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Published: October 26th 2010
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The next morning we headed to the Coromandel Kauaeranga valley to camp. The weather still wasn’t wanting to cooperate. We didn’t let the rain get us down, we booked two nights at the furthest campsite into the valley and planed a 6 hr day hike for the next day. When we got camp set up Tyler started loading his pack. I wasn’t planning on carrying a pack because it was just going to be a day hike. Tyler was adamant that we should take them loaded with everything we would need for two nights just in case the weather turns bad. I didn’t want to. A 6 hr hike was enough for me without my pack weighing me down. After a small argument I did decide to take my pack also. Even though we didn’t need them it would be a good way to see what we can do, and also get us into tramping shape! We got up early the next morning and packed up camp most of it went into Tyler’s pack (ya we took sleeping bags, tent, towel, food, change of cloths, flashlights, music, and anything else you can think of needing on a 3 or 4
day hike). That night was the coldest night I have had in the tent, so when I got dressed for the hike I was thinking I was going to be cold all day. Not sure why I thought that, I wore 4 layers (thermals, capris, sweats, and splash pants) of pants!! Dumb i know, I had them off and was carrying most of them within 20 min of the hike. When we started I was having a lot of other problems! My main problem was being out of shape!! Tyler would get a ways away from me and have to stop and wait for me to catch up. Up hill is a killer!!! Tyler was scared I was going to bring out crazy over exhausted Amanda (he got to deal with her when we did our 36km Jasper hike last summer), but she didn’t come out this time :D It was embarrassing to get passed on the track by a family, but I told myself they didn’t have huge packs filled weighed down. So on we went the weather still overcast and foggy. The hike we were doing was the Pinnacles Hike, you can walk up these great pinnacles. We
walked to the hut to check out a cool old dam and have our snacks. The walk to the dam added an extra 2 hrs to our 6 hr hike! Lol so now we are looking at an 8 hr day-cool. After the dam we are half done, we decided to take a different route back. We thought it would be all down hill but we did do a good hr or so of climbing before we started going down. Down steep!!!! Almost scary steep! I feel sorry for the people who have to climb this track! The down started getting as hard as the up because your body would jar every rough step you took down. The track finally went flat again and we walked and walked and walked forever it seemed. We passed an outback camp, and kept on going to a river. There were two ways to get past the river, try to walk through it or walk an extra min to a foot bridge and cross there. Everyone was trying to walk accross the river, trying to find stable rocks to support them and keep them dry. It was the end of our 8 hr day
and I was in no mood to navigate my sore and tired body across a flowing river. One slip (and I had many that day!) on any of the slimy rocks and I would be soaking wet or worse have a twisted or broke ankle...no thanks. While the people in front of us started trying to find the best way trough, Tyler and I walked a min to the foot bridge and crossed there. Easy!! We got back to the vehicle and did a 8hr hike in 7!!! Whoop for us! We put the tent up and have a fire. Great day!! I love the feeling of finishing a good hard hike! GREAT!
We spent the night there and left the next day. We headed up the west of the Coromandel coast, heading for the top! The very northern tip of the peninsula got more beautiful the further we went up. The road turned to gravel, then to a single gravel lane. Lol! After that it was a pretty scary road, It got really steep and the edge dropped of hundreds of meters. There were also some water crossings, and muddy sections. We were going to a DOC campsite at
the very top of the peninsula, and thought for sure no one would be there because of the road they would have to take. NOT! There were moterhomes huger than regular houses up there LOL! I can’t imagine how long it would have taken them or meeting them on the single dirt road with no where to go. We are going to do a two day hike from our campsite the next day. For supper we have pasta! Nothing better to fill you belly before a good work out. The weather is still crap, rain and no sun. We went to bed early that night and the next day packed up everything for the two day hike we had ahead of us. Again I was hurting at the beginning of the hike, uhhg soo out of shape!! This time I didn’t make the mistake of wearing 4 pant layers, but again about 20 min into the hike I was shedding a layer. It was raining before we left so we dressed for it, but it stopped right after we started our hike. The hike was the best we have done so far for scenery!! It was right along the coast,
into some forest, into a bay, on farmer fields, and coast again. So nice! It did turn to hell when the track went down into a bay, we had to hike up and out. That was rough! Damn traverses I hate them. I survived and eventually we made it to the camp. We set up and changed our cloths. We warmed up beans that morning and put them in a thermos, so we had warm beans for supper Nice! The beach where we camped was so beautiful, the sun was finally out and the water was so many shades of blue. When the waves rolled onto the rock beach it made the coolest sound when it washed back off the rocks, I could have sat forever listening. Another early night, the sleep was cold and uncomfortable. We are used to sleeping on small hiker air mattresses, but we didn’t take them on the hike. Who needs luxuries like that when your supposed to be roughing it? And also they were extra weight neither of us wanted to carry. So I woke up cranky and not wanting to leave the sleeping bad. Lol Tyler dragged me out of the tent
by starting to take it down while I was still in it. We ate the last of our gorp and dried fruit for breakfast and set on our way. The way back was way easier than the way there, probably because we knew where we were going and what to expect. The climb out of the bay was worse than the one yesterday! We named it the devil , yah it was that bad!! I thought I was going to throw up, then I thought i was going to die. Lol I felt sorry for myself. Tyler didn't feel bad for me said I was being deamatic, I probably was haha. We made it out and back onto semi flat track. After another hr or so of hiking we finally got back to our vehicle and I gave it a hug! My legs hated me! Oh well we are back now and safe with no broken limbs. We are going to make a good yummy supper and have a warm shower from our solar shower if the sun comes out. Good day!
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