Te Araroa Day 13, Ocean Beach to Waipu

Starting km: 381
Finishing km: 420
km covered today: 39

I'd planned to have a nice easy couple of days walking between Ocean Beach and Waipu, and to meet my friend Jason at his brewery in Waipu on Monday.  However partway through the day I realized that the attached pizza restaurant wouldn't be open on Monday.  And I wasn't going to let a few extra km stand between me and pizza!

Though the rain had stopped by morning, though the big volcanic ridge and peaks of Bream Head at the end of the beach were still covered in cloud.  Bream Head was a fine illustration of the point that although the Northland forests may have been the hardest part of the North Island, that didn't mean that there was no hard work left to come.  Bream Head was somewhat muddy and slippery, and although it's high point was only 450m ASL, the ups and downs one followed on the ridge top probably made the total vertical on the walk at least twice that.

Back on level ground Bream Head and it's volcanic-spired cousin, Mount Manaia started to emerge from the clouds

This day involved yet another water-crossing.  Peter had been ferrying walkers across the mouth of Whangarei Harbour to Marsden Point since the TA started in 2013.  He'd originally done so for free, but the increasing numbers of walkers had finally compelled him to charge a (very reasonable) $15 for the trip.  Once on the other side, it was a stroll down the beach past NZs only oil refinery, across the Ruakaka River mouth and then finishing off with a road walk into Waipu.

I arrived with plenty of time to enjoy the Pizza Barn.

Mmm... Pizza.  Mmm... Beer.  While Jason wasn't around, several of his colleagues from McLeod's Brewery were.  After scarfing down this HUGE pizza, two Goses and two IPAs I was ready for bed.  But one beer after another was pressed into my hand and I ended up having a great time sitting and chatting with the staff after closing.  One of them even took me home and gave me a place on his couch after I discovered that my camping spot for the night had been closed up and gated while we were beering.  Thanks Steve!

I was really intrigued to learn that Waipu was originally settled by Scots from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia (thus the name McLeod's Brewery!)