Dreaming of ginger beer and ice cream, Bruce climbs the high hills of the Northland forests to get back to his old home in the Bay of Islands.

Week two and the honeymoon is already over between Bruce Hopkins and New Zealand's trail Te Araroa.

Having suffered the length of 90 Mile Beach, this week his big challenges are the high hills, deep mud and the "bloody gravel roads!" of the forests of Northland.

Bruce cuts inland and heads east, searching for Kerikeri and eventually, his old home town of Russell in the Bay of Islands.

Bruce Hopkins Trail Diary - Week Two, 21-28 October 2017
Puketi - Helena Bay

"Some bloody full on days now done. Cannot express how happy I am to be having a rest day tomorrow with one of the numerous hard sections of Te Araroa now done.

Already these last ten days will stay powerfully in my physical & mental memory forever.

"I am personally pushed to various limits every single day thus far, so looking forward to being blister free!"

"It is already shaping up to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life. To cap today off my iPhone died!"

"Only about 2500 kilometres to go..."

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details