Well, another one of my favorites in the Hauraki Gulf is Aotea Great Barrier Island. Whenever things get a little much, I dream myself away to Aotea, and now and then, I make the time to head out there. I am not sure whether it is the remoteness of the last barrier before the vastness of the Pacific Ocean (hence the name), the time travel aspect of feeling to go back in time to an Aotearoa from 20 years ago, the plentiful hiking opportunities or if it is the characters you get to meet and with who I, to some extend, share the fascination of a place so out of the way.
Early in the morning, it was a bit of a hassle to make my way down to Sea LInk’s ferry port because the whole area at the waterfront was preparing for the Auckland Marathon that day, and therefore, many roads and side streets were blocked off. But with plenty of time at hand, I made it to the vessel. As expected, only a handful of cars and people were waiting to board the red heavy-duty boat. It is not one of the fancy ferries that make their way out there: the adventurous journey already starts with boarding the ship by walking up a rough steel ramp. On board, the fanciest thing is a flat white you can buy at the little counter next to the car lots—cars with building material, an old wrecked-down-looking van, a couple of utes. When leaving the port, people were already snoring away with their gumboots neatly placed next to them in the passenger lounge. Slashing on some sunscreen, I made my way up to the outside seating area and did not leave the place for the next 5 hours. In the distance, Rangitoto, Motutapu, Tiritiri Matangi, passing by Waiheke Island, Coromandel Peninsula far towards the east, and eventually Little Barrier (uninhabited) and Aotea came closer.
Four days full of hiking were waiting for me: I explored a new path from Tryphena to Medlands Beach, where I camped for the night. Then, the next day, I headed on via Claris (of course, including a coffee and cake stop at the „Fat Puku „) to Mt Heale Hut, which boasts some of the best views you can get on the North Island. On day three, I went up to the island’s highest point, the summit of Hirakimata, once again and looped around the island’s mountainous interior with a light pack as I planned on staying in Mt Heale Hut for two nights. On the last day, I hiked down from the hut to Kaiaraara Hut, which is nicely nestled in the forest, and on to Port Fitzroy, where my ride back to Auckland would leave.
As the end of October/beginning of November is not the typical holiday season, Mt. Heale hut was not busy: only a couple from Finland, a hiker from the UK, and on the second night, a handful of women from Wellington stayed in the hut. I particularly enjoyed my makeshift route on the third day, which turned out to be exactly what I liked: 29 km with about 1500 meters of elevation gain with some gnarly, steep, and overgrown sections were immensely satisfying, and I thoroughly enjoyed my chocolate hazelnut bar afterward, in the hut. As I was a little too quick on the last day on my way back to the ferry, I spent some time sitting in front of the tiny island store at Port Fitzroy, having coffee (of course!). I met a couple of locals who (voluntarily and not so much) gave some insights into how the islands work.
Eventually, it was time to hop on the boat again, and to my great joy, several dolphin schools accompanied the boat back to Auckland. Everyone on board, including the whole crew, marveled at the grey creatures playing in the bow wave. Not having showered for the last several days made me feel a bit feral arriving back in Auckland ;-). A shower and good food always help with that. Overall, these were some excellent days out on Aotea that helped to reset and connect again.
