18th November – Muriwai Beach to Uretiti Beach (with lots of beaches in between)

We got up at 6am so we could clear off before people started setting off to work and sat overlooking Murawai Beach as we ate our muesli.

We headed to Goat Island Marine Reserve with the hope of maybe doing some diving since it’s meant to be incredible and perfectly preserved there. It was far too pricey and we were concerned about the visibility after all the rain recently, so we made up for yesterday’s lack of food by munching on bacon and egg sandwiches and enjoying the view instead.

Matt needed to do some diddling with car while the weather was holding so I went for a wander around the reserve, where I met and a German guy called Simon, who made me feel envious by talking about his experiences while WOOFING (Working On Organic Farms). We took a wander to the viewpoint and he turned the talk seamlessly from Degrees in Mechanical Engineering to breasts, in the way that only men in their early 20s can. I was about running out of things to say about breasts when we bumped into Matt. Simon went off to go on the glass-bottomed boat and Matt and I drove to Pakiri beach.

Pakiri beach was lovely. We passed pretty little mini-inlets of sand and sea and watched seagulls fighting over fish before turning the corner and being struck by an expanse of shimmering blue sea and dazzling white sand. We watched a group of guys apparently fishing using an elaborate system of a kite, a weight with a flag on it, a huge reel and about 5 miles of line with hooks and bait tied at regular intervals.

We kept an eye on the kite while we wandered right down the beach in the hope of seeing what they reeled in but it was still flying incredibly high and far away as we made our way back.

Next stop on our unintentional whistle-stop tour of beaches was Mangawhai Head. It had been ages since I’d been for a run because of my knees but the long, flat beach and cooling wind made it irresistible. It was wonderful. I had forgotten just how much I loved it and I felt like myself for the first time in days. I had just got back to the car when the outer-sole fell clean off one of my trainers.

We were on our way to Uretiti campsite to stay for the night when we passed Lang’s beach, one of the beaches where it’s possible to drive your car. Matt was totally undeterred by the two guys trying to fix pieces back onto their car. In fact, he was so eager to get on to the beach that he nearly mowed one of them over.

We had to follow the tracks of other cars because the sand was so soft and tyres dug deep. We got to a section with wet, compacted sand and I suggested that it might be the best area to stay in. In less than a minute Matt was not only back on the dry bit, but trying to climb a slope. We got about 2 metres and were stuck fast. Matt got out and pushed and we still didn't go anywhere other than deeper. Thankfully, I’m harder and stronger than he is but I nearly gave myself a hernia heaving at the front bumper.  As we drove away he said to me, “Now I see why the sign said ‘Tractors Only’”. Yeah, thanks love.

We arrived at Uretiti, which just happened to be right beside another pristine beach. Matt made a cracking chilli and we took a long sunset walk down the beach, reminiscing about TV programs we used to watch with our families. I've been feeling a sad longing for The Generation Game ever since.

We got into a conversation with a nice Kiwi guy over a hedgehog and ended up talking about how he lost his son in Kenya because he was a photo-journalist and knew too much. I've met so many people with a sad tale to tell and the strength of some individuals just amazes me. I wish I had just a fraction of their resilience.