Kaitaia to Bushcamp
22.9 miles
Mile 94.7
After a good nights sleep at the Backpacker Hostel, I was making my way south down Highway 1 by 8:30 AM. The Te Araroa is infamous for its many road walks, but I don’t mind them.
About three miles later the route turned off the highway onto a dirt road that led through farmland.
By 1:00 PM I’d reached the Raetae Forest track where I began my climb into the mountains.
The trail through the jungly forest was in bad shape. Navigating the steep grades through the overgrown trail was made extra tricky by the ankle deep mud.
Despite the effort this section required, I really enjoyed it. The forest had a true wilderness feel to it, which I’ve yet to experience on this trail.
Just before 8:00 PM the trail opened up as the forest spit me out on a grassy hillside.
I made camp near a small creek where I cleaned my muddy legs before hitting the hay.
Cheers!
Congrats on the foot sucking mud in the jungley bits!
It was an adventure!
I was going to ask about trail markers. Then you posted some. Is the trail well marked? Are you using an app? Are you seeing an critters, insects or reptiles in the jungle. I am guessing not since you didn’t post any pics. Gorgeous views.
It’s well marked through some areas such as forests and farmland, but in other sections such as beaches and road walks there are no markers. It’s easy to stay on track with the app though! I’ve seen lots of interesting birds and a couple cool bugs, mostly just sheep and cattle though!