Day 43 and 44 (1026 – 1078 kms)
The North Island might not have the stunning scenery of the South Island, but it does have nice towns. I do enjoy strolling though these towns and is certainly part of the experience of the trail.
I wanted to avoid the midday sun and set off at 06:30am to punch the 27 kms along back roads to Taumarunui. I was rewarded with McDonalds once I got to town. It was so delicious. I also found a coffee shop, for a latte and to do a little planning. Having decent internet and power certainly helps.
Bad weather is on the way, and I am starting to make contingency plans. Never a good idea to be in the back country, by yourself with heavy rain in the forecast. A mild river can turn into an impassible barrier and high elevations become dangerous. After Ōwhango is the 42 Traverse which is a 2 day bush tramp which is then immediately followed by the famous Tongagiro Alpine Crossing. Neither of which should be done in bad weather. I started to make plans to find a dry and warm place to hang my boots for a few days and let the bad weather pass.
I also wanted to arrange my journey down the Whanganui River, and one of the leading outfitters is based in Ōwhango. So, with a more more days of good weather I skipped the planned rest day in Taumarunui and pushed on. Had an excellent discussion with the owner of Ōwhango Adventures about logistics for the Whanganui River Journey. The owner confirmed my suspicions, that it is not safe to journey down the river without a partner in you canoe, unless you have lots of paddling experience. And I don’t. So I also needed to find a paddling partner.
Fortunately Ōwhango has a very nice café, which made all of this planning very comfortable.
Will add photos will I get time.