The wind had dropped a little but the cloud remained when I finally managed to haul myself out of bed at 7:30. John was up around 6:30, along with the Germans, who had slept in the other bunk room. I lay in but managed to get up before the French...though I wasn't very talkative and from the expression on the others faces when they saw me I must have looked rather comically like death warmed over.
I pottered about making breakfast and took my time packing up. John left first, followed after a time by the German trio. I followed about half an hour behind them. Eddie and Marie had been going to have a rest day up here but I think with the weather they've changed their minds and are just going to have a late start.
It wasn't actually raining so I set off with my over-trousers on (in defence against wet bushes) but no raincoat, since it wasn't actually raining. The first part of the trail down is deceptively easy--it's entirely boardwalk! That isn't to say it isn't steep in places, with suspiciously many uphill sections. I was forced to take my over-trousers off on one as I was getting far to hot; my rain pants were proving I be sauna pants!
Reduced to my regular walking clothes I laboured up the final uphill section of boardwalk to the Hihikiwi Lookout. I caught a glimpse of the hut on the usage behind before more cloud blew across and it was white, like everything else in every other direction.
Unfortunately the lookout is where the boardwalk ends. Beyond it the track becomes a mostly narrow walking track that can be described thus: mud, mud and more mud. There's also a lot of labouring uphill for a track that is supposed to lead down the mountain. Remember that many-peaked summit I described from afar? Turns out you go up and over a whole lot of then before final beginning the long decent down the far side. There's random shirt sections of boardwalk in places, over what I assume used to be problem boggy patches. The track is going to need a cash injection to build more as now pretty much anything that isn't steep and rocky or already board walked is now a boggy patch!
May the very end of the track you strike stairs leading down and out to a gravel road. The Germans were having a break on a grassy patch over the road so I went to join them. I had made good time, emerging from the track less than fifteen minutes behind them (that's what comes of having big leather boots and long pants I keep the mud out I your socks, and having a pair of strong aluminium hiker poles you can swing off a bit to help jump the bigger/deeper mud holes!).
While they de-wet weather geared (the sun had come out) I went down to the stream to wash all the mud off my boots and from my trousers. I also took the opportunity of the secluded spot to rinse out my shirt. Reclothed but damp I went and sat in the sunshine with the others, to dry and have lunch.
We must have been there for nearly an hour chatting and eating. Celestino has brought along a mountain of food, including a loaf I bread, a full jar of peanut butter and full jar of honey. Symi and Janosch must have had a ravenous couple of days since Hamilton as they've all but run out. Celestino shared some bread with them (I offered wraps but the bread sufficed). Packing up after lunch Celestino joked that his rubbish bag was as heavy as John's tent, which is probably true! It'll probably be heavier by the time he's done with his spread containers.
We packed up ready to set out on the 18km road walk to the next section of track. I wasn't quite dry so I let the Germans go on ahead; I couldn't keep up with them anyway, and not being able to speak German I can't really contribute to most of their conversations.
In my own time I set off but 2km down the road at the first intersection I realised what I had neglected to so over lunch: dry out my feet. Boots off, I sat in the sunshine on the grassy fringe of the road for 20 minutes to let my feet and socks dry. Setting off again I walked out to SH31, had another short break and then walked the 2.7km down the highway to he next turn off onto another gravel road. Quite a few cars went past; some drivers ignored me, some waved, and one put his foot down and zoomed past me at a million miles an hour (ok it was probably only 100, but still, tosser!).
Turning off onto Kaimango Rd I followed it through farmland, leaning as far into a road cut as I could at one point to let an enormous piece of farm machinery drive past (it had long arms out the back with loads of thin curved spikes...used for turning cut hay?).
The road carries on up into bush where I took advantage of a knee-high bank on the road side to sit and have a snack. While I was there a larger verge mowing machine drove past, soon followed by a second on my side of the road. Half eaten museli bar in hand I grabbed my pack and step-hauled it to the other side of the road out of the way, watched it go past, then step-hauled it back and sat down on the freshly cut grass to finish my museli bar. I'm not sure whether the guy driving a small truck support vehicle that came along behind was amused or not.
Moving on it was gone 5pm when a guy in a 4WD drive past, then stopped up ahead to offer me a lift. Turns out he's the farmer who owns the land the next bit of track crosses. I declined the lift but asked if there was anywhere to get water up ahead and also to camp. He said to follow the track up through his farm and it would pass a cutting where water ran down that was good to drink--at least it was running when he was up there two weeks ago--and that there was plenty of good camp sites up that way. Thanking him very much I carried on in his wake as he drove off.
Reaching the final intersection I found it was nothing like what I imagined it would be like, and contrary to the map I could hear no sign of a stream. I only hoped the farmer's description of water proved reliable!
Happily it did. Not far down the next gravel road I crossed a stile and followed a farm 4WD track up into the hills. A couple of kilometres up I found a large puddle, lorded over by a skittish resident fresh-water crayfish, and a short way ahead the promised source I water: a trickling flow down through moss hanging off the limestone side of the bush-covered road cutting. At least the water wasn't running off the neighbouring sheep paddocks. If it was good enough for Mr Cray it was good enough for me so I extracted my near-empty hydration bladder from my pack and sat a while as the trickle slowly filled it up. Popping in three treatment tablets I packed everything up again and moved on. Being full of drinking water is the only time that a pack getting heavier feels good.
I had half an idea that the Germans might have topped up here as well and then found a campsite up ahead so I went on, thinking I'd go as far as the rural airstrip and that if I still hadn't come across then by then I'd just camp by myself at the first likely spot. I kept going, past lots if nice patches of flat grass, looking for this air strip. The track pettered out into something much less traveled but still broad and the bush closed in again...still no airstrip. Finally coming to a stile over a fence leading to a much narrower walking track I hauled out the GPS--apparently I'd passed the airstrip 2km back without even noticing. Oh well, whatever. It was gone 6:30 so I sized up the flattish patch of grass just beyond the stile before manuka scrub took over and walled in the walking track, which looked a bit boggy...but that was tomorrow's problem. Right now I was ready to camp on the wee patch of grass that was just the right size for my tent. Plus the stile would double as a seat and table for dinner. I dumped my pack and set water to boil. Lucky I had filled up water when I did; I hadn't passed any other water since. I pitched my tent while I waited and also mended my waterproof map pocket with duct tape where it had unfortunately come apart along a seam. Hang in there map--I need you to stay dry!
At length dinner was ready, and it was nice, sitting on the stile eating hot pasta (made creamier by adding milk powder, and tastier by adding shavings of salami). I amused myself by trying to take a selfie of my meal arrangement and furniture, complete with the TA trail marker in the background. Warm, fed and watered, I was content, and settled down in my tent to sleep. I did a few stretches to stave off restless legs, and in the end took and Ibuprofen anyway as I figured after last night I really needed a good night's sleep!
One curious thing happened as I was getting ready for bed: randomly when I bent my thumb one time this seemed to trigger a spasm down my left arm that felt like a tendon going a bit haywire. The worrying thing was that I could unbend my thumb. My brain was sending the message 'straighten that thumb' but nothing was happening. It's quite disconcerting when your brain is telling your body to do something and it doesn't respond. In the end I had to force my left thumb to straighten with my right hand, which wasn't as easy as I thought. Once straight however the spasm in my arm stopped...but it still felt a bit twingey and threatened to start up again when I cautiously bent my thumb a little to see. Weird. But for now it seemed to have fixed itself. Everything else seemed to be working as it should so I figured I'd be alright til morning at least--but I made a mental note to google causes of random spasms when I get to Waitomo tomorrow. Planning to go see the glow worms, yay!
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