushed inside and brought out an old school class photo of his Dad - from Western Springs (or Seddon Tech, as it was back then)! Once again, it’s a small world. 

Sitting now with a very lazy farm cat, doing my blog update and listening to someone play the piano. They are very good. 

277km (plus a boat trip) completed! I’m almost halfway.