In New Zealand, mid-winter missions can go two different ways, depending on your location. Down South, temperatures will drop below 0 degrees celsius, while up North you can encounter a taste of summer.

We decided to head North to Cape Brett, a 15km-long peninsula in the Bay of Islands, which boasts a picturesque DOC hut. We planned to hike out to the hut for the night and then return to the truck to find a campsite. Easier said than done.

We hit the road early and by sunrise, we arrived in Paihia where we would catch the car ferry over to Okiato - the first capital of New Zealand. 

The Cape Brett track is a 16.3km trail through native bush and is renowned as one of New Zealand’s best overnight hikes. Oke Bay is where the track begins, a beautiful cove with some appetizing blue water for a post-hike swim. We’d been eyeing this one up for a while, so we were keen to get into it.

A short but very sharp climb out of Oke Bay had us both silently questioning our fitness levels, while I reconsidered carrying all the food and cooking equipment. Nevertheless, we got to the top of the ridge and followed our nose onwards.

The Kauri tree is one of the world's longest-living and largest tree species naturally growing in the North Island region. Previously, Kauri forests used to span over a million hectares of Aotearoa but are now threatened by a disease called Phytophthora agathidicida, commonly known as Kauri dieback. This disease reduces the tree's ability to absorb water and nutrients from the soil and distribute them throughout the plant. Human traffic is the primary method of disease transmission, so the Department of Conservation (DOC) has set up cleaning stations to sanitize footwear.

The bush opened up and we were blessed with some views of the Cape, but also aware of the undulating hills that lay ahead. The sun sets early in the middle of winter here, around 5:30 pm, so we trudged forward for what felt like a tedious few kilometers.

We were pretty exhausted and our legs were giving out, so the hut in the distance was a welcome sight.
The Cape Brett hut was constructed in 1910 to accommodate lighthouse keepers and their families. It remained in use until 1955 when the Department of Conservation (DOC) converted the hut into a 23-bunk accommodation. It's a simple yet functional hut with cooking facilities, running water, and toilets. Since it was the off-season, we brought our gas burner and plenty of water, just in case.

After an early start, followed by a 6-hour walk we were pretty gassed. We made the most of the sun, signed the visitor's book, hung our tees up to dry and called it a day.

The next morning we arose nice and early. Fuelled by an espresso, we got back on the trail. We found out about a water taxi option just 1.5 hours back along the trail and thought we’d take that option to give us plenty of time to find a spot to camp for the night down the coast.

The legs were pretty fatigued on the way back, but the sun was out and it was looking like another stellar day.

We made our way back along the trail to Deep Water Cove where the water taxi would pick us up. Turns out we still had an hour to wait for the next water taxi, not the worst place to be stuck. Maya chose to read her book in the sun, while I whipped up another coffee and skipped stones across the calm water for over 45 minutes. Boys will be boys.

The water taxi kindly dropped us off right in front of our truck, legends! We had a quick dip, cleaned up, and headed down the coast to find a spot for the night. 

A friend of a friend recommended a great campsite close to the beach called Elliots Bay. Not often are you the only people camping with a site like this, must be the ‘winter’ weather turning people off. We set up camp and I made the most of the minimal waves that were on offer on the front door. That evening consisted of mulled wine and nachos. Both one-pot wonders that don’t often complement each other. 

The following morning we woke up to the sunrise in the image above. Enough said. Time to head home, delighted about our mid-winter escape!