You’ll never know if it’s worth it without walking it yourself.
After setting out for a month of hiking at the end of November, I finally approached Auckland. The route north of Auckland seemed to have lots of highways and coastline, and being near a major city, it didn’t sound particularly appealing—in fact, some TA hikers chose to skip it entirely. I wasn’t holding out much hope either, but this day turned out to be one of the highlights of my North Island!
The route wove through narrow lanes, following a beautiful coastline with rocky sections, sandy beaches, and small wharves, all gleaming beautifully under the sun. It unexpectedly brought back memories of a Greek island.
Walking near the city with my full pack made me particularly conspicuous, which drew many locals to chat enthusiastically with me. Some had seen plenty of TA hikers before and offered encouragement or photos, while others were surprised by our conversations and started thinking about attempting sections of the trail themselves. Their positive interactions encouraged me, and I hadn’t expected my endeavor to inspire them in turn.
Constantly stopping to take photos, I took far longer than expected to reach the wharf for the ferry to Auckland, but Auckland in the sunset was utterly captivating.
This beautiful North Auckland coast, these beautiful Aucklanders—it swept away my original bias against the big city, showing me Auckland’s beautiful side!
(Reflections from journal entry 2016/12/26)
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