🗓️ October 30, 2025

🏁 Kilometers : 217

I'm the last one out of my tent this morning. I obviously slept very well, still a little sore from yesterday. The camp where we spent the night is charming, a sort of large, improved chalet surrounded by mown grass where our tents are pitched, with a composting toilet and an icy shower.I start walking alone but quickly catch up with a group of four I had walked with the day before. My original group is starting to break up, which we knew would inevitably happen sooner or later. I was planning to do these 3,000 kilometers alone anyway, so I'm trying not to dwell on it too much. My priority is to follow my own pace, even though it's natural to want to keep it up with a group.

The trail begins on a gravel road for a few kilometers, then we turn off onto a path that winds through cattle enclosures for 5 kilometers. The land is private, but the owners allow hikers to walk on it. Stiles provide access from one enclosure to another, small wooden walkways make it easier to cross muddy areas, and steps are provided at each change of elevation; this trail is a breeze, it's so well maintained! After these 5 kilometers, we reach another gravel path for another 5 kilometers. Half the group walks, the other half... hitchhikes! Today's hike will end with another 7-kilometer section through cattle enclosures. This area offers magnificent views of tree fern forests, and in the distance, the small town of Kerikeri comes into view. The path then follows a small river with grassy banks until it reaches a busy road.

This is where the route ends; I'll return to the same spot to continue my hike the day after tomorrow. A small supermarket is a short distance away, and this is where Juliana, Candace's mother, picks me up (Candace is the wife of my friend Christelle, whom I met on a flight). We get to know each other briefly in the car; the drive isn't very long. She takes a small gravel road, and we arrive at a charming house. Clad in white, the house has two levels. The south-facing terrace overlooks a beautiful pond shared by the surrounding properties. I, who wanted to relax, couldn't have asked for anything better. Juliana goes out of her way to make me feel comfortable.I'm given a guided tour of the large garden where she has planted many fruit trees. Lemon trees, plum trees, Brazilian guava trees, pistachio trees, banana trees, kiwi trees, and many more.

Pauline, her 94-year-old mother, is here this week, and the three of us enjoy a little aperitif. We get to know each other and discover, among other things, that we've both been to Madagascar. Juliana spent two months there last year on a humanitarian mission. As a nurse, her skills were certainly very useful.The evening doesn't last very long; I feel tired, thank my host, and go to bed.

🗓️ October 31, 2025 (day off trail)

The next day, Juliana insists on showing me the coastline, the famous Bay of Islands. About fifteen kilometers wide, it's bordered by a rugged coastline and has 144 islands and islets. Juliana had planned to take me for a spin on her small sailboat, but the weather didn't cooperate, so we took a short walk up into the hills to enjoy a lovely view of the bay. We watched the oyster barges, laden with crates of oysters, returning to the small bay of Opito. On the way back down, she asked the fishermen if it would be possible to take a dozen oysters straight from their cargo. The request was granted; for €5, we'd have enough for an aperitif that evening. Perfect timing, as I'd never tasted oysters before (true story!). Back at the house, I went about my business in the afternoon. We ended the day with her friends who had invited us for dinner.

🗓️ November 01st, 2025

🏁 Kilometers : 225

Juliana dropped me off this morning at the spot where I'd finished my hike. I started from the exact same spot where I'd stopped two days ago; I am determined to complete this entire trek without interruption.The weather is beautiful this morning. It’s Saturday, and many people are taking advantage of the weekend to go for walks. Today's hike looks like it is gonna be easy, only 7 kilometers. I could have done 27 in one go, but I would have had to take another rest day. I can't pick up my new tent until Monday, as the post office is, logically, closed on Sundays. So, I decide to take my time for this leg of the journey in Kerikeri.

The town of 8,000 inhabitants is located on the northeast coast of the country and enjoys a subtropical microclimate characterized by mild winters and hot, humid summers. This explains the possibility of growing so many species of fruit trees, flowers, and exotic plants. It is renowned for its production of lemons, kiwis, avocados, and blueberries.A stream runs right through the town, and a few kilometers upstream, it briefly transforms into a 27-meter waterfall. Several times during the morning, locals are approaching me, seeing my large backpack, to ask if I am hiking Te Araroa and to ask many questions about it. The vast majority of Kiwis (the nickname for New Zealanders) are super cool, striking up conversations with strangers without any hesitation and very often offering their help. You can feel the genuine support of the locals for hikers on Te Araroa.

The day's 7 kilometers is quickly completed. I settle down at a café next to the oldest house in the country (dating from 1822, built by missionaries) and treat myself to lunch with several desserts! A little later, I arrive at my Airbnb and spend the evening writing about my adventures and relaxing.

🗓️ November 02nd, 2025

🏁 Kilometers : 245

Today I am hiking from Kerikeri to Paihia, passing through a place called Waitangi (I'm including the names for those who want to follow along on a map). Let's take a bit of a history lesson; although New Zealand was discovered in 1642, the first English ambitions for colonization didn't appear until 200 years later, in 1840. To thwart the French, who also coveted New Zealand, the English signed a bilateral treaty with the Māori at Waitangi. The text stipulated that only the English had the right to purchase New Zealand land, that they offered the Māori their royal protection, and granted them the same rights as British citizens. The Māori had to recognize the sovereignty of the English Crown but could continue to practice their local laws and traditions. Slavery was never established in New Zealand, and in any case, it was abolished in the British Empire as early as 1833.Even today, respect for and integration of Māori culture is evident within modern New Zealand society.