Day 1: Take 2 — MakingMiles

Kilometers: 0-12.1 (17.1km total walked)

Tapotupotu Campground to Cape Reinga to Twilight Beach Camp

I was woken up this morning by Alex trying to get my attention without having to leave his tent at 6:50am. Neither of us had slept great, a strong rain storm blew through around midnight waking us both up multiple times. We both knew the weather today was likely to be poor again so getting an early start was key.

We packed up our tents and cleaned the dishes we were too tired to last night. Our standard breakfast the next few days is a white chocolate raspberry oat bar and a caramel peanut dark chocolate bar. We ate the raspberry bar and saved the caramel bar for The Cape. We also each had a cup of coffee. The view for our morning coffee was pretty remarkable.

After coffee, we quickly cleaned up the rest of camp and were out around 8:05 am. The trek up to Cape Reinga was 5km and featured multiple 150-200m ups and downs. We came to a ridge with beautiful cove in front of us as it started to sprinkle. As to not make the same mistakes from Pinchot Pass on our John Muir Trail adventure, Alex and I put on our rain gear for the first time.

Alex puts on rain gear for the first time

Getting down to the cove was a breeze despite increasing winds and spitting rain. Right before the beach, we had our first river crossing of the trip. As the tide was low, Alex was nearly able to take a normal step to clear the mighty river. He felt it was necessary to jump over instead.

At the base, we were able to shed our rain jackets. The hike from the cove up to Cape Reinga was brutal. Alex powered up the ridge trail. I took my time getting up to the road and stopped every few hundred meters for a drink of water and to catch my breath. We were both dripping sweat when we got up there.

Ridge trail up to the road to Cape Reinga

From there, we walked down to Cape Reinga. We had finally made it. Our journey could now begin! We ate our bars and took plenty of pictures at the Cape. We then put our packs on, walked back up to the trail, and found the start of the Te Araroa.

The beginning of the TA was spectacular, all downhill to a beach with the bluest water I have ever seen. Alex and I crushed the downhill and made our way to the rock scramble. With the tide still being low, we were able to get across most of it with ease. We came across a section with a meter drop onto two rocks. The waves were occasionally come in and covering the rocks. Alex went ahead and made it across and up to the other side. Me, being careful, put my foot down on one of the rocks and slowly eased my way down. Before I could move my foot, a wave came crashing through and soaked my whole left foot. Alex, rightfully, stood up on the other bank laughing.

The end of the rock scramble put us onto Te Wahari Beach. After a quick 3k beach walk, we had to walk through a small stream.

Walking through the stream meant we had to tackle the 100m high Herangi Hill with wet shoes and socks. Normally a 100m climb would be little challenge. Herangi Hill is comprised of sand and sediment meaning there is little solid footing the entire way up. The loose footing made every step feel significantly more difficult than the last.

From there, we had a short climb up onto a grassy ridge line where we stopped for a lunch of naan with crunchy peanut butter, Nutella, craisins, macadamia nuts, and a little leftover salami from last night’s dinner.

Recharged and with Twilight Beach in sight, Alex and I picked up our pace. Music playing, walking side by side, we blazed the 2km to get down to the beach.

The final 3km on Twilight Beach breezed by. We managed to see a seal relaxing by the waters edge. He didn’t seem to be too enthused by our picture taking.

We made it to Twilight Beach camp around 1:30pm and saw a Department of Conservation worker who camped at the same campground as us last night. He had left an hour or so before us and had to continue past the camp site.

After we set up camp, we each washed a few clothes and took liter showers using water from the supply at the camp. Dump a half liter of water on your body, apply campsuds, and then rinse with the remainder. I was shocked at how cold the water was.

After multiple sessions of stretching, another hiker finally appeared on the beach.

Sebastian is from just outside Frankfurt, Germany and speaks very good English. He carries a much more extensive camera setup than us and appears to have a really good eye for photography.

After we spoke with him for a while, a Korean man came from the opposite direction. We never got his name but he told us he had moved to Auckland about 15 years ago. He made one of the most extravagant meals Alex and I have ever seen on a camping trip. He brought out a pot with two packs of instant noodles, potatoes, rice cakes, and an egg carrier. After disappearing for 20 or so minutes, he returned from the beach with handfuls of mussels! After quite some time preparing and cooking, he had made an unbelievable smelling seafood stew.

At around 5:30pm, an Aussie named Austin arrived. Despite being from Syndney, he attended University of Rochester, the same school my little brother attends. His pack looked big and he later revealed to us that it weighs about 30kg. He is carrying a laptop with him which has all three Lord of the Rings movies downloaded onto it, I’m very jealous.

The final two to join us before dinner were Charlie and Peter. They are living in New Zealand for a year and decided to hike the TA during their stay. Charlie speaks great English and their hope is that Peter’s will improve while living here.

For dinner, I sautéed some chorizo which we then mixed in with Cous Cous and topped with Satay sauce. It was an unusual combo but it worked out just fine. Food just tastes better out on the trail.

Tonight we were treated to one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen in my life. Words can hardly do it justice. The sun set right in front of us disappearing over some clouds before dipping beyond the horizon.

Watching the sunset (Left to right: Alex, Sebastian, Charlie, Peter)

The sky captured every last bit of the suns light changing colors every few seconds it seemed. Clouds were turning magnificent shades of purple, something I’ve never seen before.

As the sun was setting, two more solo hikers arrived. I later learned one was named Phillip from Switzerland and the other was Nicholas from France. Beyond that, I do not know much about them.

Tomorrow is going to be long day. We have a 28km hike to Muanganui Bluff, most of which are on 90 Mile Beach. Low tide isn’t until 1:45pm meaning we may be scrambling through dunes until there is enough of a beach to walk on. Despite all the craziness of Day 0, Day 1 ended up being a hell of a day.

-Ethan