Walking home
Days 69-71, Raumati to Island Bay southern terminus
The moment after Wellington blew my hat off
And so, the final stretch of Te Ika-a-Māui draws to a close. Done in a sense, yet with more to come.
Over these last days, the excitement and familiarity built as I walked into and through the city I have called home for as long as I can remember. Many of the TA logos and arrows pointing the way evoked a memory of me passing them, months or even years before, thinking that one day I would be passing through with a pack on my back having walked from Cape Reinga to get there. And now it was happening.
This has been one of my favourite stretches so far because of my amazing family and friends who I met up with along the way. Trail angels have been incredible, but even more important are the communities and friendships I’ve established at home. Walking through Te Whanganui-a-Tara was different to other sections because of the sentiment attached to this part of the country. Also, I’ve never felt more humbled by those laughably steep gradients of Wellington’s suburban streets. They’re great fun.
DAY 69 - Raumati beach to Porirua (33km)
I had the most leisurely start to the morning and had real toast for breakfast. My plan was to walk to Paekakariki to meet my friend Sarah for lunch at her place, before meeting Dad to walk the escarpment track. Sarah and I have a tradition where we make soup, pita bread and crumble for dinner once very few months, but this would be a lunchtime trail edition.
I first found a sleepy cafe in the Raumati township to have coffee before heading back down to the beach. The tide was rising quickly and it soon began lapping at my feet. I hopped onto the concrete path which eventually led up to Queen Elizabeth II Park and then to Sarah’s house.
I turned up on Sarah’s doorstep just as she was ready to pop the tomatoes in the oven to roast for our soup. We had so much to catch up on that we only just had enough time to eat our meal and do a tarot card reading before getting moving again. This was definitely one of the more memorable lunchtimes on the trail!
After our feast Sarah walked me down to the start of the escarpment track, not without being kindly given two free delicious ice blocks by Sarah’s daughter Amy for me and my dad (thanks Amy!). With Paekākāriki Pops in hand I said bye to Sarah, who floated the idea of walking a section the next day with me. It was great to see Dad again, and had felt like little time had passed since departing in Whanganui.
The 10km stretch winding up along the cliffs between Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay is one of the most recent additions to Te Araroa and boasts vast views of Kāpiti Island. We were in the company of some southerly breezes to cool us off. We must have been zooming as we completed the track in 2.5 hours - for some reason I thought we’d be finished much later on the day.
On the Escarpment Track
Dad had brought cherries for us so we quickly ate them before he hopped back on the train to Wellington. I resisted the temptation to join him and be home in 45 minutes, and continued my step-by-step process of making my way to Wellington.
Finding accommodation for the night proved difficult on this stretch. There was no official campsite until Porirua, and only expensive B&Bs scattered down the coast. I had scoped out what was described as a ‘camping ground’ in Paremata, so decided to push on to there. When I got there, however, the sign said ‘NO TENTS’. They could have made that a bit clearer online.
It was getting late so I stopped for dinner and then called the campground in Porirua. Luckily they had space for a tent so I prepared mentally for another 8km of walking as I gulfed down my bread roll with hummus. With chocolate in one hand and a peanut butter slug in the other, I trooped onwards to the sixth city along this hīkoi: Porirua.
The walk turned out to be rather pleasant as the sun was setting over the harbour and shadows grew taller. I passed through new neighbourhoods in Aotea, a prime example of the growing gentrification in Porirua. Soon I was over the bridge and walking through the industrial outskirts. Seeing the sign for the camp was a welcome relief. I set up my tent, ate a second dinner (or big snack? I don’t know) and plopped myself down. Being Friday night, many of the guests were enjoying loud music and laughing a lot. I managed to get to sleep eventually.
Eating crumble for breakfast in my tent the next morning - a delightful break from porridge (love you porridge)
DAY 70 - Porirua to Ngaio (25km)
I had an even more leisurely start to the morning as I had planned to meet Sarah at 9am to walk the start of the Rangituhi track. I was stoked that she wanted to walk more of the trail with me and looked forward to her company. We met at the trail head and headed up the collection of staircases leading up to Rangituhi lookout, with the plan of turning around and going back down as I was meeting my sister on the late morning to join me on the track, too. Sarah and I passed many locals zooming up and down the path on their Saturday morning routines (I presume).
Sarah drove me into Porirua city for a drink while we waited for my sister Helen’s train to arrive. I got my ritual rest day coffee, even though it wasn’t a rest day. Soon after, a familiar figure arrived in the cafe and joined us on the trail. It made me so happy to see her after more than two months of only virtual contact. After saying bye to Sarah, we headed off up the *actual* TA trail (unlike the rushed dash through the city I did the previous night). It passed the old psychiatric hospital and a football holiday programme in action. Helen and I had a lot to catch up on which made the time pass quickly as we powered up the stairs to the Rangituhi lookout.
In an uncannily appropriate welcome gesture, as though it was rehearsed, my hat blew off my head the moment I saw Wellington city for the first time from the Rangituhi lookout. There was only a minor gale blowing on the tops of the hills as we traversed along the ridge. Luckily our peanut butter wraps didn’t blow away from our hands at lunch, but it was a relief to enter a shady pine forest which took us down to the start of Ohariu Valley. This was Helen’s introduction to road walking. We ambled along the tar sealed road, stopping to pat a friendly horse who took much more of a liking to Helen than they did to me (not offended). I guess Helen still smelt socially appropriate.
My sister and me., reunited. This one captures the wind on Kaukau nicely
Walking in the valley was pleasant while it lasted, but this is Wellington and hill climbing is forever imminent; one is never enough. The tower near the summit of Kaukau grew closer and closer, giving us a clear indication of how far up we had to go. Up Rifle Range Road we went, preparing mentally for both the no-nonsense gradients and anticipated headwinds. I soon realised that we were walking along a path that I used to walk and run with my friend Maike, who lived just below the track. It felt funny walking above my friend Maike’s old house in Johnsonville, a place where I spent a few formative years and made fun memories.
Pushing against the wind, we powered on up to the summit, each step as familiar as the next. I passed the rock wall I did my Year 11 geology project on and looked on to the spectacular view of Te Raukawakawa / Cook Strait which I too often took for granted growing. Inside I was being filled with gratitude for the hills of this city I call home, and for my sister joining me on this stretch (and walking so strongly). We reached the lookout at 5pm on the dot and stopped for a gaze and a graze on some chocolate. We continued for another 3km in the late evening sun and leant in to the southerly gusts, until we got down to the suburb of Ngaio, our end point for the day.
One at the library, my wonderful friend (and now official trail angel) Shannon picked us up from the library and took me to her place, where her family made me feel so at home. Shannon’s mum Vicki made the most delicious vegetable-loaded curry and chickpea chocolate mousse. Her brother let me sleep in his bed - what legends. Thank you Shannon, Vicki, Steve and Matt! Wellington had certainly out on a show for us with the sun and dramatic gusts. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
Breakfast at Shannon’s with Izzy, her beautiful pup
DAY 71 - Ngaio to the Island Bay southern terminus (25km)
I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for an entire day. Shannon dropped me off at an acceptable time of 8.40am back to the place she picked me up from and I bounced off to Trellisick Park. Within the first 20 minutes I was passed by several clusters of runners and silently cheered them on. From the bush it was straight up the ultra-steep streets of Wadestown. I think the was quite honestly the steepest gradient I’d walked on the whole trail so far, but not surprising being Wellington.
Te Araroa skirted around Te Ahumairangi Hill on a path I’d never been on before, overlooking the glassy harbour. It wound down to Thorndon and through the botanic gardens where I made my own path through them as if to assert my familiarity with them - no map needed.
It felt odd strolling down a sleepy Lambton Quay, a street I’d walked down hundreds of times. I felt at once right at home, yet catching glimpses of my bumbling pack and walking poles in shop windows, I saw myself just as I’d seen myself in all other places I’d passed through - as an outsider looking in. It was a strange dichotomy I’d never experienced before.
It felt so good to eventually see familiar faces in the waterfront - my friends Maggie Rose and whānau, and Madeline. We watched the dragonboat festival, ate ice cream in the sun, caught up on life a bit, and then walked towards the market. With the day being young and Maike in town, I took a small detour off trail for our ritual Wellington activity - a hot chocolate at Wellington chocolate factory over a game of scrabble (despite it being one of the hottest most windless days ever) and Fix and Fogg peanut butter toast. I didn’t pass up the chance to say hi to her parents in Moore Wilson’s before starting Part Two of the walk. It felt good to stop and take my time through the city with people who have defined it for me over the years.
The Scrabble tournament continues… ft. the best hot chocolates in the world
Oriental bay was absolutely positively packed with beachgoers enjoying the sunshine. I soon headed right and up onto the Southern Walkway where I walked by myself up to Matairangi / Mt Victoria, and then onto Mt Albert. From there, Helen joined me to meet mum dad and Nyla down at Houghton Bay to walk the last 1.5km of the North Island with me.
As we walked down to the sea, a red Toyota passed us, then slowed down. It was Mum, Dad and my dog Nyla, who didn’t know what was about to hit her. Seeing Mum first, then Nyla, was a euphoric moment for me as it was the moment that got me through the toughest moments of the trail. Nyla was excited for all of 5 seconds, went straight for licking my nose, and then went back to sniffing grass blades. I love her ability to live in the moment. With the excitement high, we walked towards the southern terminus which lay in Island Bay.
One of the moments I’d been looking forward to most: reunited with my Mum!
I ran to the southern terminus, past the picnickers and kids playing on the grass, to touch the bronze rectangle that marks the end of the North Islam stretch. There, Mum and Dad presented me with a certificate (laminated by Mum, designed by Dad) to certify that I’d completed all 1700km of Te Ika-a-Māui. After our ceremony, we drove home and picked up pizza on the way. I’ll never forget this day and the feeling of accomplishment that, to be honest, is still sinking in.
Nyla!!!
