34km Day : 87km Total
-35.037182, 173.173132
I got a good early start this morning at 7am.  At first I was feeling twinges and aches in various parts of my legs and feet.  But once I got into a walking rhythm my legs must have realized they couldn’t bluff me out of this walk, because the aches and pains quickly disappeared.
Around 8:15 the rain came in but only lasted about 30 minutes. Walking in the rain is not as bad as it sounds as long as you are wearing rain gear.  As I was walking through the rain I asked myself whether I would rather be here now or at my desk doing preliminary engineering reviews.  The choice was clear and made the wet walk downright enjoyable.
At 12:45 I met Rubin on the beach at Huketere.  He is on holiday from the UK and is traveling throughout New Zealand in a camper van.  This is a very popular way of touring New Zealand and there are a large number of campsites throughout the country that cater to them. 
Walking the beach can become monotonous, and different hikers deal with it in different ways.  Some play the driftwood game.  You see something in the distance and start making guesses about it.  Is it living or a piece of driftwood? How big is it?  How is it shaped?  And when you get closer, what does it remind you of?  I saw a log that looked like a Kimono Dragon on Day 2.  Others listen to music or play songs in their heads.  The trick is being able to choose the song your head is playing.  Sometimes I can even turn off a song and turn on one I’d prefer.  But some songs just get stuck on replay.
Staying at the campground in Waipapakauri tonight.