Te Araroa, September 2025

Getting to the start. 18th to 24th September

I left home on Thursday morning for the start of the journey by bus, train, three flights and minibus to arrive in Auckland on Saturday afternoon, exhausted.

Refueling stop Singapore 

I had booked two nights in a cheap hotel in Auckland to recover and woke, after a good night's horizontal sleep, considerably
refreshed and ready for the sights of Auckland.

Aukland

I was in the center of Aukland and it is similar to most big cities with its modern highrise buildings and a few older ones , but nothing ancient in this relatively new city. It was only in the green spaces with the unusual plants, trees and birds that I felt as if I was in a foreign land, especially as it is suddenly spring.

Albert Park, Aukland

I found the Maritime Museum by the waterfront with a fascinating collection of Polynesian canoes, proas and catermarans as well as big section devoted to Peter Blake's sailing feats. Steinlager 2, the boat he won a round the world race with, is in the harbour along with a pair of 12 meter America's Cup boats. This complements the display of dinghys of various types that were, and are, sailed in Auckland Harbour and the 12 meter yacht that won the America's Cup in 1995 all housed in the museum buildings.

Polynesian canoe

Steinlager 2

A depot boat. These were placed on islands so that shipwrecked sailors could make their way home.

I needed to buy some gas so walked out to Newmarket, a suburb of Aukland, where there is a good outdoor shop and discovered that they sold the Altra shoes that I prefer. Good news as they are part of a chain of shops throughout New Zealand, shoe replacement problem solved.

Aukland and the Sky Tower 

The following day after picking up my Te Araroa package containing the trail pass, for discounts along the way, and other information l climbed onto a bus for the nearly five hour trip to Kerikeri where I had two nights in a motel as there was no bus going further north the next day.

Bus unloading at Kerikeri 

A really good day wandering around Kerikeri which is beside the Bay of Islands and an important historical area.  It is a significant Maori site and was also the site of an early Christian mission, it also has the oldest stone building in New Zealand, a store and shop built in1830. www.kerikeriwalks.kiwi

The Stone Store

Not knowing much about New Zealand history it was fascinating to learn how recently the Maoris had arrived, 1250ce, with Europeans only about 500 years later. In human history it really is new, a point made clearer after being on Orkney with it's 5000 year old remains.

The Kerikeri River meets the sea

Kerikeri was so much better than Auckland and I felt that I had really come to somewhere interesting when I found a subtropical garden full of amazing plants and trees with Tui singing in the branches.

Bird of paradise flower

There was a restaurant there as well that I went to in the evening only getting half drowned by the rain on the walk back to the motel. www.wharepuke.nz

Woodlands Motel Kerikeri 

The very heavy rain that had been forecast for this week came down that night and into the following morning when I took the bus to Kaitaia.

Sculpture in Kerikeri 

The rain eased and by the time the two hour bus journey to Kaitaia was over so was the rain. Kaitaia looks like a wild west town complete with a wide main street , battered pickups driving up and down and a couple of 'interesting' bars.

Bar rules

I stayed at a nice little apartment with the advantage of being picked up from the door by the minibus to Cape Reinga in the morning, it will be good to get started.

Main Street Kaitaia