Thru-hiking Te Araroa 2025/26 – Day 25

We got up early on day 25 to get a headstart on Te Whara track before the sun came up. The beginning of the hike was brutal – just straight uphill. The sun was luckily hiding behind some clouds as we ascended on the side of the hill up to the ridge. After the halfway point the stairs begun, which for us, is way harder than no stairs. Our quads were burning by the time we reached the highest point of the day but we still climbed up the rock to get a view. It was spectacular. Even though, "being at the highest point" sounds like it's all downhill from there, that was far from true today, there was still plenty of up and down before the big descent began after about 6.5 km. Downhill was only stairs after stairs and our knees felt it. But after only 4 hrs 45 min we completed Te Whara track and had now a cruisy 6 km to the point where Blair would pick us up to bring us over to Marsden Point by boat. After that we headed to the shops in Ruakaka, did our resupply and got to our accommodation in town for a relaxed evening in the motel.

We are Marcus and Sabrina, a couple from Switzerland and this year we are hiking the 3000 km long Te Araroa (the long pathway) in New Zealand.

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