Ultrarunner attacked by dogs on Te Araroa Trail in Northland recalls ordeal

Kobe Blondeel [centre] suffered injuries after being attacked by two dogs in Northland.

The international ultrarunner attacked by “wild” dogs on a Northland leg of the Te Araroa Trail has spoken out about his ordeal.

Kobe Blondeel is part of the support crew for well-known Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe, who is attempting to run the shortest-ever journey of the 3054km trail that stretches from Cape Rēinga to Bluff Hill Motupōhue in Southland.

Blondeel and Sabbe were four days into the journey when Sabbe posted on social media that they had been attacked by wild dogs and Blondeel had suffered injuries.

However, the two dogs who attacked them were not wild, as reported, but belonged to the owner of a property in the Whangārei district.

Blondeel told the Northern Advocate the attack happened on Russell Rd on January 19 at about 2pm.

Whangārei District Council has confirmed the attack happened near Whangaruru and that an investigation is continuing.

“We noticed two dogs 50 metres ahead of us and we didn’t think anything of it, and the dogs wandered off into the bush,” Blondeel said.

“When we got to the point near the bush, they came out and ran straight at us from behind; by the time we realised what was going on they were right on us.

“I was closest to the dogs, so they bit me.

“I fell and that’s how I broke my arm.

“When I was on the ground and they were biting my leg, I thought they would jump on my back. By the time I got up, they let go and ran off.”

Kobe Blondeel is part of well-known Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe’s [pictured] support crew. They are attempting to run the shortest-ever journey on the Te Araroa Trail.

Blondeel described the dogs as “mid-sized” and black and tan in colour.

He suffered dog bites on the back of his right knee and a broken radial head on his left elbow.

He was driven to Whangārei White Cross where he was treated.

“The pain is okay, but very unfortunate for the project,” he said. “I was planning on running more but have had to stop.

“The doctor recommended not to run for two to four weeks, then I have to check in with a specialist then reevaluate.”

Blondeel said several people had been in contact with him about the attack, including someone from the council.

Whangārei District Council health and bylaws manager Reiner Mussle confirmed the incident was reported to WDC and an investigation was underway.

“It took some days to reach Kobe and collect information from him and investigate the matter.

“We believe we know where it happened and who owns the dogs.

“Kobe does not believe he could identify the particular dogs involved.

“We don’t have the quality of information needed to pursue a prosecution.

“That said, we are continuing to work with the dogs’ owner to address dog control matters on their property.”

Sabbe, a double Guinness World Record holder, keynote speaker and coach, has hiked and run in many countries, including covering the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail.

Te Araroa Trail executive director Matt Claridge said there is not a wild dog issue on the trail.

Before the dog attack, he said he was glad to return to New Zealand with his support crew after a previous visit.

He and Blondeel set out early from Cape Rēinga on January 16 and are currently south of Auckland on the way to Huntly.

Te Araroa Trail executive director Matt Claridge said he’d spoken to Blondeel, who didn’t know the distinction between feral and domesticated roaming dogs.

“As a European he described the dogs as wild because they were; they were barking.

“We think of wild dogs as being feral, but they weren’t ... they were from a residential area.

“There’s not a dog issue on the Te Araroa Trail; it’s an isolated incident.”

Claridge said there had previously been problems with wild dogs on the Te Paki coastal track in the Far North, but the Department of Conservation [DoC] and Ngāti Kuri had dealt with it.

Packs of roaming feral dogs have killed hundreds of livestock on farms, including more than 120 ewes and lambs at the Nilsson’s property near Cape Rēinga in 2021.

Off the back of the attacks, DoC closed some walking trails to the public for a time.

Last September, DoC engaged sharp-shooting hunters to track down the dogs before the tramping season.

Doc was concerned about the potential for trampers to be attacked while walking, given multiple sightings of feral dogs over the years.

• This story has been updated as it originally said the attack happened on Russell Rd in Russell in the Far North District however Russell Rd is in the Whangārei District. We have updated the story to reflect this and added comment from Whangārei District Council. We have removed any mention of the Far North District Council (FNDC) as it did not occur in their jurisdiction. The story should not have implied that the attack had been reported to the FNDC.

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.