The last two days have been tough. I’ve been pushing some bigger miles. I’m tired and the conditions have been trying. As I headed out from Whangarei Heads, the rain started coming down hard and it dumped on me for the first half of the day. It was a long road walk with a ton of traffic to the first town and I was soaked to the bone when I found a cafe for a hot coffee and a sandwich. It was a relief before I headed back out into the rain for a long climb through forest roads. Once I got to the summit of the big climb for the day, the sun came out and I ended it with a pizza in Mangawhai Heads – a beautiful coastal town hugging spectacular beaches. I contacted a trail angel named Alan and he hosted me in his music room for the night. Alan was great and I was exhausted. I ran to the store to do resupply, hung out with his cat Ginger and then hit the sack for an early start the next day to beat the tides on a ten mile beach walk. Ginger is sweet but she must have peed on one of the pillows I was using. Honestly, I was too tired to worry about it and to be fair I didn’t smell any better.
Beaches are good for many things but hiking with a twenty five pound pack in the blazing sun is not one of them. I always give into the temptation to go for a quick swim but then I am sandy, salty and wet for the rest of the hike. I took an extra long break after the beach before starting the climb through the Omaha forest. It was a beautiful start as I gained some serious elevation through pastureland. I met a pig hunter out with his three dogs. He walked along with me for a while and shared some interesting stories about wild boars, the kiwi population and his disputes with his neighbors. The Northland area of New Zealand has had a pretty tough time controlling the boars since they were introduced but they are gaining ground and seeing the kiwi population steadily increase.
He warned me about the back half of the Omaha forest – there was some serious mud coming. He was not kidding. The next three miles was nothing but ankle deep mud with steep ascents and descents. It was taking forever! I was hanging onto trees and branches but could not stop from taking some pretty messy falls. My poles and shoes were getting stuck and I was covered in heavy mud. The next section took over three hours to get through and I was over it. I don’t know what you call this but it isn’t a trail. The hikers and cattle that follow this path create huge ruts that gather more rain and make it nearly impassible. Whatever this – didn’t want to be doing it. I was making plans to rent a car and book it down to the South Island. I was over it by the time I got to the road crossing where I discovered the most amazing thing – Trail Magic!
I’m not sure who left this huge cooler full of sodas but they instantly put a smile back on my face. I popped a cold Coke and sat on the cooler covered in mud and just laughed about how far my spirits had sunk. The Trail has a way of doing this to me. Just when I think I’ve had enough, it provides. It’s saying – “Hey man, I know the last bit was ridiculous but hang in there. Remember all that amazing stuff you saw last week? It’s all worth it.” The magic wasn’t over. I climbed back up to the road and stumbled over to Helena’s house across the street. She hosts thru hikers in her beautiful yard overlooking the bay. She was waiting for me with a cold beer, a hot shower and a strong hose to wash all the mud off my gear. I made a fancy chicken noodle and avocado dinner and all was well again. A nice quiet night in my cat-free tent.
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