Mangawhai - Hamilton
Walking through the suburbs of Auckland you could almost get away without a single resupply. But for sticking to a budget, and planning your days, this is how I got through to the Waikato:
Resupply in Mangawhai for 4 Days
This section could take an extra day depending on your tide times into Wenderholm, and there are plenty of other options for camping to split the kilometres differently too. Places that other hikers chose to stay include the Dome Cafe and Puhoi village.
Mangawhai - Te Ari 10km
Te Ari - Freedom Camp 20km
Freedom Camp - Matthew Rd 29km* The Dome Cafe wasn't open when we passed through, but does offer coffee and a selection of food. Worth checking opening times to see if you can grab a snack or even consider camping here.
Matthew Rd - Red Beach 36km Puhoi has a few places to grab food, consider stopping in at the pub, the bakery or cheese factory to grab dinner, lunch or snacks as your tide schedule allows.
*we had friends that lived nearby and were able to collect us and drop us back to trail here, there is no camping at this point.
Resupply in Orewa for 2-3 Days
We decided to resupply in Orewa on our way to Trail Angels in Red Beach. Orewa has a large countdown close to trail that worked perfectly for us, alternatively you could resupply at Pack'n'Save on your way out to Stillwater. Once you cross the Stillwater Estuary there will be no need to carry food unless you want to, as the North Shore Walkway and CBD sections will take you past cafes and dairies and restaurants.
Red Beach - Stillwater 13km We stopped in to a wonderful German bakery in Silverdale to get a few delicious treats for lunch.
Stillwater - CBD 34km
CBD - Cornwall Park 17km
Resupply in Auckland for 7 Days
We didn't carry food until we headed from One Tree Hill out to Ambury Regional Park. Wherever you decide to stay while you work your way through the CBD you'll be able to find a decent sized supermarket not too far away.
Cornwall Park - Ambury Park 23km
Ambury Park - Botanic Gardens 30km We stayed with wonderful trail angels in Takanini who kindly provided dinner for us. In this section there is also the option to take a slightly deviated route from trail and grab supplies from the Countdown at Westfield Mall Manukau.
Botanic Gardens - Bombay 25km
Bombay - Mercer 23km
Mercer - Rangiriri* 25km Call ahead to Rangiriri for the best pies of your life! Sweet, savoury, veggie and vegan options available with enough notice.
Rangiriri - Hakarimata Forest Camp
Hakarimata - Hamilton
*at this point I hitch hiked to Hamilton due to an injury, but fellow hikers did the walking days as listed.
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