• Te Araroa Day 5
• Waipapakauri to Ahipara – 15.3km in 6 hours
• Time spent sitting in sand dunes: 2 hours

After a big sleep I felt so much better this morning, and could even put weight on both feet without wincing! A definite improvement on the previous two days.. However I think my lips are quite sunburnt – they look more like Angelina Jolie’s than mine 😂

Although I wanted to get an early start, sleep seemed more important, so I ended up setting off at 10 am. High tide was 11:56 so I’d hoped to get a bit in before having to wait it out, but after half an hour there wasn’t a lot of beach to walk on and the soft sand was slow going. So, I found a comfy spot in a little bit of shade in the dunes and had a nice time reading and snacking.

Also from the dunes I ordered a couple more Engo blister patches for my shoes as it seems best to try everything possible to fix up my feet. The patches are made from teflon and help reduce friction, and the ones I put in the back of my heels a few months ago have been great.

After the tide eventually turned and receded a bit, I set off again. At times I felt like I was speeding along with my lighter pack, but my legs and feet were quick to give me a reality check! There were hardly any cars or other people today, and I spent quite a lot of time admiring the patterns in the sand as well as looking for blue shells.

Just as I turned off the beach it started to rain. What with that and making sure I was going the right way, I forgot to say goodbye to the beach! Te Oneroa a Tohe / 90 Mile Beach really was beautiful, and I can’t quite believe I’ve walked the whole way down it. The relief of making it this far is mixed with sadness that part of the journey is over already. Today I missed the company of Ian and Andrew a bit, but also enjoyed the freedom to do things at completely my own pace.