Day 61: Whakapapa Village to National Park (20km; 1165km total)

Tossed and turned a lot last night...not helped by the fact I forgot to turn the heater down before I went to bed (you think I would have learned from Matt turning the heater onto full yesterday; I forgot to mention it at the time but I got back to the room that night, opened the door and nearly passed out--it was like walking into a furnace!).

I woke up at 8:30, showered and went to have breakfast. Adrian, Maya and Yettie were there and all were surprised to see me--apparently hikers are meant to make early starts, all the time. I'm not sure why, but I'm obviously either breaking the rules or the mold since I took advantage of late check out, took my time getting ready and didn't set out until 10:45 (after most other people had already left)! I handed in my key (well, Matt's key really) and set off up the road when the girl on the desk (a different one to yesterday) came running out to check I'd paid. I assured her I had and did a mental head slap that I'd ignored my 'wait a minute' instinct from yesterday to keep my receipt. I described the girl who'd taken my payment and explained the trouble she had had adding on the cost of a Nippy's chocolate milk I had bought at the same time.  This rang a bell with the current young woman (either that or I have an honest face) and she cheerfully let me go on my way.

Golden Rapids

It was a spectacularly sunny day again today and within a short distance up the road toward Mt Ruapehu I turned off into the beech forest on the right to follow the Whakapapaiti Track as it skirts the base of the mountain. This is a well graded, gently undulating track and very pleasant walk through mixed forest and open alpine swampland (where the track is board-walked). Early on the trail crosses a few small streams, one at a place where the rounded boulders lining the stream bed are completely coated in a bright golden-red iron+clay deposit. This drops out of the mineral-laden thermal spring-derived water coating everything it touches; small wonder this section of stream is called 'Golden Rapids'.

The alpine swamps are a similarly a lovely mix of golds and reds. Apparently the red tints help the plants keep warmer in the alpine environment by absorbing ultraviolet rays.  I was keeping my eyes out for carnivorous sundews, always one of my favourites, and had crosses several bogs before I suddenly realised that all the little bright red flecks on the ground were just that: absolutely tiny little sticky sundew plants (the ones I saw doing the Overland Track in Tasmania were small, but not that small!).

But the highlight of the things to see today were the mountains, in particular Mt Ruapehu. Each time the track pops out of the forest Ruapehu rises up beside you, and within a short distance out of the trees, Ngauruhoe and Tongaririo rise up behind. With barely a cloud in the sky the bright white of Ruapehu's snow-covered slopes was a vibrant contrast against the deep spectrum of blue sky beyond. I'll try not to wax on too poetic about it but I love mountains, and there and then, on that stretch of easy track through colourful bog plants and surrounded by lovely beach forest and gorgeous mountains under a crystal-blue sky, with just enough cool breeze and altitude to keep it from getting too hot, I was in my happy place. And I had it all to myself! I'm not ashamed to say I tarried, I tarried a good deal, and took far too many photos.

The distinctive cone of Mt Ngauruhoe (aka Mt Doom) 

Looking across alpine swampland up toward Mt Ruapehu

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

Once the track crosses a large bridge over the Whakapapiti River Te Araroa branches off onto the Mangahuia Track...and the grade deteriorates rapidly. The graveled track peters out to weathered clay-base and bog sections are no longer board-walked as the new track veers away from the mountains and off in the direction of SH47. The transition isn't so bad for much of the way but the short steeper sections down and out of small gullies are slippery and some of the boggier bits will get your feet wet and muddy. Not far along I went for a slide and collapsed like a house of cards when I simultaneously lost my footing and plunged my hiking pole (which might have caught me) into bog rather than firm ground. I landed with my left leg buckled up underneath me and in the moment afterward had to check that it had buckled a natural way. Fortunately it had and I was able to stagger to my feet again, all connective tissues necessary for walking intact...though warning me not to do that again in a hurry. I walked more carefully from that point on, until the trail became firmer once it entered the forest a couple of kilometers on.

As I made my way down the track I met a Canadian guy coming up. His name was Ron and he's a TA alumni back to do some of the other tracks around the country, as well as the rivers. While he's currently doing the Round the Mountain Track, apparently he has a 50lb inflatable kayak back at the hostel that he plans to use to do the Whanganui River, plus any other navigable rivers he can fit into his itinerary. Sounds awesome! From him I learn that there's a TA hiker, another Canadian called Brett, about an hour ahead of me. Someone new to meet at the YHA tonight perhaps?

Not a bad spot for a lunch stop

Wishing Rob good walk I set off, determined to make it into the forest and off this slippery track. The only downside is when I do finally arrive, it's time to say farewell to the mountains, at least for now. Not too far into the trees an easy rock-hop across a stream (for those in leather boots) had me at a lovely little shady spot for lunch beside the stream, sitting on large mossy boulders on the far side (there's actually room to pitch a tent here if any hikers were so inclined). I sat and made and munched on a tuna wrap, dangling and then airing my feet, curious as to whether the few drops of tuna oil I accidentally spilt in the water would attract eels. Moving on again I strode cheerfully through the forest, singing softly to myself. I haven't sung for several days, but sunny weather and being by myself for long stretches puts me in the mood for it. Today it was folk songs. Unfortunately I don't know many, so folk-like songs, mostly taken from movies, had to do. This led on to other movie songs and 'Let Me Teach You How To Dance' soon became the song of the day. It had the right lilt for  a peaceful walk through the woods.

The beech forest eventually changes to scrub and the track becomes wider as you near the Mangahuia Campsite.  I stopped singing abruptly when a jogger came round the corner toward me (earphones in happily) and carried on in silence, shortly arriving at the campground.  A young woman was having as best a wash as she could at the sink outside the vault loo.  I got the feeling she'd been trying to gauge how busy the place was and whether she might risk whipping off a few more items of clothing to wash more thoroughly when I showed up. Sorry lady. I used the facilities and then had a muesli bar break sitting on a rock in the sun by the gravel road leading out to the highway.

Flicking my phone on I soon received a txt from Mum. Oh dear, one of our two cats has gone missing and hasn't been seen for two days. I decided not to call right away and that it was better to wait until I had got to the end of my walking day before making a phonecall that wasn't going to be a particularly happy one.  This was a good call as not twenty minutes later as I was striding out toward the highway my phone pinged again and it was a new txt from Mum: Tsaana had turned up, missing a few tufts of fur but otherwise OK. Phew.  Reaching the highway I parked myself on a grassy shoulder next to some kind of treatment station and called home. It was nice, lying there in the sunshine talking to Mum, both of us relieved the cat was back and doing well. Turns out Mum's also had some tests at the doctor this week that came back all clear. I was a little unnerved to discover I was being told this only after the fact and that if they hadn't been clear I wouldn't have been told at all as Mum wouldn't want to spoil my trip. On the one hand I'm grateful for this and on the other I'm uneasy about not being given the opportunity to be there for her if needed. For the rest of the trip now I'll have a little tiny spark of a question in my mind about whether everything is alright back home as it seems I won't be told about it until I get there myself! (I've got friends keeping tabs on other friends for me and keeping me in the loop while I'm away as a few of them have some serious things going down at the moment, but Mum it seems is very good at keeping shtum...).

From the campsite it's a 6km road walk out to National Park and the junction with SH4. I decided if I could max-out my road pace I should be able to do it in just over an hour. One hour and five minutes later I was at the junction, reaching it just as the cops pulled over some young idiot for speeding. Giving the merest of glances in their direction I checked SH4 was clear before scooting across and heading straight into the 4-Square in search of my by now customary can of fizzy fresh-up orange...no such luck at first but then I found it: a 1L bottle! 100m along the highway I found the YHA and checked in. I'd rung them the night before to book a single room for two nights (this place is packed so chances of getting a dorm to myself are nil). The guy at the desk, Daniel gave me my key and directions to my room just around the corner. I dumped my stuff and was soon back at the front desk to enquire about getting change for laundry, purchasing laundry powder and borrowing a towel. I asked about the towel first and Daniel replied somewhat oddly that he was supposed to hire them out for a dollar.  Supposed to? Do I or do I not have to pay a dollar to borrow a towel? I thought. I felt bad because Daniel seemed like a nice guy and probably felt awkward having to enforce such a rule for such a negligible amount of money, but I was impatient to get clean and get my clothes on to wash so I forked over the dollar plus money for laundry powder and went in search of a washing machine. Curiously the laundry is located off of a large gymnasium-type room that has three sides dedicated to climbing walls. I had seen from the signs outside that the YHA was proudly home to a climbing wall, I just hadn't expected to walk through it to get to the laundry.

Clean, dry, and with all the clothes I could spare washing I went and made dinner in the kitchen. I wasn't feeling particularly social this evening, plus almost everybody here is about eighteen or nineteen and travelling in groups, and not at all interested in a slightly more weathered-looking solo hiker (although it turns out Matt was only nineteen and we got on great so I shouldn't and will try not to judge by age alone!). There's no sign of Brett or any other TA-ers except for one guy who was at reception when I was chasing up a towel. He didn't sound happy then and didn't look particularly cheerful now sitting at the computer (and overpriced internet terminal) outside the door. So with no one to chat to I sat and ate and sipped tea (from a mug, yay--Whakapapa Holiday Park doesn't provide crockery or cutlery so even though I got to cook on a hob, I was still eating out of a pot with a spork and drinking tea out of my bowl). The evening was still light and clear and you couldn't beat the view looking directly out at Ngauruhoe through the dining room windows. I had a chat to Alyse on Facebook and then rang Taylor to make plans for tomorrow. He's staying in Ohakune, which surprised me at first--I'd foolishly assumed he'd be staying here and that we'd both hitch to town and back together tomorrow. But staying in a bigger town fits his hiking MO so on reflection I'm not surprised. This does leave me with the prospect of getting myself to Ohakune and back by myself tomorrow however, which I'm a little apprehensive about as I'll most likely have to hitch. I did a quick check online but while a bus can get me there or get me back it can't do both in one day. If I'd been thinking I'd have stayed in Ohakune tomorrow night, but I'm booked in here in a expensive (for a hiker) single room ($60/night) and don't want to forfeit that money by checking out early, whilst then spending even more on buses and accommodation in Ohakune. My hitchhiking experience is limited to the short trip (1km) John and I took into Mercer and the similarly short trip Matt and I took to the campground at Taumarunui, and it's not something I'm eager to do by myself. But still, needs must, and I need to get there...

Taylor and I agreed to meet in Ohakune at noon tomorrow. I'll confess that I'm sort of keen to give hitchhiking a go. I'll almost certainly have to do it in the South Island at some (multiple?) points as there's nowhere near as many resupply towns on the trail as in the north, so part of me feels like I should get used to it now. I'm keen to see if I'm any good at it; I'm sure your technique helps determine how quickly you get picked up (and by whom). So while I'm keen to take any other option if it arises, perhaps tomorrow I'll find out how good my hitchhiking thumb is!