5/3/22, Day 93, 45km, Total 2426km
Elevation Gain: 1652, Loss: 1476m
A long hard but very satisfying day.
I left at 7 expecting a 35km day. My first cup of coffee at a café at the north end of Orewa beach.
The tide was full in so I couldn’t walk around the headland to Hatfields beach. I took the road instead. Across the bridge from Waiwera I entered Wenderholm Regional park then more road walking to Puhoi, some of it on State Highway 1.
At Puhoi at 11 so I had a big lunch then carried on – another 28km to Dome Valley. Some of this was in bush but most was on ridges and on roads. It was still good easy walking.
At 3pm I had a rest and took my shirt off and attached it to my pack. It was really wet from my sweat. Left it off for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed how much cooler I felt.
Arrived at the Dome Valley cafe which is closed, at 6pm. The owners are real Trail Angels and let hikers camp on their lawn for free. They even supplied me with Ginger Beer and a shower. What more could a hiker wish for.
A short day of around 26km to Pakiri beach.
