• Te Araroa km done so far: 473km
• Official kms: 23km
• Garmin kms: 23.64km
• Total time: 5.31
• Calories burned: 2169
• Body battery: 6/10, feeling sore & deflated today.
• Accommodation: Marks house
• Tent nights: still 6

The alarm went off at 6am, we are leaving at 7.30am with a 40 minute drive to our start point. The aim is to be finished around 2pm & Mark will pick us up.

Full packs today! It’s been nice to slack pack it the last few days. We said our goodbyes to dad as he had a repairman turning up & Andrea drove us to our start point.

It’s been awesome staying with them & they have been so accommodating, couldn’t ask for more! I have such an amazing & supportive family!

It wasn’t long into the walk that Matt & Naomi caught up to us, we 1st met them at the farm a couple of 100kms back. We talked & walked for a few kilometres before they took off again.

5km after starting we were on the beach, where we had a 4km walk, then up & over a bluff before descending onto Pakiri beach which would take us another 10km of beach walking.

Jon & Caroline had started an hour earlier & we caught up to them having their lunch about 3km before the beach ended. Gokul & I carried on until the campground for lunch. Where I treated myself to a Gingerbeer & we had more homemade bacon & egg pie courtesy of Andrea & dad.

The last part of the walk was only 3km & along a metal road, about a kilometre before the end Mark was waiting to pick us up. He took our packs & we marched off to finish the last kilometre.

We then got dropped to his place to shower & get ready while he went back to work.

Not long after Mark got home, I got one of the best surprises! I came out of the bathroom & my wife was sitting in the room! I was so confused & surprised. She had talked to my brother & organised to come stay the night as she is working in Auckland today & tomorrow.

I haven’t seen her for 23 days, such an amazing thing to happen!

We all had an amazing dinner that Mark cooked & am now ready for bed! It’s going to be a big day tomorrow. We are off to do the Dome valley walk from Pakiri & expecting a 10+ hour day……