Nov 17, 20193 min read

Day 11 Puketi to Kerikeri, 25km TA 222

I had a really interesting experience this morning. I know what I saw, but I will leave it to you to decide for yourself what happened.

I had a great night’s sleep and woke early. It rained through the night and while I was dry inside my tent, the tent itself was really wet. This isn’t really a big deal, it just means that I have weight added to my pack when I hike with a wet tent.

Anyway, I was still a bit tired after such a big day yesterday and I was taking my time to get moving.

I was sitting just outside my tent and suddenly a dog appeared, bounding up the small incline about three meters away from me. It had its nose down and was tracking intently, very focused. It didn’t look at me once, it didn’t seem to notice I was there at all. And then, a horse with a rider bounced over the top of the bank.

And this is where it got a bit trippy.

The fella on the horse was Maori, and he was dressed in older style clothes. He had on what looked like leather pants, very functional leather boots (no buckles or heels) a plain, no button shirt and he was wearing a hat/cap that was shaped like a bandanna, made out of leather. And he had his fierce face on.

The harness and saddle on the horse was old school, very functional, no fancy bits at all.

The rider looked around but didn’t acknowledge me at all and the horse didn’t seem to see me either.

They stopped right in front of me for about 30 seconds, dog, horse and rider. The dog was still hunting.

And they made not one sound. Not one.

It was all silent. Even the birds had stopped their morning song.

The man, his horse and his dog didn’t notice I was sitting there just meters from them.

And then, they were gone. Back down the bank. Just like that, quick as a flash.

And then the birds were singing again.

It was a very strange encounter. What just happened? What did I just see? Maybe the question I should ask is, when did it happen?

The rider looked like he had popped right out of a history book. So did the tack on the horse. And the dog? Either he was very focused on what he was doing or... I wasn’t sitting there when he came over the bank.

It was a surreal experience that’s for sure. Did I just see an... echo... for want of a better word, of something that happened many years ago?

Or did it happen just now and I need more sleep.

I felt unsettled but still ok. I trust in the promise of Ancestors for safe passage across Aotearoa.

Still, an interesting start to my day.

Back to the hike.

I walked the road out of Puketi and into farms and paddocks. Somewhere near here I passed the 200km mark. Yay!

This is beautiful country. Very green, hilly and dotted with sheep and cows.

The clouds were getting darker though and I knew at some stage today it was going to bucket down.

I crossed a swing bridge today, the first of many I think and I was glad to get it done. Swaying planks and wires and heights aren’t really my thing!

The trail then joins the Kerikeri River Walk. I passed a group of, I think, local people, out for a day walk on this section. Either that or they were TA hikers with very, very small backpacks.

I stopped to admire Rainbow Falls. It is very pretty but I was really conscious of the weather setting in and I pushed on.

I stoped briefly at the Stone Store and Kemp House at Kerikeri. I had mixed feelings about this place. It was the site of one of the earliest Christian missions. I decided I needed to research this and see if these early experiences of Maori people matched those of Aboriginal people.

The land these old buildings are sitting on is very pretty.

I hiked into Kerikeri, which is a lot bigger than I had anticipated and stopped for the night at a backpackers.

A hot shower and a pizza.

Great end to the day just as the sky let rip. Thunder, lightning and hail. I’m glad I’m not in my tent right now!