Excited to be done with the forests and anxious for a night inside in Kerikeri we got an early start hoping to arrive with some time to knock out a few house keeping items later in the day.

We descended out of the Puketi and entered rolling farm land, where we would spend most of our day. The farmland was tougher than we expected and it was surprisingly easy to get lost. The signs weren’t exactly at each turn, often just over a hill. It was super easy to just find yourself running into the sheep as they scattered around as well. We were pretty consistently in and out of rain but still has some great views across the rolling farm land.

After leaving the farm we followed a stream along the side of several fields that led back to motorway 10 outside Kerikeri where we hitched up to the Cape so long ago. From there we linked up with the Kerikeri River and followed it all the way around to Rainbow Falls, a towering waterfall right outside Kerikeri. The track was pleasant and very well maintained, we were really booking it down this part to maximize time in the town later. The track ended right at the Stone Store and from there we hitched into Kerikeri.

It felt great to be back in Kerikeri and to reorganize and repack our stuff. We shipped some things onwards or home, caught up with family, and ultimately ate a lot (including at Cafe Jerusalem which was great food).