A much harder than anticipated day on the Waitewaewae Track took me to Parawai Lodge, near the end of the Tararua Range.
As expected of the Tararua Range, it was incredibly humid overnight. My boots, which were only kinda wet last night, were practically soaked this morning from gathering up the humidity outside. The rest of my clothes didn’t really dry much overnight inside the hut, but at least they weren’t wetter than they already were.
I left Waitewaewae Hut a little after 8:30, later than I wanted given I had a long day planned to try and get to Waikanae today. Quickly, that turned into an inauspicious start. This was still the same Tararua Forest as the past several days, and it was slow going, with lots of roots and a lot of stream crossings. Barely ten minutes out of the shelter, I slipped on some of the wet roots, and bent by second trekking pole. (The other one got bent in the Puketī Forest a while back.) This expands the shopping list for Wellington yet again.
The trail was significantly frustrating this morning. By the time I stopped for my first break, I’d only hiked 4.2 km in 3.5 hours. Despite being much less steep than yesterday, it was no less difficult. I started looking forward to the roadwalk into Waikanae.
Through the forest, there were no views, the forest only opening up as I reached its edges.
The nicest part of trail today was an abandoned tramline. Wider, and with a very gradual slope, I made very good time, at least for a couple of kilometers. A prior slip in the trail caused a reroute, very steeply up and down the side of the hill. It was almost too steep with dry ground; if it had been raining, it would have been pretty awful.
Another swingbridge — this one less sketchy than yesterday — again took me over the Ōtaki River.
Once across, the trail followed some nice, grassy trail that, very confusingly, had been rerouted from what was on my maps, leading me to shout out loud just as two day-hikers came around a corner at an intersection. After studying our maps to figure out which way I was supposed to go, they admitted to having gotten lost on the trails the last time they were here.
I reached Parawai Lodge, a small, older hut, a short distance from the trail. Now 4 pm (7.5 hours, and only 10 km, after I started), I was spent. Going any further would be folly; the next campsite was another 14 km ahead, on the other side of a big hill. Getting there before sunset seemed highly unlikely.
I got there just in time to get the last bottom bunk; the top bunks were in a loft on either side of the hut above the bunks and cooking area, with tall ladders to access. Also at the hut were two families (two adults and type young kids), a few other people, and one TA northbound hiker who started in Queenstown.
I ran into Wild Turkey, on his way out from the hut to the next campsite just as I arrived. The two trail angels, who thought I’d pass them, were nowhere to be seen; probably they’d gone a little further ahead to the parking lot servicing the area. Tam and Lee arrived around 7 pm, not surprising given Lee’s pace.
Stopping “early” in the day, I took advantage of the bright, sunny weather to hang up all of my wet clothes. By evening, everything was dry. (My boots were still a little damp, but much improved from this morning.)
I also cooked a little extra dinner to make up for not eating as much yesterday as I should have. The extra food I entered the Tararuas with definitely came in handy.
There was no cell service at Parawai Lodge either, but this time, I was able to send my location using my phone’s satellite feature. This was a little more important than yesterday, since CareFree is waiting for me in Waikanae, and now she should have a good idea that I’ll get there tomorrow.
Tomorrow ought to be a relatively easy day, with only one large hill to climb to finally exit the Tararua Range, and then a 10.5 km roadwalk to Waikanae.