Saturday 28.01.2023

• Te Araroa kilometres done: 1628km
• Official kms: 31km
• Garmin kms: 33.45km
• Total time: 10:26
• Calories burned: 4024
• Body battery: 7/10
• Accommodation: El Rancho holiday park
• Tent nights tally: 14
• Zero days had so far: 11

https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/walking-te-araroa-3000km-for-the-key-to-life

Track me live here:

https://aus-share.explore.garmin.com/curtiss

Last night after we all went to bed (11 hut mates) at around 9pm another hiker turned up. He had started from Dracophyllum hut at 6am that morning! What a massive day! This woke the whole hut up as he got himself sorted, ate dinner & claimed a bed, it was more due to the fact his head torch was constantly beaming on you as he moved around.

Anyway I still managed pretty good sleep! Waking just before 6am & out the door & off by 7:15am. It had rained all night last night & was only drizzling by the time I left. Very lucky considering Antonia had messaged to say Auckland had severe flooding in places!

The first couple of kilometres were on gravel road before the track up & over Pukeatua (812m) commenced. This was such a change on the last few days as the track was well graded & easier walking.

The sign at the start said the car park was 6-7 hours from here & I would still have a 15km road walk after this, however I reached the summit within 3 hours & down to the car park just over 5 & a half hours.

It was around 1pm & Nici & I sat at the car park having lunch, I couldn’t stomach eating One square meal bars again so I finished my lollies & cashew nuts instead. A couple of day walkers walked past us & I commented to them on how clean they smelt, they laughed & it sparked up a good conversation on what I was doing & why. It’s amazing that when you are that many days in the bush, how you can smell colognes & perfumes & soaps very easily.

I was looking forward to a hot shower at this point so off we set to walk the road. I also took the opportunity of having reception to message Mike & ask if I could get a new shirt lol. Thanks Mike!

As we reached the skirts of Waikanae the 1st dairy came into site. I had to stop to supplement my light lunch, a sausage roll & a V was in order!

It was only just under 6kms to our accommodation for the next few nights & the majority of this involved walking beside the Waikanae river before going under SH1 then turning off to El Rancho holiday park.

Arriving at just before 6pm it was good to get a hot shower! At 6:30pm I ordered food online that had free delivery, only to find out that they couldn’t deliver until after 8:30pm!! I was starving & there was know way I could wait that long. I called them & they informed me this was due to short staffing issues.

I then had to call an Uber to go in collect my free delivery dinner, went to the local New World, bought food for breakfast & lunch the next day to make the most of the ride in, then Ubered back to eat dinner & go to bed.

Zero day tomorrow, definitely need to wash all my clothes, work on my next video & let the body recover from the Tararuas!