Mt Pirongia and Pureora

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November 13, 2007

My sleep pattern seems to be off as of late. Last night I once again was wide awake at 3:00 a.m. Maybe it has to do with me going to sleep around 9:30 p.m. each night (because you can’t do much after the sun sets). Or maybe it could be that 3:00 a.m. is the coldest part of the night. Whatever it is, I still seem to be functioning well on only a few hours of sleep per night, although it’s annoying to be up so early.
When the sun finally rose I got up and read outside for an hour while Eric was still sleeping. We ended up leaving camp around 9:00 a.m., as we thought we had a full day of walking ahead of us. The first farm field we passed through had a cow that chased Eric for a few moments, a good sign of how the day would go.
Soon we were at the base of Mount Pirongia, a 957-meter mountain that towers over the surrounding countryside, which is only about sea level. The walking felt relatively easy as the slope was long and gradual. We even came across the first other trampers we’ve seen on any trail since we started three weeks ago! They included two girls from the U.S. doing research for college, and a group of retirees who had failed to make it to the summit today.
Mount Pirongia is known for its mud, which can suck your boot in up to the knee if you’re unfortunate enough to make a wrong step. We found out firsthand how messy the mud can be when we both had both our boots and pant legs covered in mud by the end of the day.
Weather began to move in as we got higher up the mountain, and for the last hour we were walking through cloudbanks. Fortunately, when we got to the viewing platform at the peak we caught a momentary break in the weather, which I used to snap a few pictures.
From there we walked twenty minutes down a saddle to the first backcountry hut we’ve come across that we’ll stay in- the Pahautea Hut. The weather had turned downright nasty so it’s great to be indoors, although the only amenity this hut has is running cold water and a long-drop toilet. No heat, but just being sheltered from the wind and rain will be enough.
So after a pancake dinner I’m just going to enjoy some time reading and hope the storm passes so we can leave tomorrow. If it doesn’t, we do have enough food to stay an additional day.

November 14, 2007

There wasn’t much sleep had by either of us last night as the storm raged on outside the hut. Though we were inside, there was no wood stove in this hut so the temperature dropped to near freezing. It wasn’t until nearly 4:00 a.m. that the wind subsided enough either that it was quiet enough to sleep.
We kept checking the status of the weather out the window all morning between catching some sleep, and the weather continued to tease us by letting up a little before whipping up again. Finally, at noon, there was a break and we set off on our way down from the summit.
If we thought the mud was bad yesterday, we had another thing coming today after all the rain. Not only that, but our new route off the mountain (after yet another track we wanted to take was closed) took us over several other heavily forested ridges each almost as tall as the mountain itself. After three hours of hiking we found ourselves on another peak at 900 meters, when the hut we started at was only 945 meters! And it had been nothing but hard going with steep ups and downs all the way.
The day was already bad, but made worse by the two falls I took on the trail. The first and worst had me falling headfirst down a steep drop after a foothold gave way. Fortunately a branch got a hold of my backpack and stopped me before I hit my face on a rock, but the whole thing was enough to get me very muddy. The second happened an hour later when my foot slipped on a down slope of mud and had me land on my back. Neither one seemed to give me an injury, but they did set the tone for what I consider the worst day of tramping thus far.
Things got a bit brighter at the end of the track. We found ourselves at a lodge, which was hosting a group of young school kids on a class trip. We weren’t able to rent a cabin for legal reasons on the school’s part, but the lodge manager let us set up our tent in a grassy area nearby and said we could use the showers for free. Then some parents from the group saw us and gave us some of the dinner they were serving the kids. After we talked with them for a bit about what we’re doing we said goodnight and I felt a little better about a day I’d overall like to forget.

November 15, 2007

After a great night sleep we made our way back to the lodge, where the school kids were at, to cash in on the ride to town one of the friendly parents had offered. Only the teacher Ruth was there, but within minutes we were deep in conversation about our trip and she was giving us fruit and cookies for the road. It’s great to keep meeting these friendly people.
About two hours later and after three rides we were at the town of Te Kuiti where we planned to stay for night and resupply for the next section. We set up camp and I did the grocery shopping while Eric guarded our stuff at the campsite. I hate to be paranoid about people stealing our things, but replacing our gear would be very costly.
It’s been great seeing the farmland with all the sheep scattered about, but it has difficult getting good pictures of them though since they run away if you get too close. I did find that it’s much easier to get pictures of sheep though, if they are on the barbecue, which choice parts of one were for us tonight. I got a great deal on some lamb chops and we had access to a grill tonight so it worked out great. It's definitely something we’ll do again in the future.

November 16, 2007

Rainy mornings followed by sunny afternoons have seemed to be a theme lately, and today was no exception. We stretched the checkout time from the motor park as long as we could, and by 11:00 a.m. the rain had subsided. I stopped in town to buy more bandages for my blisters and to make a phone call before we were off.
We had to walk a couple of miles out of town to get to the trail, but found it with relative ease. It started off nicely, weaving along a small river at the bottom of a valley. The walls of the valley were very steep in places and the interesting rock slabs creating the sides made it almost look like a canyon from Colorado.
About two hours in things started to get less pleasant, with the path narrowing to a ledge in some places and in other spots being very boggy. To complicate matters, we kept encountering very thick and nasty thorn bushes. I’m very tired of thorns already, since each time a good sized one gets a hold of my shirt it leaves a small tear which I know will only get worse with each washing. It’s not too nice on your skin, either.
We also had to contend with our first real gear malfunction of the trip. Eric’s backpack hip belt tore on the stitching keeping it in place. It looked pretty bad, but he was able to rig it so that it will last at least until we can find a sporting goods store to look at it. Within minutes of this I also noticed that one of my shoulder straps was tearing in a non-crucial place. Hopefully, I will be able to remedy that as well before it becomes a larger problem.
Eventually we made it to the end of the track and emerged back onto the highway. We wanted to set up camp, but none of the farmhouses we passed had anyone home to ask permission. So we hitchhiked further to save some time tomorrow. The second car that came by stopped. She was a nice woman in her thirties who said she didn’t usually pick up hitchhikers, but had had a rough day and wanted company.
After dropping us off at the dirt road we needed to be on, we began to walk and look for a place to camp as well as a water source. Nothing could seem to be found, as we were on logging roads where the only flat ground is the road. Fortunately, we found a place to set up on a truck turnaround and also found a small stream nearby. Again, dinner was cooked just as the sun sank.
Tomorrow we’ll climb a mountain, but hopefully it’s not as wet as the last one.

November 17, 2007

The problem with figuring our route came about again today when we were trying to find the dirt road leading to the trailhead, but the maps we have had no names on the back roads. Guessing, we took a logging road called “Mountain Road,” as we supposed it would be logical to assume that it would go up the mountain. It was not so. We ascended quite a way, but within half an hour discovered that it dead-ended. Coming back to the starting point an hour later we carried on further and found the right road.
The mountain, Mount Pureora, was taller than any we’ve climbed yet, but the slope was gentle and pleasant. At the top we encountered a group of students resting there and we talked with them briefly while taking in the view. It was quite spectacular, giving us a view of much of the center of the north island. We could see Lake Taupo, the giant crater lake formed by the volcano which created New Zealand. We could also see Mount Ruapehu, which was where Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings was filmed. A great view, but soon we were headed down in the direction of the hut for tonight.
It seemed like an eternity, but we arrived at the Bog Inn Hut relieved and ready for rest. Unfortunately the four person hut was fully occupied by people who simply drove up the dirt road nearby and only walked thirty minutes to get there. It seems unjust that we have to sleep on the floor, considering we worked the hardest to get here, but I suppose life isn’t always fair.

November 18, 2007

As I sit in the hut and write this, it is difficult to imagine that little over an hour ago I was cursing the trail and sure that the day would never end. But just as five o’clock hit we emerged from the woods into a clearing where the nicest hut we’ve come across so far was sitting.
The walking today was relatively uneventful for the first five hours, and so I thought this entry was going to be boring. Little did I know what the final two hours would hold, and how they would end a perfectly good day of walking with a prolonged near-death experience.
As I said, the morning and part of the afternoon was great. We climbed up a small mountain and then gradually lost 500 meters of elevation over a long and smooth descent. But out of nowhere we came to a place where the trail disappeared into thin air. All I saw was a thick rope tied to a tree on the edge of the cliff on which I stood. The rope’s other end was attached to a tree at the bottom of the cliff, a good hundred feet down, but the fact that the two ends were no longer connected to one another negated its usefulness. So we climbed down the cliff, carefully holding on to roots of trees where possible and hoping that neither they nor the dirt beneath our steps would give way. Fortunately, we made it to the bottom safely. We then crossed a slow river and assumed this was where our map showed us following the valley east to the hut. But instead we ended up having to follow the trail markers back up the other side of the valley, which was almost as steep as the first side. I call this hour and a half of up and down a prolonged near-death experience because going down I thought I’d fall and die, and coming back up I just assumed I’d have a heart attack. Neither scenario happened though, and about forty-five minutes later we arrived at the Waihaha Hut, which is very nice.
We are the only ones here. Part of me is hoping for a rainy day tomorrow so we can just stay here and have a day to rest. Whatever the case, another day of hiking has been completed and we’re well on our way through this country!

November 19, 2007

Just as we had woke up and decided to spend an extra day at this hut, the noise of a helicopter got my attention. There are many tourist flights that go through the area, but this one was becoming increasingly louder. Suddenly, the grass and trees outside the hut window began to bend as if under hurricane force wind, and then the helicopter sat down not more than twenty feet from the door in the very small clearing. It turned out that a crew of three Department of Conservation workers was going to spend today and tonight at the hut while they fixed a clogged drain and did some maintenance.
So the three of them: Jason, Ra, and Owen, spent the day working around the hut and talking with us as we watched, asked questions about the area, and enjoyed a day of walking no further than from the kitchen sink to the picnic table and back again.
It was a great day and when dinnertime came we were treated to a very large meal paid for by the government of New Zealand. Because these guys flew in, the government paid for their food. Thus we had steak, sausages, vegetables, eggs, etc. Not only was it good food, but there was also lots of it. To say thank you we did the dishes for them, a price well worth the feast we enjoyed. More than that though we got great information from people who know the land better than anyone.
So once again fortune has smiled upon us. I probably sound like a broken record, but we can’t seem to help finding ourselves in great situations meeting great people.

November 20, 2007

The good news was that the friendly DOC staff cooked a very filling breakfast for us. The bad news was that it was served at 6:30 a.m., well before my body and mind like to get up. But coffee was very helpful in this situation.
After breakfast we set off on a short two-hour hike from the hut to the highway. The trail was flat and well cut so it was extremely easy, plus our packs were light with the absence of food in them.
We waited for about forty-five minutes for someone to pick us up simply because there was almost no traffic on this particular highway, but when we did get rides it only took us two rides and thirty minutes to get to Turangi- a small touristy town. It sits between Lake Taupo, the giant crater lake, and the very popular Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which we will start tomorrow.
In town we got our grocery shopping done, checked into a hostel for night, booked our ferry crossing to the South Island for two weeks from now, and got our huts figured out for the Tongariro Crossing; all accomplished through a very helpful lady at the Information Office in town.
The shuttle will pick us up early tomorrow and we’ll begin one of the most anticipated sections of our walk yet. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

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