HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE

Leaving Whananaki, we hiked out in flip flops... crazy idea but my feet needed to stay dry for a bit + the boots weren't cutting it. We also hiked out with low spirits. It had been a rough couple days + our bodies were done with walking on roads with our heavy packs. The path we had that day wasn't too bad, it was an easy walk + luckily we met a guy named Andrew who was section hiking the TA. Having someone to talk to + hearing about the South Island boosted our moods. He'll probably never know, but he saved us a little that day. 

The minute we walked into Matapouri we washed up a bit in the public restroom (sounds weird now that I'm writing it) + headed to the local general store. We ended up sitting at that general store for about four hours... a long time, but just enough for us to make some important decisions about the near future. We basically tried to make a plan that would cut out some road walking + also add a few more trips outside of the TA. After going back + forth between renting a van, mopeds, bikes... we figured it out.

Finally I'm updating you on how we got from one place to another so quickly. No, we did not hike about 400 miles in 12 days. I wish we could be that speedy, but no. Once arriving in Waipu, our plan would be to bus down to Auckland for New Year's Eve to see the Sky Tower fireworks + stay with the Regans, then to Hamilton to check out Hobbiton + go to the "best surfing town," Raglan, then bus to the Tongariro National Park where we would stick to the trail once again.

Fast forwarding to now, we're both in much higher spirits than we were that day at the Matapouri General Store. We both went back + forth with how we felt about skipping parts of the trail. Knowing we'd probably not see the friends we've made + not being able to say we really did hike the whole TA were our main concerns. We then realized that you have to "hike your own hike," so they say, + make it your own. Happiness had to come first for this one. Happiness is what we got.

I'll tell you a little about each place:

Waipu was our first destination. We got the feel of a long walk on the beach again, but much more bearable. We stayed the first night at Uretiti park (a campground right off the beach) where Devon got attacked by a bird + the second night in town at a cheap backpackers. We enjoyed an evening swim + had the best burger ever at Pizza Barn. 

Next we were in Auckland for New Year's Eve. We spent the night bar hopping down to the harbor + listening to live music. Then we watched the fireworks from an amazing view at our Airbnb. We decided to stay in Auckland for one more day + stay at the Regans (the family we met in Whananaki) for the third night. They couldn't have made us feel more at home. First a stop in Devonport to see Auckland from across the bay + walk around the old naval defense fort. Viv then showed us the beaches along the way to their house in Albany. At their house we talked a bunch, watched some football + Viv made us ham + cheese toasties (grilled cheeses). We got to meet Hailey's horse, eat a delicious home cooked meal + play a new board game with them. Oh!! And they let Devon practice some driving, knowing we'd be renting a car in Hamilton. We will continue to keep in touch with the family... they have been angels to us. 

We were only in Hamilton for a short while, mostly just for a nights rest before picking up the rental car. Due to weather we decided to do Hobbiton first. It was truly magical. Worth every penny. It was like you were in a new little world out in the middle of nowhere. It's amazing how they keep it looking so beautiful + give everyone the privilege to experience it for themselves. The next day we headed over to Raglan to surf for two days. The town itself was so cool. A beachy town with a lot of surf shops, which we really liked checking out. We rented some boards + headed out to the waves.

Raglan is on the west coast of New Zealand which means that the beach is getting pounded by the Tasman sea. There were tons of people surfing + tons of waves crashing into the black sand shore. There was probably a wave every 6-10 seconds. It was pretty intense! To make it out to surf you have to charge through all the white water for about 10 minutes, but when you got out there + caught one it was awesome. We surfed for two days, then drove back to Hamilton to see the Hamilton Gardens. 

Next was Tongariro, where we are now! We unfortunately got there when bad weather was coming. After staying the night at a holiday park, in the morning we found out they were cancelling their trips to the crossing. A man said he would take us, that we should be careful because the winds were very strong + visibility was low, but that we were TA hikers + he knew we could handle it. I ended up saying no to that day. I had been waiting so long to do this part of the hike + wanted to have a good day for it. Problem was- we didn't know when we'd have a good day. To keep hiking, we decided to follow the "Round the Mountain" track to a hut we could stay at with our hut passes. The hut had a great view of Mt. Ruapehu + we met great hikers, one who was hiking the TA. 

We left the next day hoping to stay at National park + get to do the crossing in the morning. We weren't in luck at first. When we got up in the morning the busses were cancelled again. A man told us "it's not worth dying up there, trust me." We looked at the forecast which said the winds would die down tremendously in the afternoon with clear skies. We went for it. No wind, beautiful clouds + clearing the minute we got to the top. It was like nothing we'd seen before. The emerald + blue lakes seemed to glow in the daylight as clouds would slowly appear then disintegrate around what is "Mt. Doom" from Lord of the Rings. The scenery blew us away + we had a hard time walking ahead + leaving it behind us. That night we stayed at an old shelter that was recently closed by the DOC in 2012 due to a volcanic crater coming through the roof of the hut during an eruption. The hut felt empty + a bit creepy with the loud winds, holes in the floor, + spaces where you could tell the bunks + stove had been torn out. We stayed anyway for an okay nights rest. The view was hard to beat, especially costing us nothing. 

Now we move on to the Whanganui river. We will bike/hike down to the start + begin a 5-6 day canoe trip on the 14th

Happy to finally get you all up to date. We've been busy bees.

Until next time,

Marina