KAITAIA – CAPE REINGA 

Section Distance – 116km

Total Distance – 2905km

KAITAIA – AHIPARA

HOME STRETCH!!! Sort of…. I have over 100km to reach Cape Reinga and almost all of it is beach. But this is my final section of the north island.

One final road walk from Kaitaia to Ahipara before I commence  Te-Oneroa-a-Tōhē / Ninety Mile Beach (which contrary to its name is not, in fact, 90 miles long but 88km/55miles).

AHIPARA – HUKATERE CAMP

After an initial 2 hours of slogging through soft sand (a VERY tedious 2 hours) the tide was finally far enough out to give me firm footing to hike on. I felt like I was flying, no need to navigate and no mountains, river crossings or tree root tracks to slow me down.

I don’t usually have music on while hiking as I love to take in the environment I’m passing through but here with nothing but 30km of sand to traverse I had the tunes pumping.

I also found myself contemplating the completion of this epic journey and was both excited and unexpectedly sad at the thought. After months of living one day at a time the concept of going back to ‘real life’ is going to be a shock.

Camp for the night was at Hukatere. Lots of space for tents, a covered kitchen, small bunk room and shower… what more could I ask for. The sunset over the dunes was beautiful!

HUKATERE CAMP – MAUNGANUI BLUFF CAMP

I had a late morning start, after learning from yesterday’s soft sand experience that waiting for the tide to go out will make for a much more enjoyable hike.

The scenery was much the same as the day before with seemingly endless stretches of sand, baking sun, and music to pass the time.

I can now judge pretty well my hiking speed and how far I’ve gone just by looking at the time. One thing I find key to maintaining stamina throughout the day is to stop every 1-2hours for 5-10 minutes and have a snack. This works far better for me than several large meals daily and helps me to maintain consistent energy levels. The tricky part is discipline as it can be easy to rest JUST 5 MINUTES MORE…

I arrived at Maunganui Bluff with time to explore the rockpools and collect some green lipped mussels to cook up for dinner.

The big question of the day was after almost 3000km WILL MY BOOTS MAKE IT TO CAPE REINGA???

MAUNGANUI BLUFF CAMP – TWILIGHT BEACH CAMP

I woke to a herd of wild horses passing through the campsite!

Today’s scenery is…yep, you guessed it, MORE BEACH! Sand, sand everywhere…and after 3 days of nothing but beach it’s getting futile trying to keep the sand out of my tent, boots, clothes and somehow even my food.

I can absolutely understand how this section can be daunting to those starting out from Cape Reinga (as I was supposed to in my original plan) especially the long days walking on hard surfaces with nothing to break the monotony of sea and sand.

If you have overpacked, have ill-fitting boots or have never tried long-distance hiking before than the mental discipline required for this section, in my opinion, is far more challenging than the physical…

I reached the end of the beach and found myself faced with a set of stairs, which led onto the undulating bluff over to Twilight Beach Camp. This is my last night camping on the TA… To celebrate I watched the sun slip below the horizon while listening to the waves.

TWILIGHT BEACH CAMP – CAPE REINGA

WHAT A DAY!!! 

I began my final stretch to Cape Reinga in the dark. Racing the tide to reach the lighthouse before it pushed me into the dunes. There was no moon so all I saw for the first 2 hours was the circle of sand illuminated by my headtorch. I could hear the ocean on my left and just make out the line of dunes on my right but hiking in a straight line with no visual reference was a challenge!

Luckily, the track off the beach had a GIANT orange triangle and was relatively easy to follow. I could even make out the tiny flash of the lighthouse in the distance, the only pinprick of light in the pre-dawn darkness.

Slowly the sun rose, and the landscape revealed itself. Fog in the hollows, flax covered dunes and the lighthouse perched on the point. One final dunking of the boots to cross the creek to Te Werahi Beach and in true TA fashion the final km was straight up the side of the hill…

By the time I reached the lighthouse the sun had fully risen on a glorious day. I definitely hugged the signpost under the confused stare of some tourists. I can just here them thinking “where the heck has she come from”.

Trail angel Albert picked me up and dropped me to the airport in KeriKeri for my flight back to Wellington. I have been so lucky to meet incredible, kind people along the length of this country.

It was surreal to sit in the plane and think that a journey that took me several months to complete will be retraced in a single afternoon. I woke in my tent at Twilight Beach and went to sleep in my own bed, in my flat in Wellington… 

Before I started this adventure, I imagined the moment I would be standing at the end saying, “I DID IT!”. But I don’t think the magnitude of what I have completed has sunk in yet! Maybe when I don’t have to get up and pack my pack for another day… Sometimes, it feels like I’ve just started and that I could go on, go further. I’m definitely looking forward to a few of the comforts of home though!

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves!” 

As exciting as it was to reach Cape Reinga (ironically finishing at what was supposed to be my beginning) I have one more piece of trail to complete. During the South Island leg of my TA journey weather conditioned meant I had to bypass Waiau Pass for safety. So, in Te Araroa Part 22, I”M GOING BACK!

Join me for the final leg of my epic NZ adventure and check out @discover_with_danni for ALL the photos, daily km breakdowns and extra stories from my time hiking Te Araroa!