4 Mar, weather cloud then fine
13km 6 hr

Bex’s alarm went off at 7:00 and I was instantly awake too. I sleep really well. Max and Bex were heading to Telford Camp a bit further on than me. They headed out at 8:30 and I was all set to go at 9:30. I was a bit disoriented when I left the hut from coming in after dark last night. I wasn’t sure of any direction even the one I arrived in. I did a quick survey on the way to the loo.

There was a second but older hut on the site.

With wet but clean shoes I swept the hut and left. I wasn’t sure of the way out. I tried every exit to return to the hut uncertain. Finally I found the bridge I had to cross and crossed it to then miss a hidden path I should have taken. I walked up a 4WD track that led to the exit road and found my GPS told me I was way off track so returned to the bridge.

I found the hidden track and followed it. No markers to be seen so off track again and in long grass and matagouri. And then I saw a marker up river. I followed the river in the river bed and had to climb a bank.

I climbed the bank by throwing my pack and poles up and finally I edged up inch at a time. There was the pole, 100m away from the bridge. It was 11:00 at this stage and I’d been walking for 90 minutes.

Finally underway I headed into marshland. Uneven tracks on soggy spongy spaghnam moss. Slow going I decided I should have had zero day to rest. I’d slipped several times and tumbled down a few more onto soft landings.

Committed I kept walking albeit at a slow pace within the forest. Travel from marker to marker was slow. I had a short break then just meandered on through a less dense and prettier forest than yesterday.

The track was rolling up and up to a high point but was more gentle. There were many more varieties of trees than beech. It was written in the hut book, koromiko, miromiro, plus many more, heaps of different variety of tree.

The track was littered with branches and sticks blown down or fallen off. These easily caught my back foot and many trip ups but no falls.

It was a beautiful track of rolling forest. The mud became wetter on the west side. The track then followed the Wairaki River. Nice company to walk with.

The moss growing was light green good to see spaghnam moss growing in the wild.

The sign came into view 2 km to go.

To get to the hut had to cross the river and climb to the hut. So glad to get here at 5:15, have a good wash and clean my shoes and socks properly. I prefer to enjoy each tramp rather than rush and miss things along the way.

I cooked a hot meal and explored the hut surroundings. I missed that yesterday coming in after dark. That made me disoriented as I left the hut this morning.

Enjoyable walk today. I will miss these shelters and exploring these forest paths.