Tramping in New Zealand is always hit and miss with weather and other things, such as huts being full. Some walks I've completed with dry feet whereas others my feet have been inundated, either due to heavy rain, deep mud, or crossing of streams. Yesterday I set out from Panekire Hut and it was a bit wet but nothing too bad. My original plan was to spend three nights on the track but due to Waiopaoa Hut being full with a school group, I decided on only two nights and made yesterday a long day.
Whilst I've done a number of walks on the South Island, this is my first major tramp on the North Island. It's somewhat warmer and there are no sandflies. All day today it rained, and I had to accept that my boots were gonna be flooded. It also meant I got very few photos today. Last night I stayed at Marauiti Hut but the water was bad, so it meant I had to collect water from the lake to make dinner and coffee. I was the only tramper there. By the time I got to Waiharuru Hut two hours into my walk today it was raining heavily and I was annoyed. Warming up with a coffee I just wanted to finish today so I braved it and pushed forward. Shortly thereafter I slipped in a patch of mud and strained my back; it feel like someone just hit it with a hammer. The sun poked through the clouds as I neared the end of the track. Sore and all but with a feeling of euphoria I've successfully circumnavigated Lake Waikaremoana. With very little traffic I had to walk several kilometres before finally getting a lift. The school group who was on the track got the ferry part way back and then picked me up in their van along the way. They weren't certain they were able to drop me at Wairoa but I couldn't afford a cabin at the holiday park and it was too wet to camp. Fortunately they would get me Wairoa where I was picked up almost straight away by a social worker named Leroy. We would make it to the supermarket just in time for a well-deserved bottle of wine and a hot roast meal, and afterward Leroy would then drop me at Dave's home.
I've now officially completed five of the NZ Great Walks, which was my original goal. Now I want to walk 'em all. I'll admit Lake Waikaremoana was one of the more frustrating Great Walks but it was still beautiful, and I'm amazed that I've completed another long-held travel goal. For my sixth Great Walk I'm thinking of the Tongariro Northern Circuit.
