Day 67 (1,590 to 1,608 kms)
Today would be the only day with a little bit of bad weather. The forecast had low visibility, some moisture in the air but not rain, high winds and all clearing up by 11am. So, I either stay in the hut for the morning and wait for it to clear, or I go outside and see what it is like. I can always turn back.
The first 2.5 kms were like the previous two days, a climb to start the morning. Visibility was around 100 m and winds probably gusting to 50 kph. This meant I could not actually see the path in front of me. Also, the moisture in the air meant it was hard to use my iPhone. The track is very well marked, so I was 100% sure I was on the trail. It was just hard to tell where the top would be. Once I got to the top, around 9am, I dried my iPhone and tried to take some photos. Not very successful due to the white-out conditions. Time for the big descent.
Then at 11am, as predicted, the clouds moved on and the sun came out. At this stage I was back below the tree-line, so that worked out very well. I still had 5 kms to go to the lunch time hut, and that ended up taking me 3 hours. I am losing all of the altitude that I made over the last 15 kms, and it is quite steep down.
With lunch in the belly, it was time to push out the last 10 kms. Scribbings on the wall of the hut indicated the next 10 kms should not be under-estimated. As I departed the hut, I bumped into 2 other Te Araroa walkers heading in the opposite direction. First TA walkers I have seen since the Whanganui River, or 11 days ago on the trail.
The afternoon trail was slow, until the last 4 kms, then it improved dramatically, as the trail started to follow an old tram line. Except for the occasional slip and necessary bypass. I got a little lost about 300 meters from the final hut, as the path had been re-laid in a different place. After a little bush-bashing, I made it. And for the first time in a while there were three other people staying the night in the hut. Ah, someone to talk. They told me where the local swimming hole is, and I went for a refreshing dip and clean.
The possums and rats tried to get into the hut all night, making lots of sounds in the process. But our food was safe.
