“One day. Or day one. You decide.”
12km. My host, Sarah, has arranged for her friend Brian to drive me up to Cape Reinga. I’m still stuffing items into my overflowing pack when he knocks on my door. Will my 50 litre pack be sufficient for this journey? It seems I may have to lose some of the ‘nice to have’ items to fit in extra food on the longer sections. Brian directs my attention to various points of interest on the drive up to the Cape. I’m enjoying the scenery but can barely contain my excitement at finally starting my Te Araroa walk. We arrive to find the carpark completely empty. Brian comes up here regularly and has never seen it like this. It does seem a bit surreal to be the only ones at such a popular tourist spot. Brian takes a couple of photos of me then departs. I walk down the path to the lighthouse, the official starting point of Te Araroa, stopping to observe the churning waters where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet. The spiritual nature of this special place, Te Rerenga Wairua, seems quite pronounced today with the lack of tourists. I like the idea that the spirits are able to pass through peacefully today on their way to back to their ancestral home of Hawaiki. I just wish someone was here to take a photo of me standing in front of the iconic signpost pointing to Bluff. With the sun behind me my attempts at a selfie do not turn out very well. As I begin my walk two young boys come running towards the lighthouse with their dads in tow. I stop to chat and they wish me well as I set out on my 3,000 kilometre journey.
As I turn on to the Te Paki Coastal Walkway I have to stop and pinch myself. Here I am walking the Te Araroa Trail! (I later learn not to put ‘the’ in front of Te Araroa as Te means ‘the’ in Te Reo. Trail is also superfluous. Te Araroa means The Long Pathway). It is a warm, sunny day with no wind and the views along the coast to Cape Maria Van Diemen are absolutely stunning. I break through several spiderwebs suspended between bushes on either side of the track (sorry spiders!) and I realise I am the first person to walk on this track today. I breathe in the salt-tinged air as I walk along the cliff tops, stopping occasionally to glance back at the lighthouse shrinking ever smaller in the distance. It is such a perfect day so I stop and sit down to take it all in. I am so delighted to finally be here and I’m also delighted to discover that there is no guilt in demolishing a whole peanut slab for morning tea.
I drop down onto Te Werahi Beach and am pleased with myself for timing my start date on Te Araroa to coincide with low tide. I can scramble over the rocks without fear of being drenched or knocked off my feet by rogue waves. As I walk along beautiful Te Werahi Beach I look back and see a deserted golden beach with only my footprints in the sand behind me. At the end of the beach I spot a large orange triangle My first track marker! To reach it I have to take off my shoes and socks and wade across a small stream before clambering up a steep bank. From here the track crosses a barren, volcanic landscape the ground painted in various hues of red, brown and yellow. I have to stop and scan the landscape from time to time in order to spot the next orange triangle. The track continues along a ridge and down through Manuka scrub full of white flowers. I stop for lunch in the feeble shade afforded by a bush that consists of more empty space than foliage. I take off my sweat soaked merino t-shirt and drape it over the bush. It’s a lot warmer today than I was expecting!
Finally the track winds its way down to Twilight Beach. At the far end of the beach are steps leading up to the campsite. It has taken me just over four hours to walk the 12 kilometres from Cape Reinga. That’s quite slow but there was no hurry today and I feel I have savoured every moment. It’s only 2:40pm when I arrive so there is still plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful beach. The intentions book has a number of comments about previous walkers encounters with possums at the campsite. One actually had a possum come into their tent! I decide to go back down to the beach and pitch my tent on a small grassy area not far above the high tide mark. I sit on the beach in the sun sipping a cappuccino (instant, from a packet) and contemplate going for a skinny dip. It is still so warm but I’m not sure I want to get all salty with no prospect of a shower. But then again I’m already salty from all the sweating I did today! I’m still deciding when I spot two figures walking down the beach. Victoria and Emilie! I walk to meet them and give them a clap and a cheer to mark the end their first day’s walk. I tell them I had a great day, except for losing my glasses. And what do you know, Victoria has them attached to the strap of her pack. Nice one!
It took Victoria and Emilie around five hours to complete today’s walk. I give them a hand putting up their tent and then Emilie and I build sandcastles and paddle in the sea. Victoria chills out on the steps in her bikini, gin and tonic in hand. I like her style! We wander along the beach exploring the rock pools. There is a real tropical holiday vibe to this place. I make dinner and eat it watching the sun sink slowly below the horizon. I climb into my sleeping bag and fall asleep listening to the sound of the waves. What an amazing start to my Te Araroa adventure!
