Great Weather for a tramp

Hi….
Wow – my last blog was kind of boring - and kind of whiny! Okay, so I didn’t actually make myself read the whole thing (I hear I write well, but I hate reading my own stuff – always have) – but I skimmed enough of it to get the gist; life is boring, I don’t know what I’m going to do next, and I’m ready to start traveling again. 3 sentences – that’s all that blog needed!

Ah well, this one will be better…… You are in for a doozy! I’ve got a bottle of wine, an empty house (with a dog snoring away), and free DSL!!!! Plus – I actually have some adventures to relate!!!! So – here we go! (subtitles and all….)

Leaving Tiniroto
I finished up my WWOOFing with Rob on Sunday, 31 September. We had a decent day (unlike the day before, which was rubbish for outdoor work) and made pretty good use of it. Rob had gone into Gisborne Friday night (29 Sep.), staying in town while I watched over both houses and had my last internet fix. Rob came home Saturday (30 Sept) afternoon, he had groceries and goodies. He had splurged on some yummy things (cherries, chocolate) to celebrate my last night at his place. He also surprised me with a box of granola bars and a head of lettuce for my time in the bush! How nice was that? So, after a good day of work on Sunday (31 Sept), a hot shower, a filling lunch, and a farewell handshake, I put in my trusty Tom Petty tape and cranked “Free Fallin” on the stereo while the wind blew through the windows. The road out of Tiniroto, and into Wairoa, follows the bends and curves of the river – making for a very pleasurable and scenic drive.

Before leaving Rob’s place, I had organized my gear and done a supply check. I made up a fresh batch of breakfast muesli and sorted all of my camp foods into lightweight bags. I had hoped to hit the grocery store in Wairoa for additional supplies – mainly some flat bread and garbage bags (because a large garbage bag is way cheaper than buying the nice looking rain cover for my backpack!). However, I stopped at theWairoa i-site first – to see what my camping options around Lake Waikaremoana would be. While I had woken up with the definite plan of doing the whole trail, the cooler temperature and higher winds had made me doubt again (yeah, yeah, yea h – whine whine whine ;). By the time I left the information center, it was 4:05 pm. The grocery store closed at 4pm! Whoops! Good thing I actually plenty of food still! Ha ha ha

I arrived at Lake Waikaremoana a bit before sunset. I pulled over at one of the first viewing areas overlooking the lake – tall, rocky bluffs to my left, mountainous bush the rest of the way around, and lots and lots of water in between! My first thought? “Holy smokes! How do they expect someone to hike around something so big!?” I was completely overwhelmed! I really didn’t feel fit enough to undertake such a journey. As the shadows increased, so too did my doubts.... So, I got in my car and started towards the camp grounds. I came across a short (30 min) trail to a lookout. I didn’t exactly run up it, but I was happy to find myself beating the 30 minute time by 15 minutes! On my way up, I passed lots of cool rock formations and many creepy, cave-like rock grottos. Oh man, I’m not sure I can go caving alone again, so dark and creepy……but I suppose that’s a different tangent…..

So – in the end - I found myself camping out near the lake on Sunday night (31 Sept). I still wasn’t sure whether or not I would be taking several days to make the trip around the lake or if I would do a one night hike/camp to Sandy Hut on Lake Waikareiti (Lake Waikareiti was recommended to me by one of the guys I met at the East Cape Lighthouse – it is supposed to be a crazy clear, beautiful blue, and full of many, many islands; in other words, a really good hiker’s destination). I decided to wait and see what the weather turned out to do the next day before making any decisions. However, in order to be prepared, I spent part of the night making a hiking schedule for what huts/campsites I would reserve if I made the 3 night/4 day trek.

THE GREAT WALK – Lake Waikaremoana
This might be a good time to point out the “great walks” designation. Hiking (or tramping as they call it here in NZ) is a pretty big past time in this country (yeah, the first dude to conquer Mount Everest was a Kiwi). So – a lot of popular trails have huts (with kitchens, bunks and mattresses, heating (wood or gas), and the occasional shower!). Some of these walks (9 actually) have been designated as “great walks”. Supposedly these trails highlight some of the best scenery NZ has to offer (although one “great walk” is actually a canoe trip; should it be called a “great paddle”?). Lake Waikaremoana is the only “great walk” to be advertised as a year round trek. Almost all other trails are covered in deep snow during the winter/early spring. Summer is still the most popular time to hike the lake, though. Since it is warm enough to swim/kayak/canoe and the nights don’t get to terribly frigid.

The other interesting thing about the “great walks” is that almost none of them are complete loop tracks. Even the Lake Waikaremoana track starts and ends at opposite ends of the lake. So you always have to plan to have a pick-up/drop-off plan or be prepared to hike a long ways on a road. I think it’s really quite a racket. DoC (Department of Conservation) can charge higher rates on the huts and campsites because the trails are marketed to tourists (and apparently, from the rumours I hear, are also maintained for the average, tourist that is neither a super hiker nor a sloth; in other words, they aren’t terribly difficult). So – the government gets their cut (albeit, they use the funds to maintain the trails – which is a good thing). Then, you have the private sector falling all over themselves for their share of tourist money by marketing pick-up and drop-off taxis to/from the trail heads. And in between? Well you have all the cafés, gear retailers, and equipment renters (kayaks/fishing poles/etc).


Broken Promises
I woke up Monday, 1 September (the first day of spring here), feeling completely unrested! I ALWAYS forget how poorly I sleep on the ground! I also woke up to lots and lots of dew on my tent (with lots of condensation inside too). Of course, since the tent had started forming dew before I went to bed the night before,I wasn’t exactly surprised. At least I was dry – and that’s all that matters.

While eating and packing I had decided to suck it up and do the track. I didn’t want to continue on my travels through NZ, complete the other great walks, and then end up regretting that I had passed up my chance. Besides, the weather was forecast as clear for the next 3-4 days! I arrived at the DoC visitor center just after they opened. I gave them the hiking schedule I wanted to do, but when the ranger talked to the water taxi I was told they wouldn’t have time that morning. So, instead of being the odd person that starts at the “ending” trailhead, I started at the “beginning”. I paid my $50 in camp fees to cover one night in a hut (my first night) and 2 nights at campsites. I could have spent a little more money (around $20 probably) and stayed at huts the whole time; which would have lightened my load (no tent or sleeping pad) by quite a bit and probably would have been a little warmer (assuming the heaters all worked in the huts). However, I really wanted to be as self-reliant as possible; besides, it wasn’t going to be uphill the whole time!

I drove my car over to the Waikaremoana Motor Camp – supposedly the safest place to leave your car, as burglaries at the trailheads are still not uncommon. When I arrived at the motor camp, I was told that the water taxi – because it was low season and no one else would be sharing a ride – would cost twice as much. Meaning I’d have to give up another $70!! Wow….. I was very, very close to giving her my Eftpos card – I think I did actually try to give it to her, but then she wanted to wait and clarify timing with the skipper. So, I bought a garbage bag (to put over my backpack in case it rained – the only thing that was really worrying me) and had a bit of a think. Sure – it was a really, really long walk down a really, really boring road; but wouldn’t it be worth it save money? $70 could pay for my zorbing in Rotorua as well as a hostel…. If I ended up walking, I’d be tempted to stick out my thumb to save some time and energy; but I’d promised my parents that I wouldn’t hitchhike…….

Well – in the end, my cheapness won. I’m really sorry mom and dad – but it really is quite common for people to hitch that area, for the same reason. Shortly after heading up the road (at 9 am), I heard cars coming around the corners. Yep - I stuck my thumb out…. The first couple cars passed me up. No worries, it wasn’t terribly far to the trailhead – and that section of trail was only supposed to take 5 hours; I had plenty of time. However, I was still quite grateful when, on the 4th use of my thumb, a car pulled over. The guy was super nice – a German in the country for a computer science conference, but renting a car for the next week to be a tourist. We had a good chat and he dropped me off right at the beginning of the trail (even took my picture next to the sign).

The Hike
The whole hike took me 4 days to complete, with 3 nights spent on the trail. There really isn’t much to write about really. I spent the first 3 days on the trail – walking, walking, walking – while the 4th day was mostly getting to the road and then to the car. The scenery was beautiful and I was really proud of myself for tackling the track. If the weather was crap, I wouldn’t have minded leaving the area without completing the “great walk”; but I couldn’t have asked for better weather! Every day on the trail had some sun. There was a lot of cloud cover too, and even more wind, but there never was more precipitation than the occasional misty rain.

Everyday on the trail was pretty similar – wake up, eat mueseli (soaked overnight in water), pack up, hike. Hike some more, set up camp, eat dinner, occupy self until dark (writing in journal, crossword puzzle – though I really wish I had just brought a book), go to bed early (use Advil PM as sleep aid). Repeat……

Some people find it surprising – but at no point on the walk was I lonely! I definitely could have used someone to talk and hang out with after sunset – when it was to cold to be out of my sleeping bag, but to dark to not need a flashlight for reading/writing – but the rest of the time I was perfectly happy just being by myself in the woods. I thought of a ton of friends and family, but never actually wished any of them were with me (hmm, that could be because the first day of the hike made me feel so slow that I would have been embarrassed for anyone to be hiking with me! Ha ha ha ha). So – all in all, it was a good time. There are a few details below.

Day 1 (1 Sept.)
Onepoto Trailhead to Panekiri Hut.
DoC kilometers (km): 8.8
DoC Trail Time: 5 hours My Time on Trail (hours): 4.5

This is the most difficult section of the trail, since it’s all uphill. If I had any question about my fitness before I started, it was confirmed on this section (it also made me wonder what vegetarians eat to obtain their iron). This is a really cool section of the trail too. It’s a lot of stepping on top of roots, coming around a bend to find yourself on the edge of a cliff overlooking the lake, and also lots and lots of gnarly looking trees covered in green moss (and I do mean covered!). The wind through this section is pretty intense too. I had been told that the lake was actually quite choppy during the winter months, due to wind. So, I shouldn’t have been terribly surprised to find that the wind seemed to sweep over the lake, crash into the bluffs, and run straight up them! It was a very cold, very persistent wind; oddly enough, it sounded like the crashing of ocean waves!

Day 2 (2 Sept.)
Panekiri Hut to Korokoro Campsite (via Waiopaou Hut and campsite)
DoC km: 11.2
Doc Trail Time: 5.5 My time on trail: 4

Downhill – mostly. Lots of roots on the trail, but lots and lots of cool forest too. The trail seemed to mender around the ridge a bit more. When the trail was sufficiently sheltered behind a peak, the wind noise would disappear and birds could be heard throughout. Then the trail would veer towards the cliffs again, and the birds would disappear and the wind could be heard and felt. I made good time to my next campsite, in fact I was 1.5 hours earlier than I had expected!

So, when I arrived, I took the time to unpack everything and lay it out to dry (tent, sleeping bag, shoes, socks). I wandered around barefoot in the sun, looking at flowers and taking pictures. The entire green grass area for tens was covered in short, white, daisy-like flowers. The hum of the bees could be heard everywhere – as well as the hum of the pesky “sand flies” (biting gnats). While these little buggers covered the outside of my tent and hovered in my face, they somehow ignored my feet! Wow, they must have had a potent smell ;) However, the smell wasn’t strong enough to keep them from crawling on my pant legs and even up my leg!! Apparently some people, new to NZ, get a pretty good reaction from the bites of these insects. I guess I’ve been bitten enough that the resulting welt is not much worse than that from an Alaskan “no see-um” (or “white sock”, more biting gnats) – although I am left with a purple spot at the site of the welt for the next week or more (weird).

All in all, I ended up killing about 2 hours in the sun. It was nice – and warm. Eventually I packed all my gear into my tent (on the off chance that someone should want to come use the cooking shelter). I set off back up the trail with just a daypack, some water, and some snacks. 5 minutes later I was back at the fork in the trail that led to Korokoro falls. It was listed as an hour roundtrip. It required some up hill work. I was disappointed to find I was really tired again. Well, it’s good to know that my slowness wasn’t all because of my pack!!! I had initially thought about sticking my head under the falls (thanks to my cousin) and that led to thoughts about just taking a full on shower under the falls (man, was I starting to feel a bit gross). But, the warm sun had dried out my sweaty clothes and the idea of getting wet again was quite unappealing. The thought of having wet hair in the chill night was even less appealing. By the time I set up the trail to the falls I knew I wasn’t getting any kind of wet – hadn’t even brought a towel for “just in case”. When I reached the falls – which were really cool – I was glad I had decided to forgo any soakings. I know I could have made a path down to the bottom, but it would have required a lot of bush whacking - not to mention the climb back to the trail. Instead, I had fun messing with my camera settings (on tripod) to try to get the white, flowing water effect of a long exposure.


Day 3 (3 Sept.)
Korokoro Campsite to Tapuaenui Campsite (via Maraunui campsite and hut and Waiharuru campsite)
DoC km: 17.8 (may be inaccurate due to fact that Te Puna Hut has been taken of trail system)
DoC Trail time: 7 (again, inaccurate?) My time on trail: 6

This was my longest day! And I felt it! I got onto the trail 7:45am (I wake up early anyway and then add the light emitting factor of a tent….). I was ticketed to stay at Waiharuru campsite at the end of the day, but that reservation had been made before I would be walking the road back to my car. So, on the evening of Day 1, I had decided to push for Tapuaenui campsite. I knew DoC would prefer I stayed at my reserved site – but it was the middle of winter, the sites weren’t going to be booked to capacity. I’m more than certain I could have camped/hutted anywhere I wanted during the entire hike (probably without a paid ticket too) and no one would have known (but I am way, way to honest to go that route). I reached Waiharuru at 12:30!!! I was really quite tired and my feet were starting to get sore; I was tempted to just set up camp and let my tent dry in the sun while I napped. The site was beautiful – complete with a preening black swan on the shore. After having my first fall of the hike just before reaching Waiharuru, I had begun wondering if I shouldn’t save my energy. When the sky let out a fine drizzle of rain, I wondered again if I shouldn’t stay with my original plan. But then I started thinking about just how long the road was. I knew I was going to hitch if the opportunity arose – the problem was, what if no one was on the road to hitch with? I definitely wanted to be at my car the next night…

When the rain cleared up, 5 minutes later, I figured it was a good sign. I hefted my ever-increasingly heavy pack, strapped it on, and started down the trail again. My feet were NOT happy with that. They let me know by landing me on my bum 10 minutes later! I brushed aside the feeling that this second fall was an omen that I should stay where I originally planned - I was NOT backtracking; even if it was only 10 minutes. Besides, I wanted to get over this last uphill section before my last day; then it would be easy cruising (er, walking). I am so very glad that I made the extra push. The uphill section, while tiring, was well graded and smooth (not many roots to navigate) and the forest was absolutely beautiful. I listened to so many birds that day. When I did arrive at camp, exhausted, I set things out to dry and then just enjoyed the bird calls. I heard a few tuis, but never could find them in the trees.

Day 4 (4 Sept.)
Tapuaenui Campsite to Trailhead (via Whanganui hut and water taxi drop off point)
DoC Km: 8.3
DoC Trail Time: 4 (this may be inaccurate also) My time on trail: 2
Trailhead to Motor Camp
Signpost Km: 18!!!!
Travel time: unknown – hopefully not more than 6 My time on road: 1.5 before being picked up

This was my most dreaded day. While I knew the road would flat and well graded, it looked very, very long! The lady at the car camp had told me Thursday would be a good day to hitch, more cars on the road. What did that mean? There would be 10 cars on the road, throughout the day, than none? I definitely was not going to count on somebody picking me up.

So, in anticipation of a long day ahead, I woke up early. I was on the trail by 7 am! By 9:30, I had shlogged my way through the muddy, and occasionally quite swampy, trail to the trailhead. By 9:45 I was at “the” road (a half paved, half gravel/metal road running for 200kms from Rotorua to Wairoa). I dropped my pack next to the sign that informed me it was only 18kms to Aniwaniwa (DoC visitor center). I drank some water, had a bit of left over pasta, and decided that – while the wind did occasionally sound like a distant motor – here was no traffic passing by anytime soon. No point wasting time. Off I went, up the long, long road.

I must say – it’s one thing to hike 10kms of trail, but it’s a totally different thing to walk 10kms of road. It’s boring! Yes, the footing is sure and the grade, while occasionally uphill, is not steep; but it’s not the same as being in the woods. I definitely had a faster pace on the road than I did in the woods though. Ha ha – that may have been because, even though it was only 10am, I wanted to get to my car before dark! I may not have really enjoyed the walk – but I was very, very grateful that it was a road, and not railroad tracks! I’ve talked to several people, and they all agree – walking railroad tracks is no fun! I mention this because I kept remembering my last pleasure pack trip (versus the many pack trips I got paid for in Idaho). I hiked the Chilkoot Trail (in Alaska) in 2006 during the off season – so no train pick up. We had to walk a good 5 miles of railroad to meet our shuttle van in Canada.

The other thing I kept thinking about while I was walking the road was a short story I read ages ago. It was a Stephen King, though penned under the name Bachman, entitled “The Long Walk”. It involved a bunch of kids walking, and walking, and walking. They couldn’t stop to rest. They got one warning before being shot for not walking (hey, it’s Stephen King – what do you expect). So, the kids just had to keep walking until there was only one left. What did he do? Well, I could answer – but then there would be no teaser for checking out the book! J

So – long story short. I walked a while, stopped again, walked some more, took some pictures of waterfalls, and then – finally – heard a car behind me. I’d been on the road for an hour and a half before a little pickup pulled over; it was the first car I’d seen! As the old Kiwi guy was moving his gear from the front seat to the bed of the truck another car passed us! I guess when it rains, it pours? The kiwi guy was really nice. He had spent the last few days fishing and camping with his son on the lake. We talked about the area a little – he had grown up in the little towns around the lake area, including Wairoa, and still loved the area! He was heading to Mahia peninsula, where he now resided. Funny – that was where I was heading too!

Before I had been picked up I had figured it would be no big deal to walk the whole road. I figured I was making good time and had plenty of day light. However, after being picked up I was so grateful to see the road rolling fast beneath us. I was surprised at how much of the road I had forgotten to account for in my “making good time” calculation. Instead of staggering up to my car at dusk, I was dropped off in front of it at noon. I got a really good belly laugh when the guy tried to pick up my pack. As I mentioned in my last pack trip episode (the pinnacles), my pack is not light. Yes – I had some extras I didn’t really need (my teddy, my travel pillow, a crossword puzzle, and my journal), but they are not THAT heavy! Anyway, before I can stop the guy, he’s pulling my pack out. He tries to lift it and just lets out a breath of astonishment! He wouldn’t even carry my pack to my car, he said, let alone down a trail!! Wow – am I that bad at packing? Maybe someday (when I win the lottery), I’ll buy some lightweight gear……..