28km Day : 425km Total

This morning I wasn’t sure how early to expect the refinery workers at the boat ramp.  So I was ready and waiting before dawn (~5:30).  At 6:15 a man (Tony) driving a small tractor, pulling a boat arrived.  I asked if I could catch a lift with him and the first thing he said was, “One Hundred Dollars”.  I was speechless for a few seconds and then he smiled and said he’d be happy to give me a ride, no charge.  He wouldn’t even accept money for fuel when I offered it.  Note for other walkers:  you will get wet feet when getting in the boat, so be prepared wearing sandals or similar if you don’t want to get your hiking shoes soaked.  (Bare feet would be painful because it is very rocky.)  As we were pulling away from the ramp another tractor/boat combo was arriving.  Tony said that that boater would also have given me a ride.  The harbour was dead calm and it only took a few minutes to cross.

From the dock where I was let off there was a short walk up the pier and around to the beach.  Just up the beach there was a large dock that extended out to an oil tanker.  As I approached I could see a large warning sign, but it was mainly prohibiting vehicles from driving under.  I walked under it without setting off any alarms or being arrested.

I walked the beach near high tide so I was walking in soft sand most of the way.

Before reaching the Ruakaka estuary I took the road walk option around it because of the high tide making wading a poor option.  It turned into a good choice because there was a small cafe across from Bream Bay College where I stopped for a good flat-white and a sweet roll.  Much better than my original breakfast of a granola bar and a drink of water.

For the rest of the morning I had my mind set on the village of Waipu because two independent sources recommended the Waipu Pizza Barn for excellent pizza.

I arrived at Waipu at 1:30pm and found the Pizza Barn closed!  (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays prior to mid-December) A huge disappointment as I had spent a considerable part of the morning trying to decide on pizza toppings.  I ended up going up the street to an Indian restaurant for a Kebab.

It was another 90 minute walk down the road to Waipu Cove where I’m spending the night at the Holiday Park.