Te Oneroa a Tohe continued
So where was I? Feeling smug, admiring those feet. My fallback was going to be a sneaky campout in Aupouri forest if the daily distances were too much, but I got plenty of sleep and the weather was kind. About 13 degrees, onshore or tail winds, and one becomes a connoiseur of sand... the poles helped to find perfect hardness for fast walking. Squally rain blew in but never a problem.
On the fourth night I reached Waipapakauri where there is a proper holiday campground. Priority 1 hot shower. Check. Priority 2. Tuatua hunt. I have never seen tuatua before so I borrowed a bucket and waded out knee-deep to scutch around. Felt nothing and suddenly realised I could cut my foot on a sharp shell. Wandered back to some holes I'd noticed and voila... too many tuatua to count. Superb with garlic and seaweed...
I demolished three batches, then added my noodles and peas to the broth and it was spaghetti con vongole!
Today's 16km to Ahipara ended with a sort of side exit via a golf course to avoid being caught between high tide waves and sand cliffs.
Make sure to see this beach for yourself, it is a roaring beauty.
Like Kaitaia, Ahipara hasn't been gentrified. But it has a wonderful cafe so once I had my fill of eggs and coffee, I walked to Kaitaia.
On the way a church at Te Rarawa reminded me to tell you what the as yet unnamed narrator in Marcel's story did to me last night.
Our as-yet unnamed narrator takes four pages to minutely describe the church at Combray. His grandmother simply says, "l know it's not a classical beauty but if that church could play the piano it wouldn't play drily".
