It's been lots of walking since Te Kuiti, with such momentous places as the Hauhungaroa Range in the Pureora Forest where Alex and I saw no other walkers for three days. The forest reminded me of LOTRs.
There was also the 42nd Traverse from a bit beyond Owhango and taking us on our biggest day yet, 45km, because we'd booked two campsites on the epic Tongariro National Park and had gotten held up in Taumaranui with a temporarily lost piece of mail.
Tongariro was extremely rainy/extreme and then super gorgeous blue skies. It was too rainy and windy for am attempt at Ngarahoe/Mt.Doom. This National Park is awesome and you have to go if you go to NZ.
I just reported most of my Taumaranui post! The Hobbit was seen at the local theater originally opened in 1935. $10, a fine deal and an intermission to boot! Movie was lacking a bit of plot I'd say given the 3-6 legitimate cliff hanging near deaths and the 3+ Gandalf saves the-group-just-in-time scenes. Otherwise it was a pleasant break!
I'll now try to imagine and answer questions from my readers, kind of like Bill Simmons, but without any real questions.
Q: how many miles have you walked, and what is a hard part of the Te Araroa Rrail?
- Max , Lewiston ME
A: well I think in kilometers whenever possible now and I think I've walked at least 1150 km. the next 150km is a river trip from Whakahoro to Whanganui. This is an exciting combination with a couple days off for x-mas when Alex and I will meet up with other TA hikers at a hut on the slopes of Mt Ruapehu, the highest mountain on the north island at 2700+meters. It has seven glaciers. Check the pics!
Q: what is it like walking with this girl, Alex from Blenheim, NZ? Isn't it slower walking with a girl?
- Wilson, Los Angeles CA
A: first off, Wilson, Alex was a borderline champion rower in high school / I'm pretty convinced she'd be a lightweight Olympic rower if she'd not gotten tendenitis. This is a long winded way of saying that she's often faster than me on big climbs and basically every type of terrain except wicked steep downhills. So I'm not going slower at all really and stop your anti-feminist questions!
Having someone to walk with and talk to day in and day out has been invaluable to my mental state. She's a super cool girl and I'm lucky to have chanced into walking with her! We've come across a total of 6 other TA walkers since November 1.
Q: Are you eating enough and drinking enough and what are you eating and drinking?
- W and I , North Hampton NH
A: I am trying on both accounts (water that is for drink!) and doing pretty well. Oatmeal ('muesli') and dried fruit in the morning, peanut butter and Nutella equivalent/honey for lunch and rice or pasta for dinner with my protein sources being: cheese, salami sticks, tuna, sardines. I have granola bars, chocolate and apples with peanut butter for snacks.
This diet combined with snacks and meals like milkshakes and meat pies in the towns has kept me somewhere close to the weight ( though in convinced my upper body is smaller) that I left NH with. Ok, more to come later. Best to everyone!
Nick
Pics include random Te Kuiti cement factory, mt Ngarahoe and Ruapehu (less volcano looking), the Pureora Forest, the sweet Waihaha hut (900 backcountry huts in NZ) and a few others!
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