Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park to Pakari Beach Holiday Park – 28km (468km total)
As we get closer to Auckland shops are becoming more regular. So after a short 5km walk through Mangawhai Heads and into Mangawahai we were able to stop to resupply at the supermarket and have a break at the local bakery. My second chai latter in two days! Luxury hiking.
It was then a gravel road walk out of Mangawhai back to the beach, which is usually fine, but this was a really busy gravel road and every car that drove past stirred up a whole heap of dust that we had to continually walk in.
We made it to the beach where it was only 4km to a picnic area where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed swimming and watching the locals surf. It was here that things went slightly wrong. i.e. we went the wrong direction (which may or may not have been my fault). The trail went over the headland before heading back down to the beach, but I started just following the beach. Which then turned into a rock scramble around the headland. The boys turned back to get to the actual trail. Alexandra and I thought that we might be able to get around and kept going. However, as the waves started coming in on the rocks I was scrambling on I decided it was also a good idea to turn back, but not before I had been drenched by a wave or two! Alexandra being more of a daredevil and surefooted then me, kept going. However, by the time I got back over the headland and down to the beach via the actual route. Alexandra came up behind me. She too had turned around, when she slipped on a rock and we both laughed and said that we may not tell our families about our detour.
The rest of the afternoon was 12km on the beach to the holiday park. Yesterday’s 40km day was ok on my feet but 28km on roads and beach is not fun on my feet.
Today I am thankful for bakeries.
