Day 12: Mangamuka- Omahuta Puketi forest track.

We woke up in Lizzy's back yard, and all 5 of us departed together. Many times today I found myself regarding with wonder the group we have found. An old Australin Air force vet, a Danish floor sweeper, a German physical therapist, a Kiwi Math student, and an American wilderness guide all hiking together in Nz, most of us incredibly far from home, and all from different backgrounds in different places in our lives getting along and working together through great challenges to achieve the same goal, and we'd found each other all within a week. It's really something wonderful that I think we all realize. I have found things in each of these people that5 I really admire, and i think and hope that they have found some things in me as well. I hope that I can continue to learn from them, and I am grateful for their company for more than just someone to talk to on the trail.

Today was my favourite hiking day yet by far. After a long but fast 18k through roads in farmland where w were briefly joined by a lost dog, we were dumped off the road into the Mangapukahukahuka stream. We walked through the stream for 3km, and high, steep jungle mountains framed the crystal clear water for its entirety. The stream itself had swimming pool after swimming pool, some up to 10 ft deep, and all of which you could see clear through to the bottom. Some even had their own small beaches lined with palm trees and ferns on the banks. The Mangapukahukahuka met with the much less fun sounding and slightly more murky and larger Wairare river which we followed up for 3k to our freedom campsite next to a nice pool. Sadly by the time we got to camp, the rain had began so we didn't use the pool that was available to us. We spread out our tents taking up the whole freedom camp, shared some dinners and headed to bed looking forward to the forest track in the morning. Sorry for the lack of photos today, the wading through rivers all day made me hide my phone deep in my pack in plastic, you'll just have to fly out to NZ and see the stream for yourself!

Day 11: Ratea track- Mangamuka

John and Kasper woke up bright and early and were out of camp when we woke up around 7. We wished them well as they headed off tot he trail and we scrounged up breakfast, prepping for our first 'route', the toughest classification of trails on the TA. This particular track contained the 770m Ratea peak, one of the highest peaks on the north island, among others. We set off and began to climb. and climb. and climb.

 The mud was deep in some places, and more often present than not. After a couple of hours or so of climbing we took a break on a 'peak' and wondered is that was the ratea peak. We had been climbing hard all morning, and ratea peak was just a few k from where we had started, so we figured that was it. Boy, were we wrong. 

what followed was 9 more hot, sticky, and completely devoid of drinking water, hours filled with climbs up and down the peaks. 

The sign on the final descent had the sentiments of most TA hikers scribbled on it.

 In those 10-11 hours of hiking we hiked just 12k.

 After the final descent we raced along the 4x4 track through mixed jungle/farmland looking for water. We found the end of the jungle track and it broke out instantly into hilly meadows containing sun, horses and wild flowers. The transition from forest to field was as sudden as it was beautiful. 

Just as beautiful, Nick Manja and I could see John and Kasper at the bottom of the field, a mere half hour ahead of us, right next to a stream!

 We took a break at the hilltop as they continued on. After the break, we went down and filled water and began walking into Mangamuka, a tiny town with just one shop and one hotel. After walking the road for a couple of hours we arrived at the shop to find John and Kasper there waiting for us, and the shop staying open having heard of our late arrival. The owner let us sleep in the back yard and fed us some deliscious food for dinner. We ate and bitched about the incredible Ratea forest with John and Kasper for a few hours before bed. At the end of the day we had hiked a little over 12 hours and covered a little under 23k. We spent the night camped out back and I was once again blown away by the kindness of the rural kiwis. Great to be with the whole group!

Day 10: Thanksgiving! Herekino- Ratea track beginning

We woke up still wet. All of our tents and my sleeping bag were soaked, but the sun was out! We woke up late and slow from the frustrating day before. Around 9 we were ready to go, but quite worried as we hadn't seen Andy pass us on the track yet. He arrived right as we put on our packs with a broken hiking pole and low spirits. He let us know he couldn't continue any farther and was going to hike out that day and get down to auckland. It was sad to see him go, but we all know it was the right call for him, this hasn't even been the challenging areas of the terack and Andy was struggling daily. We wish him the best, but now i've seen my first thru hiker drop out a mere 6 days into the walk. We began walking as Andy headed back towards town. 

The tack was steep and muddy, and I was grateful for my gaiters. The few peaks that we hit afforded splendid views of the valleys below, but the slogging through mud was difficult and slow. 

it took us the whole morning, but we broke out from the forest at a gorgeous farm in the sun and sat down for lunch and drying of our clothes, tents, and bags.  After being in a soaking wet jungle for a couple of days the sunny fields were heaven.

 The track detoured down a road, and Nick wanted to get a ride off the road, luckily we had no signal, so Manja and I enjoyed a nice road walk through some beautiful rural farmland for a while. 

About 5k into the road section we did end up getting a short ride tot he base of the Ratea track and began hiking up the mountains preparing for the 770m summit tomorrow.

As nick was whinging about the road hike and I was enjoying it, an old cliche came to mind that a good friend had reminded me of long ago: it's about the journey, not the destination. The journey so far has been amazing, and it's even more amazing when I consider it without a destination in mind. I'd love to complete the whiole track, but I'm beginning to realize that's not even why i'm here. I'm here to experience a new country with new people and no places to be or appontments to have. I'm here to walk and simoply be on a journey to wherever that journey will take me, and i'm excited to see what that brings. I have no idea what the rest of this track will look like, Io don't know how much will be road or track or town or rural or completely untamed. But I dont care. It doesn't amtter. the journey will be exactly what it is, and I have complete control over how I see that journey. so far it has been enlightening, painful, joyful and beautiful, but most definitely worthwhile. And i'm only 10 days in!

We got to the base of Ratea and nick stopped to fill his water in a stream. Manja continued on, and I chatted with nick for a bit before hiking on to go catch up with her. I filled my weater at the next stream and nick caught up with me, but we still hadn't seen Manja yet. We were beginning to wonder if we missed a track to the side when we peaked out and at the top there was Manja with none other than John and Kasper!

 I was elated that we had all made it to the Ratea and were able to get together again, as tomorrow seems like it will be quite challenging. We had a great thanksgiving dinner and chatted for a long time before bed. Company on the trail is always welcome!

Day 9: Ahipara- Herekino Forest Track

Today we woke up and caught the first bus into Kaitaia to resupply at the pak n save. We got back tot he hostel and finished packing by about 10:30 which gave us a late start on the day. Andy, John, and Kasper had all left early in the morning because only Manja Nick and I needed to resupply. We took off and began to walk through the Herekino Track. 

It began to rain shortly thereafter, and didn't stop for the rest of the day. the track was muddy wet and cold. But it was still nice to be off the beach.

 We crossed some nice streams where the water was cold and pure and delicious, but the novelty of the jungle quickly wore off as the rain continued to dampen my spirits. I knew I would be sleeping wet tonight. 

The day was slightly frustrating, as the rain slowed us down quite a bit, and we didn't really make our goal. We still did around 20k with a very late start. We ran into Andy on the track where he was setting up his tent in the middle of the road. We were slightly worried about him as he seemed to be quite worn out. We hiked on for about 3-5k more before setting camp ourse4lves on a dryer spot in the middle of the tack. hopefully tomorrow will hold some sun to let us dry out our things.

Day 8: Ahipara Zero Day!

I woke up late today! How nice were those 11 hours of sleep. I got a brutal heat rash on my feet and ankles from the beach, but a kind hostel buddy gave me some skin creme for that which has been working wonders. Manja showed up at the park around 11, and John followed shortly thereafter. Today I also met Kasper, a 30 year old floor sweeper from Denmark and Andy an older gentleman from the states. Both of them are trying to thru hike TA, and some of Andy's gear is incredible, all of his pack weighs about 15 lbs, truly ultra light. Mel was staying at the Hostel already, and Nick came in later in the afternoon leaving six Ta thru hikers in the same place! we went out for a big dinner at Bidz' take out to celebrate finally being off of 90 mile beach and being able to relax. fish n chips carried through the night as we sat around drinking wine and playing some party games. It was good for us all to be social and relax a bit. There are tons of Germans here at the hostel as well, so we had some bilingual pictionary going which was tons of fun. It's nice to be able to form such camaraderie so quickly when we're all so far from home. It's easy to be in the moment when you are around so many other people simply out on an adventure.

Day 7 hukatere to ahipara

We woke up around 8 and had some tea and breakfast with the wwoofers, the other TA hiker john had apparently left right before I got up. Around 9 we hit the beach, and the previous 2 days' soreness was clearly present. We only made about 10 painful kilometers before lunch, and that didn't rejuvenate us nearly as much as the previous days. My knees were sore and my feet were bleeding and blistered. About 5k later there was a campsite that Manja chose to use, her legs couldn't take her any farther. I opted to push on and complete the day to ahipara in the hopes of taking a zero day tomorrow. In the last 15k of the day, I stopped only twice. I found that the pain in my knees would become unbearable every time I restarted walking, so I simply hiked slowly and steadily down the beach. 

On the way to ahipara I listened to music and watched the tide go in and out, reflecting on the power, vastness, and indifference of the ocean. 

Such and integral part of human life, with no capacity for awareness of its own power. No thought or desire but the power to change the world, whether it wants to or not. 

Of course it's neither of the two, it has no desires or aversions of any kind. Maybe in a way, that gives it an even more omnipotent feeling.

 It will not and cannot stop its being or its power for any reason. It simply continues. I thought of that as my tiny body cried in pain as I willed it forward and felt slightly better. It always seems that the things farthest removed from rationality or reasoning most closely posess omnipotence.

The beach is back: day 6, the bluff to hula there

Today we walked the beach again. Nick and Mel didn't make it to the bluff last night sadly, so we set off without them. In the morning there was a heavy fog rolling in off the sea that accumulated a salty dew in my beard, which was annoying but far better than the sun we had all day yesterday. 

Around lunch however, the sun returned with a vengeance, and continued to pound down on is throughout the day. We did our best to stay out and get on enough sunscreen, but we both ended up with some burns today.

 The walk was long and flat, found another 20 mile day was difficult but rewarding when we arrived at hukatere lodge in the end. I chose to stay in their backpacker hostel because my sleeping mat decided it would be a good time to go AWOL off the back of my pack. The shower felt incredible , and the fresh aloe on my burns was a nice touch provided by the owners. The people here are kind and relaxed, and the view of the sea is incredible. A nice reward for a hard day.

I've been reading some of thoreau's walden when I can and I came across a passage that struck a chord with me today. "Public opinion is weak compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself... Indicates his fate"(5). I think this certainly holds true for myself and most people I know. I feel like the main reason for this is that our very perception of the world around us is inextricably linked to our opinions of ourselves. The world we see around us is shaped by how we see ourselves. Either as better or worse, aggressive or defensive, strong or weak. The way we behave in the world is a direct result of the way that we see the world behaving around our warped sense of self. Private opinion is incredibly strong in this way, so it is important to remember to seek outside counsel on things. People don't just see problems differently, they see the world differently from you, and will always have a different way of looking at things, even within ourselves. Sometimes the most keen internal insights are made from without by those around us. It seems to me a valuable lesson to be pulled from those words of Thoreau. While private opinion can be a mighty tyrant, remember that it is not the arbiter of fact, but merely a shaper of perspective.