I hopped on a bus from Paihia to Kaitia in the morning on the 8th. Two hours later I was hitching up to Cape Reigna. My first hitch came from a large Maori woman who talked non-stop from the moment I got into the car till she let me out 30 minutes later. She had 10 children, 24 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren and had lived in New Zealand most of her life except a brief time in the 60s when she went to Australia. In those 30 minutes I got most of her life story. My next hitch was from a couple visiting from Switzerland who were traveling by motor home around the country for two months. My last hitch to the end, came from an American who hailed from Hawaii and ended up walking the first few kilometers with me once we got to the trailhead. I got there around 6pm and knew I wouldn't make it as far as I wanted to before dark. After a three mile beach walk I saw my first trail marker and screamed at the top of my lungs with joy. Little did I know, there was another hiker camped on the hill, who I startled pretty badly. I made it 12km before giving up and watching the sunset while cooking my dinner. I fell asleep fast and was in a deep sleep until I awoke to some rustling. It had clearly been going on for a while and as I grabbed my headlamp and turned it towards the noise, I saw the end of my food bag being dragged out of the vestibule. Knowing there are no harmful animals in New Zealand, I flew out of my tent running for my food bag. What I found were three, very frightened, little possums. These weren't possums from the US with their rat tail, beaty red eyes, and sawtooth teeth. These ones were fluffy and sweet. I resisted the urge to grab one to snuggle with before grabbing my scattered food and climbing back in my tent. Right away it began to rain and the wind picked up but I fell nicely back to sleep, with my food as a pillow. I woke up a few more times to panic and make noise but the possums stayed away. The next morning, I woke up and got hiking early. After some rolling hills, I decended down to the beginning of the 90 mile beach where I would be for what seemed like forever. The first 20km were wonderful, I took my shoes off, danced to my music, and splashed in the water. I was completely alone with no humans in sight. It felt incredible, like I could do anything I wanted. I danced on down the beach another 20km before calling it a night and setting up camp. While getting out my dinner, I realized the possums had gotten into more than just my chocolate covered raises while I was sleeping. With only about half my food being edible, I rationed out for the next day and knew I'd have to make it into town. I got up the next morning with ambition but began getting discouraged with the never-ending beach. I had already passed by the hundreds of dead puffer fish and birds that scattered the sand and the scenery never changed. Halfway through my day, I came upon a car stuck in the sand. I immediately took my pack off and went to help. A local couple had gotten stuck and another pair of French men were also trying to help. The five of us got the car out after a bunch of digging and the couple were on their way. Unfortunately, not a few minutes later the two guys from France had gotten stuck in the same spot. The three of us now went to work to get the second car out but it was much more difficult with less people. We eventually got it out and as a 'thank you' they offered me a ride to the end of the beach, just a few more miles down. I didn't want to at first but then I remembered my dwindling food and I was out of water. I graciously accepted and they took me to the end where we sat and had a picnic lunch and I helped them with their english a bit. In town, I got to a hostel and met another hiker from Sweden. What had taken me two days, had taken him four and his feet were covered in blisters. I went out and bought us a 6 pack to heal the aching muscles. Tomorrow, I head into the forest where the mud is legendary and the slopes are steep. Should be a fun couple of days!