Sunday 3rd March 2024
Waipu to Taurikura
25km walked today
389km to Cape Reinga
After breakfast, John drives me back to Waipu and the start of the beach walk north to Ruakaka. The beach has a few people on it, some walking dogs, most on a leash but some not. They’re all supposed to be on a leash because this area has many species of endangered birds nesting in the dunes. Everybody thinks their dog is not the one that would cause any problems.
It’s about half tide and coming in but there’s plenty of hard sand to walk on and I’m in Ruakaka quickly. On the way I ring Blair Jones who offers a boat transfer from Marsden Point across the Whangarei Heads for $40. Now the day is semi-planned. I’ll walk the 15km to Marsden Point, stopping for a coffee and lunch at Ruakaka, walk to Marsden point by 3pm, get across the Heads with Blair and keep walking, maybe staying in a cabin somewhere to keep out of the forecast rain this afternoon and overnight. The day is overcast with a slight headwind. As I’m walking up the beach I’m looking at the chimney stacks of Marsden Point oil refinery in the distance. It was built in my youth to refine all the oil and oil products needed for New Zealand, but it’s now being decommissioned. It’s apparently cheaper to bring products in fully refined from overseas. I guess it makes sense because they can be shipped straight to where they’re needed rather than having to all pass through Marsden Point for refining, but it used to be quite a sight with the flares burning all night, like a factory from hell. You could hear the gas flares from my Grandfather’s house in McLeod Bay on a still night. McLeod Bay, like this whole area around me is now desirable and sought after. It’s only an hour or two from Auckland. It used to be an all day drive on a winding road and a final dusty drive on a gravel road from Whangarei.
It starts raining heavily but the umbrella does its job. I pass several fishermen, including one pair who have pulled in a long line and are removing at least 20 large snapper. What a catch, each one would be over $30 in a fish shop. One tells me they used a fish they found on the beach as bait. I say they should buy a lotto ticket and he says “We’re trying not to get too excited”. The other fishermen are mostly young Asian guys who aren’t having any luck casting g from the beach.
I get to the floating pontoon where Blair will pick me up. He arrives on time and in 10mins I’m on the other side. He offers me a ride partly up the hill if I stay in the boat while he pulls the boat home with his tractor.
Now things get a little surreal. I’m determined to let the track guide me to where I sleep tonight but there are moments of doubt! Blair has told me I’d have no trouble hitching out to Ocean Beach where there is a privately run campsite. I try ringing them but there’s no answer. There’s also a yoga retreat place but it doesn’t grab me as I walk past. Next there are two shops, one selling fish and chips, but I keep walking, and about half an hour later regret that. I try ringing another accommodation place listed on the FarOut app, but the guy who answers says they haven’t done that for five years. He mentions a place called the Shores which is $200 a night when I look it up. Now I’m thinking I’ll walk out to Ocean Beach and get there after dark because there is no traffic, but I’m not convinced it’s the best option. I walk down to a small township called Taurikura and think I’ll keep going but spot a handwritten sign on a driveway saying “Backpacker Accommodation, top of the driveway”. It’s worth investigating so I walk up, knock on the door and a man my age called Rob answers, looks a bit flustered, shows me the room and tentatively says $40 a night? He then tells me the sign has just gone up and I’m the first person to come up the driveway. I take it because it’s going to rain and I don’t have the energy to walk another 5km to Ocean Beach. I’ve only got $50 note and Rob has no change. Then his partner Meg arrives and asks me if I’d like to join them for dinner? I say that would be great, and ask how much would that be. Rob thinks quickly and says $10, so I give him a $50 note and he doesn’t have to worry about change. They’re good people, Meg is an artist from South Africa, and Rob is my age and was married to a woman who was in the year ahead of me at the same high school I went too in Auckland. She died a few years ago and he re-partnered with Meg. After dinner, I drag myself away and join the family on a Messenger call to do the SMH quiz. It’s been an interesting afternoon!
SAUNTER101 