Chore Day at TCR A rest day! The last full day off for one reason or another was Auckland, and yeah, we have a few chores, but most of the day we will get to rest. We linger late in the tent, writing and reading, listening to the safety speech being given in the building …
Month: December 2017
12/10 Taumarunui
End of the Timber Trail to Taumarunui Canoe Hire 30 k We all wake up excited for town today. It’s actually been over 5 days since we have been in a town or had cell service! Glory! It’s a road walk all the way, but a quiet road that proves pleasant to follow. The morning …
12/9 What is the Ongarue Spiral?
Mystery Creek Shelter to End of the Timber Trail 28 k I lay awake for awhile listening to the bird song. There is a screeching call, and, thanks to obsessive-compulsive reading of the signs along the trail, I am able to identify the silhouette of not one, but two, long tailed cuckoos winging through the …
12/8 A Thousand K’s
Bog Inn Hut to Mystery Creek Shelter 33k It’s tough for me to wake up this morning, and even tougher to accept the fact that the sock-hole blister bubbled further yesterday and will need attended to before hiking this morning. Prana is grouchy, and if I were in a mood to be honest, I would …
12/7 The Timber Trail
Pureroa Field Base to Bog Inn Hut 19 k We sleep in and it is wonderful. As much as I dislike trying to find camp in the dark, there is something magical about waking up and seeing where you are camped for the first time in the morning light. There’s also something magical when you …
12/6 A Marathon + A Victory Lap
Mangoakewa River Site to Pureroa Field Base 46 k We up the ante on yesterday’s heat by getting up even earlier today. We eat breakfast by headlamp and are on the trail by 6:18. A record! In the wee hours Prana discovered another hiker’s suggestion of hiking the entire upcoming road section in one go, …
12/5 The Swimming Holes of the Mangoakewa
Suspension Bridge to Mangokewa River picnic site 20 k We wake early, trying to beat the heat of the day. We are out of camp, hiking the half of a kilometer a fifth and final time, before 6:20 am. The morning is filled with cross-farm hiking, lots of stiles, and the always entertaining livestock. The …
12/4 I’d Rather Glow
Waitomo to Suspension Bridge 6 K This morning we go into the GlowWorm Caves. We are stuck for a bit on which tour to do - there are a few more adventure based ones, and a few of the walking interpretive ones. We see Shroomer, Coyote, and Sergio early, and they all have raving reviews …
12/3 A Lesson in Compassion
Rat Creek to Waitomo Walkway 23 k The one nice thing about camping down in a corner of the forest where the sun doesn’t reach is: it is very easy to sleep in. I awake late and surprisingly rested. I heard the rat rustling several times last night, but each time I woke up, I …
12/2 Enter the Rat
Pahautea Hut to Rat Creek 27 k The morning is filled with golden light, and we have a somewhat leisurely breakfast. At least, we are the last ones to leave the Hut site.The first bit is boardwalks and stairs to a neighbor peak, Hihikiwi, and we are already sweating. The boardwalks up here are such …
muddy shoe memoirs 