• Te Araroa kilometres done: 0
• Official kms: 0
• Garmin kms: 0
• Total time: 0
• Calories burned: 0
• Body battery: 8/10
• Accommodation: Skotel in Whakapapa
• Tent nights tally: 10

This morning we are in Taupo & are being picked up at 10am from our Motel & taken to Whakapapa. Tomorrow we both start walking & it will start with a nice trail then road through to National Park.

We were picked up right on schedule from our unofficial Uber (cashy) & dropped outside the Skotel in Whakapapa at just after 11am, unfortunately we couldn’t check in until 3pm so we got our luggage stored & headed to the food cart that’s in the village for lunch.

We sat there eating lunch & having a coffee, then Frank appeared who had spent the night at the DOC hut on the mountain & then Nici also showed up, they joined us for lunch.

Nici was meeting Luke (the man from DOC locating Kiwi chics on the 42 traverse) at 12.30pm to assist in releasing a young kiwi chic back into the wild & Luke had messaged earlier saying that we could come & see the chic if we liked.

It’s really awesome the amazing work that people like Luke do to protect our Flora & Fauna for future generations! Nici & Luke left to release the young chic & Antonia & I headed to the visitors centre to fill in some time.

In the Visitors centre we met a lovely lady called TC who chatted to us for a good 20 minutes & had such great information, she told us about a young man who tried to traverse yesterday & almost fell off the mountain due to really bad visibility & how people need to take the warnings seriously because they know the mountain very well & what conditions are considered dangerous. TC also donated to my Givealittle. Such an amazing person.

After having a look around & watching a 50 minute video on volcanoes we wandered up to the Skotel to check in as it was 2.30pm.

We managed to get into our room at 2.45pm, the afternoon was spent making my next video (so time consuming!) & then eating from the bar at the Skotel, pro tip book well in advance as we couldn’t get a table until 8.15pm, that’s nearly bedtime!

Antonia & I start back on the trail tomorrow with loaded packs & no rental car, back to being true TA walkers!