Ngunguru to Ocean Beach

Seven other hikers were at James camp so he decided to inaugurate his suggested Te Araroa route change. As he explained it, if we got tides right we could ford the Horahora River and also the Taiharuru River. It meant leaving at 0600hrs and walking 6km, then crossing a Maori land block by koha. We did all that on a lovely calm dawn and here are hikers behind me, getting wet bottoms.

For James' plan to work, we then needed to walk as fast as we could to catch similar favourable conditions on the Taiharuru. Which we did, barely taking in a charming-looking place called Pataua which also has a footbridge.

We yomped maybe 1km of muddy mangroves to reach the crossing point and it was a relief to get cleanly wet again. As I moved into the water I thought, "when I get to the main channel I will assess things". Except, that was the main channel! Up to a bull paddock...

... to watch the others not drowning either. 

I haven't seen the others since. There was a very steep road section and a bit of Bush and then the pure hell of Ocean Beach. 

Don't be fooled. That mother is nearly 8km of soft deep progress-impeding sand. If it wasn't for the 20 New Zealand Dotterel I saw (uncommon to rare), it would've been the place I hate the most. 

However, 9 hours after setting off, I'd found a $10 camp on a lawn and was drying out from that rain. My landlady gave me a perfect avocado too. People are wonderful.