Paihia to Farm Camp
29 miles
Mile 177.3
I woke up early, hoping to make use of the hostel’s WiFi, but of course it still wasn’t working. Annoyed, I packed up and hit the road.
From Paihia the trail followed a neat coastal track along the Bay of Islands to Opua. The tide was just low enough to let me pass with dry feet.
Upon reaching Opua, I took the ferry across the bay to Okiato.
From there I knocked out a 13 mile road walk to Waikare Landing, the beginning of the next section.
The route went from 4WD track to trail to walking through a stream.
I spent about two hours making my way up Papakauri stream through the lush forest. There were boulders to climb and deep pools to shimmy around. This was the most interesting and scenic section yet!
When the trail picked back up I followed it past a hut, out of the forest to a paved road.
A few miles later I passed a farm with a sign on its fence advertising accommodations for TA hikers. It was getting late, and I doubted there’d be much camping ahead due to the private property all around, so I headed down their driveway to check it out.
The couple who owned the place were incredibly welcoming. For $15 I got a place to pitch my tent, and access to a shower, kitchen, WiFi and a delicious breakfast! They even offered to let me sleep inside, but I declined since I needed to pitch my tent anyways to let it dry out from the previous nights condensation.
Another solid day on the Te Araroa!
Cheers!