Day 14: Waikahoa Bay Campsite to Whananaki Holiday Park (296-312, plus 5 km)

Today was a great day. I walked the 5 kilometers uphill from the campsite at the beach and walked the last few road kilometers of the trail before the Morepork Track. The Morepork Track was perfect. A few steep parts, but other than that is was an easy and typical hiking path.

About an hour in I heard someone laugh, but didn't think I was that close to someone's property. I heard it again and realized it was Marjolein and Curly!

The had stayed with a really nice guy around Helena Bay.

We tramped the rest of the way through the track. We all fell for the same wrong turn, and had a steep 200-meter climb to get back on trail, but soon we were out of the forest. There were two nice DOC workers making a cleaning station by the trailhead. We talked to them for a bit and found out that they had just opened a section of trail to cut down some of the walk along Russell Road. If we knew we could have been some of the first TA-ers to hike it. We made it to Whananaki. It was early afternoon, but I was pretty tired so I stopped and stayed at the Whananaki Holiday Park and we'll all meet on the trail or in Ngunguru tomorrow to get a ride over to Nikau Bay.

The lady at the holiday park has been so sweet. After checking in I started putting up my tent and she told me I could stay in this little bunk house. I love it! And I got to dry out my tent and don't need to pack it in the morning.

The bunk house is the exact length of a single mattress and the width of a mattress plus the door. There are windows on two sides, a shelf for each bunk and a light. The walls are covered in quotes and notes from TA trampers. I really enjoy reading them!

These cows were moo-ing at me like crazy.

This is my "I've officially gone 300km and am 1/10th of the way done" happy jump