Adventures on the Te Araroa Trail

At the mid-June Rebus Club meeting, Kerry and Mark Williams (pictured above, right) spoke about their adventures on the Te Araroa Trail, which spans the entire length of New Zealand. Kerry said this was ironic because they began by intending only to walk Ninety Mile Beach. Their adventure began in February 2018 and finished in October 2019, having taken their time, including stopping to have Christmas with family.

Their story was one of daring and perseverance… and blisters. Testing times included mud and goats in Northland forests, kayaking 290 km of the Whanganui River, visiting the Bridge to Nowhere, dining on only cereal and powdered food supplements for days – if not weeks – at a time.

Mark’s photos brought the adventure to life for Rebus members, who said thanks with wine, Bennetts chocolate gifts, and huge applause.

Terry Ballard also presented videos of some of the tracks made by Mangawhai ‘Trackies’ locally. These included the Tanekaha Forest track (off King Road) to the first and second waterfalls. There was also a new estuary walk to end up at the village Tavern. One of the perennial favourites is the Jean Goldschmidt track near the surf beach carpark, going up the rise on the left. The views are spectacular.

- PHOTO/SUPPLIED