East Cape Escapades

On outskirts of Gisborne

On Tuesday 1st October I left Gisborne along State Highway 35. The previous day I had been interviewed for an article in the Gisborne Herald. Before leaving on Tuesday I met Paul, their photographer, who took shots of me leaving Gisborne over the main river bridge. The article appeared in that afternoons edition. Of all the papers I have been in this was to prove to be the most helpful. Every second person I met over the next week had read the article and this resulted in offers of accommodation, my pack being taken on for me and other kindnesses.

The first 3.5km was along the main road. Once at Wainui I was on the beach and nice hard sand for the next 3.5 km. There is a nice gravel path up and over the headland to Makorori and another beach for 2km. Another 2km on the main road brought me to Tatpouri. I was told about a backpackers and although it was closed and usually only took bus parties I was allowed to stay. I'd walked just 13km that day and had a 21 bed backpackers all to myself.

Wainui Beach North of Gisborne

Wednesday was a fine hot day and I was soon down to wearing shirt and shorts. The first 5km was mostly along the beach. The next 18km were all alongside SH35 and I counted over 200 logging trucks between 7.50am and 2pm. Apart from being buzzed by magpies on two different occasions, nothing of note happened.

About 2pm a car stopped a long way past me,  and on catching up to them I was offererd a bed for the night at Anaura Bay. As the car was already full I would have to get myself there. At that stage I was only vaguely aware of where Anaura Bay is but gratefully accepted the offer. One of two Canadian WWOOF's in the car had just read about me in the paper and this prompted their host Judy, to stop and offer me a bed. More about this remarkable lady later.

I stuck my thumb out to the next car that came along and was given a ride to Tolaga Bay. Jackie the driver, who originally came from Anaura Bay (and had also read about me in the paper) then drove me 18km out of her way to Judy's place.

Judy, her 3 grandchildren and the 2 WWOOF's all made me welcome and on Thursday morning Judy drove me back to the main road where I hitched a lift back to where I'd been picked up from the previous day. I walked 13km into Tolaga Bay,with another 4km side trip to visit and walk along the Tolaga Bay Wharf.  While on the 600m wharf I was once again recognized from the newspaper article and later also in one of the shops. Finally walked 14km from Tolaga Bay to the Anaura Bay turnoff where I was able to hitch a ride back to Judy's place.
At 33km this was one of my bigger distances but made easier by not having my 26kg pack to carry.

Tolaga Bay Wharf

I had a day off from walking on Friday and spent the day weeding the path from the house to the beach. During the three nights I spent at Judy's place I got to know a little of her life. Aged 74 and suffering from Lymphoma, she had arrived back in NZ, from a 6 weeks European trip, the night before she picked me up. She spent that first night in Gisborne before collecting her three grandsons and the two WWOOFers and heading home. Already with a house full she then offered to put me up as well. On arriving home she found that someone had left her freezer door open and all her meat and berries had to be discarded and buried. The water intake from the local stream had blocked, the washing machine not working and the pantry over run with ants!! She took all this in her stride and would have to be one of the most resilient people I've met.

Judy and grandsons

Anaura Bay one of my favorite spots

I was off again on Saturday morning and Judy once again ran me to the main road for a 23km walk to Tokomaru Bay. Only 3km up the road I spoke to Joe who was up a ladder fixing the power supply to a house. He offered me a lift but agreed to take just my pack, which he left at the Tokomaru Bay Motor camp. Apart from speaking to a couple of Stop/Go men at roadworks it was a fairly ordinary road walk. On uplifting my pack I booked into a cabin at the Motor Camp. The cabin was clean and tidy but the rest of the camp is a dump!!

That night I received a phone call from a local who wanted to meet me. Jill had relocated an old schoolhouse to just outside Tokomaru Bay in the 1980's. The only road into it is over a long steep hill and it's easier to walk across a river and walk into town. So in the dark Jill forded the river and walked the 1.5km to meet me. She later took me to visit her friend Woody who had been looking after a Backpackers. That day new owners had taken over and given Woody instructions that, if I turned up, to give me free accommodation.

The next day I met the new owners Angus and Leeann who had renamed the backpackers "Lost In Paradise". I spent two nights there, the view is fabulous and in contrast to the Motor Camp everything  is spotless and organized. As it turned out we had met before, quite some months ago when we were all staying at the Waimarama Motor Camp.

Sunday was another day of walking on roads, firstly 12km up SH35 to Te Puia Springs then 6km by a back road to Waipiro Bay. I found a wallet lying in the grass alongside the road, it had no money in it but a number of credit cards etc. I assumed that it had been stolen, the money removed and discarded. I left it on a wall alongside the next mail box. I had lunch at Waipiro Bay then took another back road 8km back to SH35. Once there I texted Woody who came and collected me and took me back to "Paradise".

That morning, on the way out of town, I had visited Jill in her old schoolhouse. After fording the river I found her place and had a cuppa with her. A friend of hers is building a 70 tonne boat on her property. Initially he thought it would take him 3 years to build. The good news is that he expects to launch it next year .......... 25years later!!

It has taken 25 years to build this boat

I had a lazy day at "Lost In Paradise" on Monday and hitched a ride on Tuesday to where I'd left off on Sunday. I was picked up by Karen. a local teacher, who took me 12km out of her way. I headed up SH35 towards Ruatoria.  Karen had told me about a backpackers at Ruatoria which I had not heard of.  After 7km I was offered a ride by Judy, another teacher. As she was going into Ruatoria and then coming back the same way she agreed to drive me to the backpackers so that I could drop off my pack and then bring me back. The backpackers turned out to be an expensive Guesthouse. Once I'd picked myself up off the floor after being told the tariff I asked if I could pitch my tent. That was not possible but Leigh had read about me and gave me a room at half price " because of what your doing". Judy then took me back to where she had picked me up from. When I said I was surprised by the number of women who pick me up she told me that she had "prayed to god that you are a nice person"!

KFC on the coast!

That night, after walking the remaining 7km to the guesthouse, Leigh helped me to contact a local landowner to get permission to cross his land two days later.

Wednesday entailed walking 21km, once again alongside SH35, to Tikitiki. There being no accommodation there and it looked like being a wet night I hitched a ride to Te Araroa where I stayed at a backpackers in an old nunnery.

It took exactly 2 hours to hitch a ride back to Tikitiki on Thursday morning. Ian is the local painter and as he drove he told me interesting facts and stories. A few years ago he arranged to pick up the local District Nurse after she had run form Te Araroa to East Cape a distance of 20km. On Ian's arrival at East Cape there was no sign of the nurse. A police search ensued and next day her body was found in the sea. She had a broken neck. They think she tried to climb a bluff and slipped.

A backroad from Tikitiki led me to Rangitukia, a small settlement. A car passed me with the tailgate down and a teenager sitting on it. As it went past she yelled "Go brother you're walking the world" Then turning to those inside the car "he's the one walking New Zealand". Two people stopped to offer rides which was ironic since it had taken 2 hours to get a lift when I wanted one and now I was being offered them when I didn't ! Further up the road in the middle of nowhere I was greeted by a young and friendly goat who followed me 3 km s up the road and another 2 down a farm track. I finally managed to loose "George" when I went through a gateway and he couldn't get through. I could still hear his plaintive bleating several hundred metres up the track. After traveling with me so far I thought perhaps I should have given him one of my cards, with this blog address on it. But who knows how long before he could get to a computer and by then he would have probably eaten the card!

The farm track took me 5km across Haha Station to the beach. I only hope George found something to laugh about! Once on the beach I surprised a herd of cattle who took off running up the beach in the surf. After 4km of beach I crossed a paddock to reach the end of East Cape Road and the track to the lighthouse. I didn't need to count the steps as Ian had already told me there are 776. I surprised myself by walking to the top without stopping (I had hidden my pack at the bottom behind a building) . It had started to rain as I left the beach so it was a quick visit to the lighthouse and back down again. A further 4km of road walking took me to what is advertised as the East Cape Camping Ground. This is a serious misrepresentation as the campground consists of two derelict buildings, no running water, the grass not mown and the only amenity a long drop toilet. There is an honesty box here, with a charge of just $6. I thought about the lack of honesty in their advertising and for the first time did not pay. I thought $6 was a bit steep to use a longdrop!

Beef on the reef!

As it was getting late due to my 2 hour wait for a ride I had no choice but to stay there. I was therefore quite surprised that there were 4 vehicles with a total of 9 tourists also there. We lit a fire from driftwood and swapped stories. That night was the worst of my walk so far. Wind and rain continued on and off all night and one of my tent pegs came out causing the tent fly to blow back over the tent and for the first time I got water in the tent. My bag of clothes and my sleeping bag all got wet.

Next morning I trudged the 16km in the rain back to Te Araroa and the backpackers, had a shower, put on what dry clothes I had and rested the rest of the day.

Yesterday marked  a month since I had restarted walking and I set off early to try to get to Hamilton for a weeks rest. As there is no public transport from Te Araroa I left there at 6.45am and started hitchhiking. Three rides got me the 220km to Whakatane by 12 noon, in plenty of time to catch the 2pm bus to Hamilton. Unfortunately there was no 2pm bus and no more for the rest of the day. Two more rides got me to Tauranga by 2.15pm in plenty of time to catch the 3pm Hamilton bus.

So here I am for the next week, resting and eating and reflecting on all the wonderful, friendly people I have met so far on the East Coast. Im sure the Gisborne Herald article helped as it brought what I am doing to peoples attention. Fundamentally though I have discovered that there is an underlying generosity of spirit and friendliness that is more abundant amongst "coasters" than anywhere else I've walked so far.

In the last month I've walked 365km
Total North Island = 929km
Total both islands = 2665km

Gisborne Gadabout

Disused Gisborne Railway

Gisborne Car Park

Firstly Hi to Icy and Cedric & Sally, thanks for the comments you posted on this blog. I do enjoy receiving them.

I left Wairoa on Saturday 21st September after a pleasant stay at the Riverside Camp Ground.  I walked the first 2km up the main road, sans my large pack. Stu from the camp took it to where the road meets the railway line. From there I walked 6km along the disused railway to Tuhara then turned right towards the beach. My map showed a road to the beach but a farmer on a motorbike advised me that I would need to cross his land. Richard readily gave me permission and also offered me the use of his cabin at the beach. I had intended to walk further that day but a cabin is always better than my small tent.

The cabin was locked but a window was open so managed to open the door from the inside. I noticed a hole in the floor chewed by rats so covered it over to keep them out. Later that night I could hear them scratching and clawing but a bang on the floor or walls shut them up up for awhile. About 1am I noticed a shadow on the INSIDE of the window and realised that the scratching had been Mr Rat trying to get out not in! I uncovered the hole and a short time later heard it scrabble through the hole and never heard another thing for the rest of the night.

The next day, after waiting an hour for the rain to cease, I covered 18km, all on the beach. I camped in a sheltered spot not far from Nuhaka. On Monday I was away at 7.50am. the first 3km was on the beach but I had to head 1km inland to cross the Nuhaka River by a railway bridge. Just before the bridge I came to a deep side stream. A semi submerged fallen tree was the only way across. As it was I got wet to my waist but the day was hot and I soon dried out. I could have been a lot wetter, a side branch broke off in my hand as I was crossing and I nearly fell in.

I walked along the railway for 4km and then on the road for 5km. I had not seen anyone for two days and was short of water and refilled my water bottle from an outside tap at a house near the road. A short while later I came to a petrol station and bought myself an ice cream. The final stretch for the day was 3km along the beach to Mahia where I booked into the Motor Camp. The price of cabins was outside of my budget so I paid for a campsite.

The following day the forecast was for heavy rain and gale force winds so I had no choice but to book into a cabin for the next two nights. The owner Jacinda generously gave me two nights for the price of one. I spent the next two days reading, doing crosswords and watching the America's Cup yatch racing, on the camp TV, with two other couples staying at the camp, also sheltering from the storm, Sel & Jenny and Dale & Jenny. From the local shop I also picked up a copy of The Wairoa Star with an article and photo about my walk. One night I had a pub meal and John who cooked my meal recognised me from the article. World famous in Mahia!!!

On Thursday 26th September I walked 19km on roads and farm tracks. I had my raincoat and leggings on when I left Mahia but was down to shirt and shorts by the afternoon. I passed through Mahanga and got permission from Malcolm Rough to cross his farm. From there it was a steady climb for 6km until I reached a pine plantation. A gang of loggers was at work and I struggled through the thick mud past their work site. They advised me that there was a 2nd gang just down the road and they would let them know by radio that I was coming through. Shortly after passing the second gang I camped for the night alongside a disused house and old woolshed. A pleasant wind free spot complete with a longdrop!

Next morning I walked down Paritu Rd and after 2km a ute stopped and the driver offered me a ride. I declined but asked him to take my pack to the end of the road, a distance of 10km. It turned out that Shane had been in the 2nd gang I'd passed the day before and they did in fact receive a radio message about me. "Bear Grylls is coming through!! Just before the main road I collected my pack and refilled my water bottles. My map showed no houses on Paritu Rd but I saw 13 people by the time I had reached the end. Next it was 3km along State Highway 2 and finally another 8km along the railway track. Total walked that day was 23km. At that point I stepped out onto the road and, as a van was coming put my thumb out, the van stopped and within 30 seconds of leaving the track I was in the van and on my way to Gisborne. Once there I booked into the YHA.

On Saturday I hitched back to where I had left off the day before and walked another 10kms along the rail tracks and crossed the rail bridge over the Waipaoa River. I then followed the stop banks to the beach. I had the choice of following the beach, a road or a 4wd track for the final 8km into Gisborne. I chose the track. I was shocked at the amount of rubbish dumped along this track. The worst I have seen since I started my walk. When I reached Gisborne I stopped to read an inscription on a statue and heard someone say my name. I had met Sel and Jenny at Mahia, so we had a catch up. They are an Australian couple who have been travelling in NZ since last December. To celebrate reaching Gisborne I shouted myself a bottle of wine.

I had yesterday off and today am doing some chores, updating blog, shopping and being interviewed by the local paper. Tomorrow I head off again, this time to go around East Cape. As there are few accessible beaches, that join up, or tracks, I will mostly be walking on the road.

Total km walked so far = 166 since restart 2 weeks ago. 730 North Island and 2466 in total.

Unfortunately I left my camera behind at the hostel so pictures will have to wait.

Wairoa Wanderings

Wairoa River mouth near where I left the beach to hitch into Wairoa..

My bus departed Hamilton last Saturday at 10am, with me on board, but I was destined not to leave Hamilton until 3pm! The bus broke down 10minutes later and we were all decamped to the footpath. An hour and 20 minutes later a mechanic arrived, he was unable to fix the problem and we were put aboard another bus and taken back to the bus station about noon. We were told that a replacement bus was being sent from Auckland. When it arrived  at 1.30pm those of us travelling to Napier and due to change buses at Taupo were advised to wait for the next direct service to Napier at 3pm! I finally arrived in Napier at 8.05pm, friends Bev & Chris collected me and took me home for a delayed dinner.

On Sunday Bev and Chris drove me to the end of Aropanui Rd where I had permission from Ron, the owner of Glendale Station to walk across his land. This was where I had walked to in March, before returning to Hamilton with a sore foot. After saying farewell to Bev and Chris it was a long hard struggle uphill. I had weighed my pack that morning at 26kg. It rained an hour after I started and I had to put on my raincoat and new leggings. Having done no training this time around I intended to take it easy for the first few days and only did 6km that first day. I camped on the coast at Ridgemount having seen nobody. I did see lots of sheep, goats, geese and one very dead very bloated pig! As it was dark by 6.20pm, I was in my tent and in my sleeping bag by that time!

On Monday I did 12km along the beach, the first 5km of which involved lots of clambering over rocks. Later it was all hard sand and easy walking. Towards the end there was a mass of tree debris washed up on the shore. The Waikari River proved to be too deep and fast to wade across so I decided to camp alongside it and try to cross at low tide next morning. At that stage I had seen nobody since Bev and Chris had dropped me off the day before. Later that afternoon I was sitting in my tent reading when I heard an engine. Thinking that it might be a boat, I got out of the tent and discovered it was a plane flying over. While watching the plane I saw a man walking on the beach. Allan had rowed down river from a campsite upstream. We sat chatting for quite awhile and he told me about the many different and diverse careers he had during his working life. Now "nearly 80" he is long retired. He agreed to row me across the river the next morning as he was planning on returning to do some fishing.

About 7am on Tuesday, Allan rowed me across the Waikari River. Shortly after I got wet feet crossing another shallower stream. I walked along hard sand all day until I got to the Mohaka River, where I  walked up roads and crossed the river bridge. There is a camping ground at Mohaka but it was locked up and there was no sign of anybody being around. After filling my water bottles at a house, I spent a miserable night camped above the beach, with the tent flapping in the wind. Total walked for the day was 11km.

I was away at 7.20am on Wednesday. An initial scramble along the steep banks of the Mohaka River brought me back to the beach. The beach was ideal for walking, nice hard sand and no rocks. All day I walked under steep cliffs and it looked like that, at high tide, the sea washed against the cliffs. Just before the Wairoa River mouth the cliffs finished and I followed a road for a short way. After walking 19km that day I  hitched a lift into Wairoa. The young family, who picked me up, drove out of their way to drop me at the Riverside Motor Camp, where I booked into their backpackers dorm for 3 nights.

I'd have to say that this is the cleanest camp I've been in so far! Bill and Sharon made me very welcome.  It was great to spend a night in bed again and the two others sharing the dorm, Howard and Derrick assured me I didn't snore too loudly!

Yesterday (Thursday) Bill the camp owner drove me back out to where I had hitched from and I walked the 7km back into town alongside the Wairoa River. I spent the rest of the day trying to get information about my route ahead. I was also interviewed by the local newspaper, the Wairoa Star.

I'm having a rest day today. After a leisurely start to the day I posed for a photo to go with the newspaper article and then walked into town to update this blog. This afternoon I intend to curl up with a book. Tomorrow morning I head north again.

So far I have felt no adverse affects in my feet, legs and back and I am hopeful of continued good health. I may not be able do another post here until I reach Gisborne, in about 10 days or so.

Total walked since restart on Sunday is 55km.
Total North Island to date = 620km
Grand total = 2356km.

On The Road (Beach) Again

63rd Birthday 

Over the past few months I have been back in Hamilton with Charissa for the winter to allow my foot to fully recover. However, I have not been idle. During the week, I have been doing casual work for Tradestaff and on weekends, selling at street markets, fairs and swapmeets. The work for Tradestaff was varied: landscaping, painting, stock taking, stacking pallets, store man, plant nursery and construction work. The shortest period of work was half a day and the longest 6 weeks.

Thanks to Rebecca Lee of Jade Acupuncture in Hamilton, my foot quickly recovered and I have had no pain for some months. Rebecca advised me to rest the foot for 3 months and since then I have been waiting for the weather to improve.

On Saturday, I travel to Napier and on Sunday 15th of September, I restart walking from where I left off which is about 30km north of Napier.This time I have not done any training in preparation but I plan to take it easy for the first few days and gradually increase the amount of time walking each day, using that as my training.

On my last day of walking earlier this year, I could not get around a headland as the sea was too deep at that point to wade around and the cliff too steep to climb. I have permission from the farmer to walk across his land so my first 6km will be up a farm track.

My next post will likely be from Wairoa in about 10 days time.

Spirit Willing - Body Weak

         

Friends Bev & Chris in Napier. They loaned me a car, ferried me around and provided a base for me to come and go fro

Total distance Walked since November 2011 = 2301km.  Total North Island 565km.


Sad to tell you that I am now having to take the winter off to allow my foot to recover.  Two weeks after restarting at Porangahau my foot again started to play up and I have now returned to Hamilton. I will take at least 3 months off and return to the walk in July or August. I am again having acupuncture which is has already relived most of the aching.

After a couple of days rest in Napier my friend Chris dropped me off in Clifton and I walked 24 easy kms into Napier. Most of the journey was along crushed limestone paths plus a little beach walking. Once back in Napier I called at the local i-site to gather information about the coast ahead. They proved to be totally useless, not even having a map of the coast! The local DOC office proved more helpful and I learned that the coastal walkway I had hoped to take has been closed for some years due to landslides and erosion.

The following day I walked 26km to Tongoio, most of the way was once again along crushed gravel paths past Ahuriri, Westshore & Bayview. Once past Bayview I took rough tracks and reverted to the beach where necessary. After crossing the Esk River I walked past Whirinaki and crossed another river. From there it was along the beach to Tongoio. Two km of road walking then brought me to the main road. After half an hour of putting my thumb out I was picked up by Lou, a local wool buyer, who took right to where I was staying at Bev & Chris's home.

I had another day off and on Sunday Bev & Chris dropped me off  at Tongoio about 9.30am.
Only walked 8km that day due to a very rocky coastline and carrying my big pack. The rocks in this area have lots of shell fossils embedded in them which makes them very sharp. I slipped at one stage and received impressive looking grazes to both legs and one arm. While they looked impressive and received lots of comments in the days to come they were only superficial and soon healed. Occasionally I was able to get above the rocks and walk on sheep tracks and 10 minutes from Waipatiki Beach I followed a track to the Motor Camp. I stayed in my tent that night at the camp. I did not get much sleep that night due partly to my aching foot and the scratches to my legs.

Before leaving the next day I spoke with a Hawaiian couple who have a fruit farm in Hawaii and a home in Havelock North. Later they overtook me on the 3.5km track to Aropaoanui. Met up with them again there and left them exploring the beach. From there I followed parts of the abandoned Coastal Walkway but large portions have fallen into the sea and I had to walk in the sea a few times. After a couple of hours I came to a spot that I could not get past as the waves were crashing off the rocks and the cliff was too steep to climb. As it was only 2 hours after low tide it seemed unlikely that I would get past even had I tried at low tide. I reluctantly returned to Aropaoanui  where I camped for the night. After walking for 13km I was only 3.5km further north! That evening I walked to a local farmhouse and received permission to cross their farm the next day along a farm track which would bring me out on the coast north of the cliff.

The following morning after another restless night with my foot continuously aching I made the decision to return to Hamilton to seek treatment. I returned the 3.5 km along the coast to Waipatiki and hitchhiked from there back into Napier. After spending another night with Bev & Chris I caught the bus to Hamilton.

Four treatments of acupuncture has seen my foot improve and I only have a small amount of aching now. I have been advised to give my foot a good rest.  I will try to get temporary work over the winter and return to walking after the worst of the winter is over.

Back On My Feet

What was the longest place name in the world (until I created a longer one)

Peter &Cocoa. peter and his wife Michelle provided me with accommodation and took my pack 15km.

Natural stone arches near Cape Kidnappers

Gannet Colony - Cape Kidnappers

Looking back towards Cape Kidnappers

Total distance walked since November 2011 = 2226km. Total North Island = 490km

I caught a bus to Napier on Monday 11th March and stayed the night with friends Bev & Chris. They have been brilliant hosts and loaned me Chris's fishing wagon as well as ferrying me around.

On Tuesday I drove to Porangahau to Peter & Michelle Haynes place. Peter had picked me up when, I hitchhiked out with a sore foot, a few weeks ago and had offered me accommodation when I returned. On the way I drove a short side trip to visit the spot with the worlds longest name.
Here goes:

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipuakaapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu

82 letters long and translated means "The hilltop where Tamatea, with big knees, conqueror of mountains,eater of land, traveller over land and sea,played with his kaouau (flute) to his beloved'

After meeting Michelle and having a cup of tea Peter drove me up Cooks Tooth Road to where I had previously left off walking. I renamed this spot and it is now the newest longest place name in the world.

Theveryspotwhereerichadtostopwalkingbecauseofaverysorefootonhisepicwalkfromblufftocapereinga-
andwherehelaterresumedwalkingfromafteraccupuncturehadfixedhisfoot

If there are any sign writers reading this who would like to sponsor me by erecting a sign on the above spot, please contact me.

It didn't take long to walk the 7km and I then drove to Blackhead to check out my route for the next couple of days. Later back at Peter& Michelle's place Bev & Chris came out after work and picked up their car.

On Wednesday I walked 20km, first along a sealed road and then a metal road, as the coast is too rocky to walk around. Peter brought my pack to me and met me on the road after 15km. After another 5km I met a man coming out of a paddock and I enquired about accommodation in shearers quarters. He took my pack on to the next farm where Ron said that the owner was away for a few hours but thought it would be OK if I stayed in an outside room behind his house. Later he introduced me to Jane the bosses wife who at first appeared disgruntled and taken aback that a hobo had taken up residence. She later warmed to the idea and provided me with a couple of apples. The next morning Ron provided me with a cooked breakfast and Jane's husband James offered to take my pack 12km into Blackhead.

I arrived at Blackhead on the coast at 10am and James delivered my pack an hour later. After two hours of walking on good hard sand I arrived at Pourerere (having walked past Aromona). I introduced myself to the camp custodian Dick and he agreed to sponsor me by providing a caravan for the night. I spent a comfortable night and Dick was able to give me directions for the next day.

On Friday it was 21km up the beach to Kairakau. Some good hard sand and also some slow rock bits. Due to carrying my pack it was quite slow going in the heat. Sometimes I was taking a 10minute break after 20 minutes walking. Two Km from my destination I met Peter & Robyn picnicking on the beach with their granddaughter. They had the whole sandy beach to themselves. Peter took my photo and agreed to carry my pack to the camping ground. The camp itself was very basic, although they charged top dollar. After asking several people I finally got good info on the next days walk. Viviene, a local gave me the use of her phone and I called Nigel from Te Apiti Station who happily gave me permission to walk through the Station to join up two no exit roads.

Saturday was another 21km, on roads and vehicle tracks, to Waimarama. After 5km John and Neil took my pack 2km to Te Apiti Station. After meeting the manager Nigel, it was a very hot walk along a vehicle track for 5km. Just as I came out onto the road again I met Brett exiting his lifestyle block to head into Waimarama and he agreed to take my pack.  On arrival at the camping ground I set up my tent near the kitchen and alongside a covered BBQ area. Big mistake! Later that night 5 young people, not staying at the camp, decided it was a great place for a party. My polite request for them to move on was greeted by derision and abuse. They did move on but as they moved away they were talking loudly about the person who had dared interrupt their fun. I heard one of the girls suggest that they return and "do something to his tent". I was awake for ages after that but nothing untoward happened and I eventually got to sleep. Next morning when I reported the incident to the camp manager he told me that the young people were relatives of his. Congratulations Waimarama, this is the only place I've ever had any problems since setting out!

On Sunday it was a short 8km walk up the beach to Ocean Beach, mostly good hard sand but I had to walk in the sea a couple times as I was too impatient to wait for the tide to recede. Chris and Bev, picked me up from the Ocean Beach and drove me back to Napier. On the way they took me to Clifton to get information about walking around Cape Kidnappers.

I drove back to Ocean Beach in Chris's wagon on Monday. I didn't start walking until 11am because of the tides. After 8km of sandy beach a rocky headland obstructed my way. I explored a dry stream bed through a canyon which only took me inland so returned to the beach and waited for the tide to recede. Getting impatient I then scaled a steep hill and walked North until I found a way back down to the beach. While descending the hill I saw more skinks that I have seen in the entire journey so far.
More sandy beaches interspersed with rocky outcrops, which required wading in the sea to get around, eventually brought me to Cape Kidnappers (famous for its Gannet Colonies). Here I had to climb another steep hill, on top of which is the main Gannet Colony. As I had been there before I didn't linger long and found the coastal walkway to Clifton. As I had arranged for Chris & Bev to pick me up after work I  walked the remaining 9km in an hour and a quarter. On the way I saw several other walkers and a tractor, with two trailers full of passengers, all going out to view the Gannets. Chris & Bev then drove me back to Ocean Beach to retrieve their car.

Yesterday and today have been rest days. I am pleased to report that my feet and legs are all feeling good with only a small amount of stiffness so I'm looking forward to the next section. Tomorrow I will walk the remaining 24km from Clifton to Napier. On Friday I then start walking north from Napier.

Needles & Pins

My left foot - with acupuncture needles

My left knee

I returned to Hamilton 5 weeks ago with a sore foot. Initially I just rested it, in the hope it would get better on its own. While it was a little better after two weeks, I accepted the offer of acupuncture from Dr Rebecca Lee of Jade Acupuncture in Hamilton. I am pleased to report that after 12 sessions, it is now fully recovered.

Rebecca is a skilled Acupuncturist, which she has taught in her native Taiwan. I was initially a little nervous about letting someone stick needles in me but she has studied and learnt how to keep the pain levels low. The remarkable thing was that I had noticeable improvements in my foot after each treatment. If you are in Hamilton NZ and in pain, give Rebecca a call at Jade Acupuncture (07 838 0171).

On Monday I am booked on the bus to Napier where I will spend the night with friends Bev & Chris and on Tuesday return to Porangahau and resume walking on Wednesday.

Over the past 5 weeks I have I have been resting and eating and have put on any weight I had lost walking from Wellington and am eager to resume walking.

Since starting my walk in November 2011 I have walked a total of 2106 km, 371 of that in the North Island. All going to plan I should be able to place another report in about 10 days and add another 120 km to the tally.

While we are on the subject of statistics, there has now been over 10,000 views of this blog. Incredible! Currently averaging about 50 views a day. Amazing!