Te Araroa Trail – Day 11
Thursday, November 9, 2023
Distance/ Total: 20.4 km / 12.7 mi
I was one of the first ones up at the hostel this morning. Most of the other hikers were planning on taking a zero day in Kerikeri. I was going inward and taking a zero day in Paihia tomorrow.
To get back to the trail required a 2 kilometer walk through town and the trail continued down a paved road for another 3 kilometers out of town. The trail then turned off the pavement onto a logging road.
The forest in this area had been clear cut for lumber and the next several kilometers had a pretty clear view of the cut forest. The road twisted and turned following ridge lines and dropping into valleys. The road passed in and out of forest for the first 6 kilometers.
About 11 kilometers in on today’s walk the toad entered a forest and wound through the trees and up and down the hills. It reached a side trail with a short trail up to Mt. Bledsoe and a great view of the Bay of Islands.
The road then began a descent to the bay and the city of Paihia. It passed through a golf course and past the Waitangi treaty grounds.
I entered the town of Paihia a little after noon and walked along the beachfront looking for somewhere to eat. I found a small cafe and got a chicken wrap for lunch.
Back on the road I headed into the center of town and to the wharf. This is a big tourist area and there where lots of people here and businesses advertising various excursions. I found one that sounded interesting and booked a 5 hour Bay of Islands tour for tomorrow.
I contacted the kayak hire company about kayaking the 10 kilometers across Waikato Inlet and was told the tide was coming into too late and we wouldn’t be able to do it for the next 3 days.
I headed to the Centebay Lodge and checked into my private room for the night. It was nice to have my own room and bathroom for a change. I then headed to the Post Office to pick up my bounce box and took it back to the motel.
I spent the afternoon updating blogs and social media and headed to dinner about 6:00pm. Back at the motel room I packed up for my excursion tomorrow and my bag which I would store in the office and pick up after the tour.
