Date: 15 October 2026
Weather: sunny
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The day before the trail, from Auckland to Kaitaia
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I slept badly. I woke up at the Ibis Budget in Auckland’s SkyCity. Right outside the hotel, roadworks were carried out in the middle of the night for several hours using heavy machinery. Early in the morning, traffic was already flowing on this road again. Efficiency at the expense of peaceful nights for budget-conscious hotel guests.
Of the three bags of instant coffee left for me in the room, I treated myself to one and took two with me. The roll of toilet paper was now mine too.
My bus to Kaitaia was leaving at 7.30 am, so I didn’t have much time to waste. I was, of course, at the bus station on time. It was just sunrise; plenty of buses were lined up one after the other, waiting to depart in all directions. The last bus in the queue was heading north to Kerikeri. An older bus driver checked the tickets with his device and loaded the passengers’ luggage. There were quite a few rucksacks among them; mine was definitely one of the bulkier ones… Standing behind me at the bus was a chap whom I, judging by his walking sticks, took to be a fellow hiker and spontaneously addressed with “TA?”… – Bullseye!
He then sat down next to me on the bus, and so my first Te Araroa acquaintance was made: Guido, from the Netherlands. Even though I’d been travelling in Sydney a week earlier, it took some getting used to conversing in English. I’d never been particularly good at foreign languages, but I always tried not to let it show and not to lose the thread of the conversation. I would, however, have plenty of practice in the coming days. At first, I chatted with Guido about all sorts of things. The initial standard small talk almost always covered life and work, right up to the ambition to tackle a long-distance hiking trail – which is, after all, the connection we share. Guido turned out to be one of the funniest blokes I met on the trail. Everyone who knew him liked him and his dry sense of humour. The bus rolled over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, out of the city and northwards through a fascinatingly green landscape. At some point, I just stared out of the window and daydreamed.
After about an hour, the bus stopped for a break at a snack bar. I didn’t need the toilet nor was I hungry, but I stretched my legs anyway. Guido and I stood outside, and just by looking at the other passengers’ clothes, we could usually spot the TA starters. That’s where we met Nic, an Australian from Melbourne. He had relatively little luggage with him. Like me and Guido, he was also due to set off the very next day. I kept a bit of a low profile during the conversations. Soon enough, we were on our way again. The bus journey wasn’t boring, as the scenery was very varied. So many thoughts go through your mind when you’re in a completely foreign country, far from home, and know that life is going to look completely different for a few months. I was nervous, but also looking forward to it. As the journey went on, we eventually ran out of things to talk about and I just stared silently out of the window. Somehow, during the journey, I saw endless cow pastures, but no sheep, for which the country is so famous. The Australians had been joking the week before that there were only sheep here and nothing else… well, where then? The landscape here in the north of New Zealand is beautiful, though. Everything looks much greener than I was used to – nature still seems intact.
After over four hours on the bus, I finally got off in Kerikeri. This was the terminus for this route. From here, the next bus to Kaitaia left half an hour later.
I was standing at a bus station in a small town with a cluster of other backpackers, all of whom I would soon get to know much better. Jonny and Jed, both Australians, were standing with Nic, Guido and me. You could easily spot them as TA hikers. Their outfits are always minimalist and lightweight. Standing a little apart were Diane and Phil, a comparatively older couple from Wellington, who were chatting with Frejdis, a young Icelandic woman. Apart from Jonny, everyone else would be setting off on the trail on the same day as me.
The bus to Kaitaia was slightly delayed. The area became more remote and the bus was no longer as comfortable as the first one. We then continued with an hour-and-a-half bus journey. In the afternoon, we finally arrived directly in the centre of Kaitaia, New Zealand’s northernmost small town. The bus stopped right at the Visitor Centre. Like most people, I’d had my welcome pack sent there via the TA registration. We now collected our Trail Passes and signed the register. The pass was packed very compactly along with a few goodies – some stickers, a patch, a small towel and a few brochures. The most important thing, of course, was the Trail Pass, a metal token that served as identification for TA hikers. Most people attached it to their rucksack. I kept mine in my pocket to ensure it remained as undamaged as possible as a souvenir.
Together with Guido and Jed, I then set off for the Beachcombers Lodge, a hostel in the centre of Kaitaia, which was the first port of call for most starters. On the way, I stopped briefly at the post office to buy an empty parcel. I would first pack it with the stuff I wouldn’t need over the next few days, hand it in at the shuttle in Talz the following day, and then take it back with me on my return to Kaitaia to send it on. I just didn’t know where to at that point.
At the hostel, we were all put into different rooms. I found myself sharing a room with a young American woman, Ashton. She’ll be part of my starter group too. I asked her where I could buy supplies and she sent me to Pak’n’Safe, which felt like it was at the other end of town, so I set off straight away.
First, I went to Hunting & Fishing, the local outdoor shop, to buy a gas cartridge. However, the stove I’d brought with me was a bit old, and there were no cartridges with the right type of cap for it. The standard here is a twist-off cap. But I needed a click-on cap. So I had no choice but to buy a new stove straight away. At least this one was significantly lighter and more compact.
At Pak’n’Safe, I would find everything I needed in terms of food, but only in bulk sizes. My lack of experience with outdoor cooking became a problem. I was so disoriented that I ended up buying things in a rather panicked and haphazard manner. The result: too much weight. My back would thank me for it in the days to come… Completely unprepared, I made my way back to the hostel and realised I would need water after all. So, after returning to the lodge, I popped out to the petrol station and bought a bottle that I could top up along the way.
Guido, Nic and Jed came towards me and asked if I fancied a drink at the sports bar.
I hadn’t eaten anything yet and of course I’d be up for it. I’d just quickly take my water bottle back to my room. Once there, I asked Ashton if she’d like to come along. She agreed and came with me. I introduced her to everyone and we went to a sports bar down the road.
Everyone ordered a drink – I had a beer – and we sat down at a table and chatted. Nobody ordered food, so I didn’t either. After our drinks, everyone wanted to go to bed. I, however, didn’t want to set off on the trail on an empty stomach, so I went into town in search of something to eat and found a Subway. I ate there and went back to get to bed as soon as possible. I suppose I really ought to get used to going to bed early.
