(400-600km) Highway to hell



Road, beach, road, cute girl with a bike, camp in the forest. Fantails as neighbours.

Towards Mangwhai Heads: Clouds of sandflies in the grass, yet peacefully. Eroded cliff walk or busy, winding car road? Hello asphalt my old friend, I've come to walk on you again... Beside the road the scum of mankind thrown away by the scum of mankind. Not caring about nature seems to come along with not caring about health: alcohol bottles, cigarettes, junk food and soda cans. Anyhow it's much less trash than what I'm used to from Europe. Pine forests behind the dunes make a good camp. Broken branches are the better tent pegs in the sandy ground.

Along the beach until Pakiri. I introduce another German fellow to the taste of potato flakes and conserved salmon. Then school kids stop me and I end up giving a lesson in class about Te Araroa. So much fun! I feel proud about what I'm doing. Kids give me their home made lip balm - as if they would have know, that it was the thing I was most urgently needing. Once more I learn: Be confident and the trail gives you, all you need. Up the hill lots of mud as deep as it can be. Roadworkers on Matakana valley road, gravel, and finally back in the bush for camp.

Dome Valley: Walking alone means there's no taking turns in collecting the spider webs. Little bit through mud barefeet, little bit through mud in shoes. Impressive prodruding rock and all of a sudden, gravel and steps and civilization. Brittle layer of mud covers me until the knee, when I walk into Dome Valley Cafe. Boy did the Burger taste good! I pour down two liters of water. Onwards on gravel against strong winds. Somebody offers me cooked shellfish, just in the middle of the farmland. Did that just happen?

Puhoi to Silverdale. Nice town Puhoi, I get an apple for free. It's ment to rent a Kayak and follow the river to Waiwera. I take the road. Turns out to be a state highway. Big blue sign indicating that it's a toll road. Heavy traffic and narrow space beside the vehicles. Don't try this at home kids. Then walk the rocks of the coastline and another 12 km on the road - this time the official trail.

Homerun to Auckland. I dislike the big city, but it's shurely not hell. Few more steps on asphalt and I can finally meet my friends in the hostel. A guy on the street talks to me about the hike and I'm aware again, that I'm obviously recognisibly as a hiker. Time to make a few steps towards becoming a civilized human being again. It took me two pairs of socks, four audio books and 12 jars of peanut butter to get back. Nothing changed, but I did.

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