tramping new zealand

Three days of rain in the next four.

The last two might be heavy enough to suggest reorganising my itinerary to spend elsewhere, that’s not my tent. I could do with a night or two to wash my body and clothes more thoroughly.

Yesterday‘s rinsing in the stream dealt with socks and underwear, but I could cope with a decent feed, etc.

So, despite this forecast, I put Forks Hut on my to-do list, although it meant another long day.

It was another beautiful early morning; it’s turned into a great summer, but it was cooler than it was a few days ago.

However, I set off for Lincoln Hut without my pack, and it was good to see a slightly renovated two-bunk New Zealand Forest Service hut. It’s been painted with a woodshed built. It’s a bit easier to visit than Ashton Hut, but it was the wrong direction for my evening objective.

So, I’d already put in 15,000 steps by the time I reached my car, and it was after 12 am by the time I was starting on the North Mavora Lake track. Ten years on from my first trip on the Te Araroa little adventure. It was now hot and despite the cooling effect of the lake, the sun belted down once the shelter of the beach trees was behind me.

I kept going after Careys Hut and dropped down an overgrown four-wheel-drive track to cross the calf-deep Mararoa River.

I had my first real rest of my afternoon there, lying back in the perfect summer day.

It was about 9 km to the hut, but I only made it halfway before spotting an acceptable campsite through my tiredness. It turned out to be the flattest, least lumpy/rocky spot along the way to the hut.

The water was a trickle without being excessively murky, so two out of three ain’t bad. It was windy, but the tent was semi-protected.

I quickly sorted out my campsite and food and slid into my sleeping bag to eat. I was physically tired, having walked 70,000 steps in the last two days, half up hills, the other half with a pack.

Two big days, that were a test for my Achilles.