Day 3 | km 78-116 | 90 Mile Beach - Ahipara - Kaitaia

Packed up early leaving no trace of my secret spot and hiked back up the dunes just after sunrise. I couldn’t see anyone for miles and such a stunning sight of perfect peeling waves, a surfers dream.

A ran into Ahipara with rain and a cyclist from Queenstown who had kept me company for a while the day prior - he’s cycling his way to Bluff- caught up with me again and cycled alongside me, this kept a pep in my step, and a rumble in my belly from his talk of fish & chips! I let him find the chip shop he’d been dreaming of and took the opportunity to have a dip in the ocean. I would be staying with my friends sister, Rhonda in Awanui, just north of Kaitaia for the night and even though I still had 18Km to run I felt a salty bath wouldn’t go amiss! The last time I was in Ahipara was a few years ago with hubby, his work partner Vern and our cooler than cool friend Keir Toto. Jamie and Vern of the Bureau of Explorers were filming Keir in the making of ‘The World’s Fastest Maori’. Take a look at this 8 minute mini doco, I can’t help myself in plugging it as it’s such a cool, heart warming, funny doco set in beautiful Northland and right where I’m sat! My heart is filled with love for Keir, Francie and their even cooler, kids! xx

How to walk a dog Kiwi style…. Step 1: take one 4x4, Step 2: throw dog out door, Step 3: drive really fast!