Thursday 09.03.2023

• Te Araroa kilometres done: 2291.5
• Official kms: 16km
• Garmin kms: 16.19km
• Total time: 3:59
• Calories burned: 2136
• Body battery: 5/10 (bad sleep)
• Accommodation: Comyns hut.
• Tent nights tally: 18
• Zero days had so far: 23

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 I had a bad sleep, I felt like I was awake from around 3am. Hopefully tonight will be better. I crawled out of bed at 6:20am & started going about my morning routine.

We are being picked up by the shuttle at 8:30am & taken back to the trail head. The shuttle turned up on time & told us he had another 3 to pick up on the way, it ended up being 5 so a total of eight of us heading to the eight bed Comyns hut tonight.

We started walking just before 10am. The trail started off following alongside farmland & Glenrock stream for a while on trail until it joined a 4wd track. The weather was rain & quite windy, so not the best of days, although the forecast says it will clear up late afternoon.

The 1st 7km was a gradual climb from our starting elevation of 470m to 1190m, it seemed like quite an easy climb & even had a zig zag track at the top.

After reaching the top it was a 2km descent down to the A frame hut. Awesome 3 bed hut this one & only took 2.5 hours to get here. I definitely want to come back & stay here with Antonia after finishing the TA.

We only stopped quickly here to fill in the intentions book & then carry on as the notes on the trail app say it’s only 1.5 hours to Comyns hut from this point.

The weather has been a mix bag between side on rain & then sun where you feel like you might get sunburnt! At one point a wind gust was so strong it blew Alina sideways & she lost her balance!

Anyway, the timing was right we arrived at Comyns hut 3 hours & 59 minutes after setting off from the drop off point. It was just before 2pm. There were already 5 in the 8 bunk hut with us 3 making it 8 & a few hours later the last two from our shuttle turned up so we are 10 in the hut this afternoon/evening.

We also had a group effort to go & collect firewood, Berry & Bob were throwing huge rocks at a big log to break bits off, it was hilarious to watch & provided great entertainment.

It’s an awesome group of people in this hut tonight. The conversations were flowing & the time flew by, before we knew it it was bedtime. Leaving at 8am tomorrow, I think we are going to walk until 5pm then start scouting out a good campsite. Let’s see how tomorrow goes.