Day 28: Central Auckland to Ambury Park

I left the Airbnb with Cecile and Caroline and after having some breakfast, eggs Benedict with spinach and mushrooms with a flat white, they went to the train station and I went off to find the post office. They’re going to Mercer, doing a small section of track on the way, while I decided to stick to walking all the way there. After mailing my box on and buying an avocado and banana, it was back to the Airbnb to pick up my bag. It was about 11 am when I finally set off and the trail took me first to Mount Eden for some nice views over the city.

There are about 50 volcanoes in and around Auckland, explaining why it’s so hilly. Mount Eden is one of them and the old caldera quite evident. The latest to erupt formed Rangitoto island, about 600 years ago. After descending from Mount Eden, the trail heads to one of the University of Auckland campuses and then on to Cornwall park and past One Tree hill, another volcano that used to have a single totara tree at the summit but now there’s a monument. In Cornwall park, there was a sign to be alert for cows, but I only saw some sheep.

I had lunch in Cornwall park at the cafe there, a falafel sandwich. The trail then passes through the Onehunga neighborhood, where I stopped at a Bin Inn to get some cereal and a grain for dinner to go with the dehydrated chili that I’m still working through. I chose bulgur since I think it just soaks in hot water. It was then over the highway and onto the bridge and over to Mangere. There’s a new pedestrian bridge that was opened a few months ago but it’s currently closed for some surfacing work.

Once in Mangere, the trail meanders around the coast and winds up in Ambury park, where I’m camping tonight. The last few kms along the coast were very windy and none too warm so I was glad to get into camp. It was nice to find some TA walkers here; Erik, Lynne, Nick, Lisa, Marcus and Laura. They’re planning a 40 km day into Drury tomorrow, while I’m planning about 30 km to a Trail angel’s place in Manurewa.

Day 29: Ambury park to Botanical Gardens

I didn’t sleep well for some unknown reason and the birds in the bush next to my tent were particularly chirpy at dawn. There were also some early morning rain showers, but it was sunnyish when I got up. The first part of the day was along the coast to the sewage treatment facility, which sounds terrible, but it was actually a nice coastal path with lots of birds, you just had to look out to the water and not inland.

After going too far, I ended up walking through some farm fields to get back to the trail. I noticed a sign that said ‘private property, trespassers will be prosecuted’, but thankfully no one seemed to notice me. After regaining the trail, it was a road walk past the airport, where I stopped at a café to have a date and orange scone. Erik was at the cafe and we continued on together. There was a lookout point shortly after the airport that was surprisingly popular. I’m not sure if people were just generally plane watching, go there to see their loved one’s plane takeoff/land or if there was a special plane at the airport that day? After a while there was a short bit of track and then it was back onto road through an industrial area and then a bit of paved path by a stream (that was being searched by police) before arriving at the botanical gardens. Since I had arranged to stay with a trail angel, Jeremy, nearby and it was still earlyish, I had a wander through the gardens, there were a lot of rose gardens in particular.

I then hopped on a bus to get to Jeremy’s place in Manurewa. I’m staying in my tent in the garden. But we chatted about the trail since he’s gone from Cape Reinga to Palmerston North in sections before. His wife, Rona, works in a restaurant and she gave me a leftover spicy chicken bowl for dinner, which had a lot of veggies and was a nice surprise. Their neighbors are currently doing some karaoke so not sure how I’ll sleep tonight either.