Day 28. Hues place - Orewa

I made sure to drink an excessive amount of water before passing out last night. The last thing I want is a sluggish day of walking due to alcohol dehydration.

I was awake by 7 am, and by 8 am I had convinced my body to get moving. Hue made some coffee in the morning and our stories continued. By 10pm I had finally made the effort to pack my bag and get the day going. It was a nice place, and the thought of spending an extra night telling stories with Hue crossed my mind.

Today was semi complicated. The trail goes off track kayaking the Puhoi river. My plan originally was to barrow a kayak off Lance, the man I was unable to get in contact with yesterday. There are other kayak rental companies, but I discovered they only operate in the summer time. It's possible to walk around to Wenderholm - where the Puhoi kayak finishes - but that would be 5km on the motorway. Busy, tiring, and dangerous.

Hue said he could give me a ride to Wenderholm, which I was eager to take, but that would mean I would skip the track leading into Puhoi. Instead I decided I would walk the Puhoi track. It was steep, but one of the best tracks yet. Well maintained with beautiful scenery. The end of the track leads you across a bridge into Puhoi Township. By this time it was close to noon. I gave Hue a call, and he came into town and joined me for lunch. After a big beef burger with chips and an afternoon beer, Hue gave me a lift around the motorway. We said our fairwells. The fairwells I'm becoming so used to. I may never get the chance to revisit the great people I've met on Te Araora, but it's part of the journey I've learned to accept.

The Wenderholm track was awesome, and since it was the weekend there were plenty of day walkers. For 28 days I have yet to have the chance to walk with anyone, but today was the first day I got to walk behind someone. An asian family struggled to climb the track. I found myself patiently waiting behind them. It was a steep track, but it had me thinking about how far my body has come. I remember climbing some of the first hills leading to Ninety Mile Beach. Struggling with every step. Taking numerous breaks. I've grown lots of strength from then. I soon passed the large group and found my own step again.

After crossing a bridge I found myself in a familiar place. I've been here before? Yes! Brooke and I stopped here looking for a place to stay on our way to Cape Reinga. The backpackers we planned to stay at had cops dealing with some rowdy people, so we decided to leave. Was I going towards that hostel? Sure enough I was. I had the choice to tent at the Holiday park another kilometer down the beach, but decided I would give the hostel a chance.

After paying for a dorm room I soon discovered I made a huge mistake. This is a dodgy hostel. I didn't feel like leaving my pack alone in fear something would get stolen so I figured it would be best to get a refund and head to the holiday park. Even though it was minutes after I payed for the room the owner refused to give me my payment back. I bit my tongue and went back to my room. I spent the whole night in my dorm, with a close eye on my gear. It was time well spent catching up on my blog.

By 9 o'clock the cops were in the courtyard of the hostel arresting a man for drunkenly knocking a girl unconcious. I didn't bother to leave my bunk. I found myself wishing I was back in the forest, comfortably settled in the luxury of my own tent.

To my surprise my roommate Leo managed to dominate the smell of the room. A conversation with Leo consisted of more curse words than a drunken sailor, but despite our differences we managed to find common ground. We shared a beer and built some trust. It's hard to spend the night with someone you don't trust. I figure it was better to hear his story - tell him mine - that way we can both sleep in peace.

Tomorrow I will walk to Takapuna. I made sure my bag was packed so in the morning I could simply wake up and go. There's a McDonald's down the road where I can get breakfast. A quick start to the day is my favorite part of staying in a hostel.