Day 60
Oct 30 day 60 Waiopehu Hut to Nichols Hut 17 km 7:30-4:00 A hard but beautiful hiking day, humbling too. Woke to clear skies but high winds and low temperatures. The decks outside the hut were iced up. Still, it was too beautiful not to hike, so soon I was climbing the first of dozens […]
Day 59
Oct 29 day 59 Waiopehu Hut 0 km The wind and rain continued hard through the night and into the morning. Woke to zero visibility and the trail looked like a stream. I’m not sure whether the weather here might often be more extreme, given the altitude and exposure, but people do occasionally note in […]
Day 58
Oct 28 day 58 Levin Campground to Waiopehu Hut in the Tararua range 18 km 8:30-2:30 (plus about 9 km from Levin back to the trail) I didn’t enjoy yesterday’s hike (and have not felt real pleasure walking the last few days). In part it was long hiking with new shoes and wet feet which […]
Day 57
Oct 27 day 57 James Burtton Whare site to Levin Campground 30 km 6:45-4:00 It rained a bit in the night, but morning was fresh and misty. Slept well listening to the river and a quiet breeze. Wasn’t sure what to expect today– just knew there wouldn’t be much road walking, which seems to have […]
Day 56
Oct 26 day 56 Palmerston North to James Burtton Whare site 34 km 7:30-4:00 Half way through! It was good it get in a long hard day. Winding out of Palmerston the trail goes up through Massey University. I missed the path that went up by a stream and found myself walking parallel to it […]
Day 55
Oct 25 day 55 Feilding to Palmerston North Slept in a bit because I wanted a big breakfast before leaving and the Spring cafe did not open until 8:00. Enjoying what luxury I can get for now as the coming days (after today) will include big miles and stealth camping. The walk over to Palmerston […]
Day 54
Oct 24 day 54 Bulls to Feilding 20 km 8:45-12:30 Had choice of a short day or something near 40km to Palmerston North. Been in a bit of a physical lull, so opted to hike short to Feilding (yes, that’s how it is spelled, named after someone who spelled it that way). Uneventful walk, though […]
Day 53
Oct 23 day 53 Koitiata Beach Campsite to Bulls 28 km 7:15- 1:00 Another very direct hiking day, though for some reason quite tiring. Might have something to do with my new shoes which are not yet rubbing blisters but my feet feel odd in them, a little more numb than usual. Guess I just […]
Day 52
Oct 22 day 52 Wanganui to Koitiata Beach Campsite 30 km 7:15-1:45 What can you say, completely flat day– 30 km of road walking, most on highway 3. Grey, misty, heavy traffic, no real sights to stop for, poured rain with high winds for second half. Just a hiking day to put in the books […]
Day 51
Oct 21 day 51 Wanganui 0 km Excellent morning, wandered downtown, stopped at a couple of coffee shops, got caught up on email and other messages, bought new shoes at Kathmandu (not a day too soon), visited the steamboat museum and wandered about a bit more. Great part of town near the river. The one […]