So, 5.35 a.m. and we are outside the hotel to be picked up by the Tongariro Expeditions minibus, which deposited us at 7 a.m. at the trailhead. We’d passed through a layer of cloud and were in lovely sunny weather above it. Armed with maps, guidelines for how long each section should take, and dire warnings about our fate if we missed the last bus at the trail end pick up point at 4.30 pm., we set off on our epic 17 Km ‘tramp’. I had been very worried about this, as I have not walked so far over such rough terrain for years, since well before knee trouble. However, I trusted that dosing up on diclofenac and plenty of PMA would see me through - no choice really, once you begin, because you’re effectively stranded.
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