Day 65 (1,557 to 1,577 kms)
Today I really enter the Taurarua Ranges. Time for some up and down. It will be a short day in terms of kms, but a bit longer in terms of time. The first 5 kms are along the road to the trailhead. Then 15 kms to the hut. Typically 15 kms would take around 3 hours on the road, but in the ranges this took 8 hours.
After the trailhead and the short cow filled field, it was time to head up. A good steady climb through the bush got the hert pumping and the lungs working. I had the bush to myself, which is always nice. The path was in excellent shape, so this made it much more enjoyable. I followed the ridge line for a while, which went up and down. I passed another walker going in the opposite direction and he confirmed that there was water at Waiopehu Hut, which was good, as there were reports the tanks were dry. I will be having a coffee for lunch afterall. I set off with a full water bag this morning just in case.
Four hours later and at noon I arrived at Waiopehu Hut for lunch. Amazing day is making this walk all that much nice. I had great views over Levin. The mobile phone was not able to get a good signal, so not able to have a long chat with Caroline. Coverage in the ranges is known to be poor. I filtered some water using my new gravity filtering technique and set-off for the last push to Te Matawhai hut.
The next 5 kms took 3 hours to complete, so the pace is much slower. The slower pace is a little bit me, but mainly is the track. The track notes stated this stretch would take 4 hours, so at least I am faster than the track notes. I pulled into the hut a little tired, but soon recovered after getting food and water into me. Washed some clothes and just relaxed. Another empty hut tonight.
