Live from Ngunguru

Hello all,
Apologies for the lack of pictures, but hopefully I'll soon be able to get my iPhone sorted out so that I can update straight from that to the blog. 

Updates:
- Did a five night trip after Ahipara through Herekino, Raetea, Omahuta, Puketi and Waitangi forests.  The first couple forests were the densest jungle walking I've ever been a part of and Alex and I didn't see anyone else on the trail until we reached Kerikeri, a town where there is a pleasant river walk with a waterfall and powerplant on which there were quite a few people.  Raetea forest is probably the most 'feared' forest in the North Island on the Te Araroa track, but it was marked well enough I'd say.  I fell five times in that forest because of crazy steep mud tracks, which I guess NZ is famous for.
- A notable night during the forest stretches was in front of Jon and Erin Collins' house on the outskirts of Takahue township, and we had breakfast with them - fresh snapper fillets and toast!
- Between the Omahuta and Puketi forests, there were 5km of upstream river walking on the Mangamukahukahe Stream and Waipapa River.  We chose to walk on the 'wet weather' trail of the Waipapa in lieu of the river walk, which was a bad idea because it was 2.5km of walking on a vertical slope, but sideways. 
- Did a pretty monster day to try to reach Mangamuka township where there was allegedly a pub, and thus beer, but we got there and the pub was closed and for sale and it was raining and we were on a road and there was a fat Maori guy with a fish branded into his left temple/forehead who was washing his clothes on the ball-hitch of his sedan and smoking a cigarette. 
- Upon arrival in Kerikeri we bee-lined for a cafe/eatery called the "Bake House" which was recommended by a guy we met on the Kerikeri river trail.  I ate 6/8 of a large $13 bacon and mushroom quiche and a selection of Alex's food.  We then began walking to Paihia, where a rest day was planned, but stopped 5km short of town and camped out on Bledisloe mountain which overlooks the Bay of Islands, a 'majestic' area of Northland's east coast. 

-  Took a rest day the following day in Paihia at a cool hostel called the Mousetrap and cooked up some delicious dinner + good cheap wine.  *Note- cheap in NZ is different than cheap in Spain and the best bang for your buck booze is definitely wine as a 12 pack of not good beer is $20 and this is wine country!

- A few more days of walking south has brought us to Ngunguru where last night on the way into town I called up a lady, Linda, who'd left her number and the offer of a free stay on a facebook post I'd made to the Te Araroa group.  So Alex and I spent the night here last night and had cheese + crackers + wine + homemade nachos + salad + fresh fruit and Jim, the husband, has even offered to let us use his kayak today, which we probably are going to do before getting going again on the road. 

Practical Stuff:
-Ngunguru is 315km or so into the Te Araroa track, which is 1700km for the North Island and 1300km for the South Island, and is on the east coast, to which we have traversed from the west coast, where I made my last post from Ahipara.
-My feet are doing pretty well!  A couple of blisters on the balls of my feet mostly due to walking on road after walking up a river a few days ago.  I'm wearing a pair of sneakers, Asics.
-I might have seen a kiwi the other day in a forest, they're the pride of NZ and can't fly and are kind of fat. 
- I'm already ravenous compared to my appetite prior to the non-stop hiking and I've dropped a couple pounds already I'm sure.  That's likely partly to do with only having drank one beer since getting to NZ, ha! 
- Possums are a major nuisance here and the Department of Conservation (DOC) works hard to poison/trap as many possums, ferrets, and rats as possible because they are introduced species which are killing off the native flora and fauna.

Ok, until next time,
Nick