The first 5 days on Te Araroa.
After having hiked the South Island in 2018, now, it is time to check out the North Island by hiking Te Araroa.
Rangitoto is rugged, raw, dense vegetation covering most, but not all of the sharp edges of the dark lava rock. The very moment you step on Motutapu, the feel is very different: Motutapu is a 15 sqm mass of rolling hills, farmland that is still (better: again) cultivated by the local iwi (Māori tribe), some windswept trees and some fine beaches and bays to go for a swim or to sit and enjoy being away from the world.
When I took a closer look at the map, a relatively big island caught my eye: it does not only work as a barrier between the Gulf and the open Pacific, but it is also, appropriately, called Great Barrier Island. And apparently, there is also a hiking trail. The Aotea Track is a 25 km long trail that loops around the island’s rugged interior and climbs up to the island’s highest peak, Mount Hobson/Hirakimata (627 m). After doing some further research on the island, I learned that it lies about 100 km northeast of Auckland, is about the same size as Auckland, but only has a bit more than 1000 inhabitants (Auckland, on the contrary, has over 1.6 Mio inhabitants). Life on the island is often described as being „life in New Zealand many decades back „.
But what makes Auckland a fantastic place to live is its location! It’s situated in the north half of New Zealand’s north island, right between the Hauraki Gulf and the Manukau Harbor, which opens towards the Tasman Sea. Mountain ranges to the southeast and northwest complete a perfect landscape.
After working for over one year remotely, I eventually checked into a flight to Auckland via Seoul/South Korea. Ahead of me roundabout 24 hours in a plane. But I did not care. As always, I was looking forward to some time to read and being forced to do nothing.
Nun, wie ich bereits beschrieben habe, habe ich keinen Thruhike des Te Araroa absolviert. Das hat Gründe, die ich ausführlich erläutert habe. Hätte man mich direkt nach Beendigung des Trails gefragt, ob ich mir vorstellen könnte, diese Wanderung noch einmal zu machen und dann auch die komplette Nordinsel zu gehen, hätte ich definitiv nein gesagt.
Da ich auf dem Pacific Crest Trail das erste Mal überhaupt vom Te Araroa gehört hatte, ich sofort Feuer und Flamme war, bin ich direkt von den USA über Australien nach Neuseeland geflogen, um Anfang Januar im Süden der Südinsel Neuseelands zu starten. Meine größte Fehleinschätzung des Te Araroa war, dass ich meinte, dass ich meine Wanderung vom Pacific Crest Trail einfach auf den TA übertragen und dort fortsetzen könne. Die erste Lektion, die ich sehr schnell lernte, war, dass jeder Wanderweg individuell ist und seine ganz eigenen Herausforderungen hat.
Time to post an update ;-). Do you remember my last post? (Check out: HIKING – Te Araroa) The one I was also showing the other side of travelling and hiking? The one I was telling about me struggling?