Thursday, November 30, 2023Distance/ Total: 25.5 km / 15.8 mi It was definitely a loud night at the Mercer Motel. It was situated by a highway and it seemed that big trucks kept driving by all night. There was even some heavy trucks that shook the ground as they drove by. I got around slowly this morning and headed to […]
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Wednesday, November 29, 2023Distance/ Total: 35.8 km / 22.2 mi The BnB had a Continental breakfast this morning and I took advantage of the food before taking off. The trail continued as a road walk from Drury and headed up toward the Drury Hills and then across to an industrial park that was pretty busy with new construction. Shortly after […]
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Tuesday, November 28, 2023Distance/ Total: 29.3 km / 18.2 mi I was up early and at the coffee shop when they opened at 7:00. I’ve had hot coffee for 5 days in a row now and I think I’m getting spoiled to it. I was on the trail by 7:30 heading towards the Auckland Airport. The trail turns before reaching […]
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Monday, November 27, 2023Distance/ Total: 31.0 km / 19.3 mi I got up fairly early this morning to shower before heading out on the trail. I then headed down the street to a coffee shop and got some coffee and a pastry for my morning “quick start”. Returning to the hostel I packed up all my gear and got ready […]
Read moreSaturday & Sunday, November 25-26, 2023Distance/ Total: 0 km / 0 mi The HIT hostel is fairly small and has limited common areas. I woke up this morning and looked for a place to eat breakfast. Everything seems to open late, but I found a buffet breakfast at a nearby hotel. It was a little pricey, but I ate my […]
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Friday, November 24, 2023Distance/ Total: 34.7 km / 21.6 mi I woke up to the sound of a light sprinkle pattering against the roof of my tent. It was barely after 5:00 am and due to the tides I really didn’t need to leave camp before 9:00 am. I rolled over and fell back to sleep. I woke up again […]
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Thursday, November 23, 2023Distance/ Total: 33.2 km / 20.6 mi I got a really late start this morning. Steve, the Puhoi Tearooms owner, offers to cook breakfast in the morning for TA hikers. He was busy this morning and couldn’t do breakfast until after 8:30am. I waited around for breakfast and it was great. Bacon, eggs, & toast. I finally […]
Read moreWednesday, November 22, 2023Distance/ Total: 26.9 km / 16.7 mi It rained through the night and everything was wet this morning. I packed up and was on the trail by 7:00am. The track today started as a roadwalk, but soon the road was just a 4WD track with a single trail through it. It was a pretty good climb to […]
Read moreTuesday, November 21, 2023Distance/ Total: 25.7 km / 16.0 mi I woke up about 5:30am and was on the trail by 6:30am. Today was supposed to be a hard day and I wanted to get an early start. The trail started as a road walk along the Pakiri River. After about 3 km that ended and it started a steep […]
Read moreMonday, November 20, 2023Distance/ Total: 26.7 km / 16.6 mi I was up early this morning since the bunk didn’t have the most comfortable mattress. I took a morning shower before getting back on the trail. Our schedule was dictated by the tide again today as we couldn’t cross the Pakiri River right before tonight’s campsite until after 5:00pm. Matt, […]
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