Piropiro to #10 Campsite (The Timber Trail)25kmsTotal 989kmsThere are 35 bridges in total on the timber trail, nine of them are large suspension bridges. Not long after I left the lodge, I crossed the largest one which is 141 meters. It was very impressive.At the southern end of the bridge is where the timber tramway …
Pureora to Piropiro (The Timber Trail) 37kms Total 964kms I was up at 5.30am so I could get an early start on it. My goal was to reach the Timber Trail Lodge. It is 20kms further than the Bog Inn hut where I had initially planned to stay, but to stop there would be a …
Mangaokewa Road to Pureora 25kms Total 927kms We all got up at the same time and left our roadside camp at about 8am. Shaman (the Japanese lady) left first, then Xavier and then me. I caught up to Xavier just down the road because he had stopped to fill his water bottle at a stream. …
Te Kuiti to Mangaokewa Road 31kms Total 902kms After the best sleep i've had in years I woke up feeling totally refreshed and keen to get going. I sorted out my bits and pieces and said goodbye to Sue. I went to New World and picked up supplies for the next few days and a …
Waitomo to Te Kuiti16kmsTotal 871kmsI took my time getting ready this morning because I knew I only had a short day to Te Kuiti. I slowly packed my gear up and gave my tent a chance to dry out a bit. I had a long black and a muffin from a cafe on my way …
Pirongia West Road to Waitomo 42kms Total 855kms Even with the 5km head start this was a massive day for me. 37kms with a full pack load and mostly off road. It was perfect blue skys and the heat really turned up a notch. I was walking the road for the first hour or so …
Kaniwhaniwha Reserve to Pirongia West Road 18kms Total 813kms Dads cousin Shirley dropped us (me, dad and my brother Scott) off this morning as she lives in Pirongia. The track started with the Nikau walk from the reserve before a gradual climb for the most part and then some steep parts closer to the summit …
Continue reading Day 34 – Kaniwhaniwha Reserve to Pirongia West Road
Whatawhata to Kaniwhaniwha Reserve 16kms Total 795kms Dad dropped me off at the end of Old Mountain Road and I walked 5kms up the winding road and into the foothills of Mt Pirongia. My ankle was feeling very stiff and started to hurt again. There were two ladies walking down the road towards me and …
Continue reading Day 33 – Whatawhata to Kaniwhaniwha Reserve
Pukete to Whatawhata 29kms Total 779kms I had to say goodbye to the girls again this morning. It was not as hard as last time in Auckland because I was grateful for the extra time I got to be with them. I had some people to walk with. Diana had contacted me a few weeks …
Happy new year! This time last year I decided to walk Te Araroa, and here I am doing it. What a great start to 2019. Nothing much to report today. Went to the beach, ate lots, drank coffee and spent time with the girls. I will be making my way through Hamilton tomorrow and southwest …
The Path Less Travelled 