Te Kuiti to Taumarunui

Day 46
Km 20
Cumulative Km 562

We had a good time at our Te Kuiti trail angel, Sue. Set off at about 07h30. We hit a nice forest track and crossed a bridge to come to an old farm track…and lo and behold about 8 young bulls too!

Now neither of us really knew how to act around them . Two came together in the road, stared at us and blocked the road. So we backed down a little and try to wait them out. A few minutes later 3 more came out from the bank and were a bit startled by our presence. We decided that talking calmly between one another was the way to go. Some 30mins later they eventually moved passed us, with a few trying to curiously sniff us. Luckily they were all in a good mood and we slowly made it up the hill and then sped right up when they were out of sight.

The track continued alongside a easy, wide forest track close to the river and was pleasant and we enjoyed the environment. We came across the last swing bridge and crossed the river to a sign that stated “ Te Araoa 15km, 5 hours “. Though this seemed long for a nice track along the river we continued and had a break by the river.

It then all turned bad, the track started to cling to the side of the river valley, was muddy and loads of places, not shallow either but deep dark mud. The trail also consisted of steep short and slippery ups and down scrambles.

So much for a nice walk by the river! On the narrow pathway, which was very sketchy and much more a goat track than a trail, my left leg slipped down the hill a little and I slight strained my knee in the process too. I was getting very irritable due to the track difficulty mixed with my continued lack of sleep.

I was just not a happy camper! Part of the trail also included a 130m steep ramble up sheep grazing slopes and back down to the river.

I then came to a divergence in the track , one along the river and one scrambling uphill. As Moritz was ahead of me I assumed he would have taken the one along the river. I eventually caught up to him when he took a break and said that I was concerned as there have not been orange trail markers for quiet a while. We continued for a little while longer but it seemed that the track petered out. So we went back to the intersection, clambered up hill and found the next marker there. We still had a few hours to go along the pine and eucalyptus forest track as farm roads.
We eventually got into camp just after 5pm! Really spent after such a long and hard day!

Day 47
Km 16
Cumulative Km 578

Today the planned distance was 36km of dirt and tar road walking. From the beginning I wanted to hitch most of it but Moritz wanted to walk until SH30. So that’s what we did, though it was really boring and at around midday we figured we would try hitch off the dirt road, which should be easier than the highway. First car, thumbs out and the guy stopped and asked if we wanted a ride to the campsite, clearly he had picked up several hikers. He worked the logging operations in the area and had a breakdown.

It was a longish hitch and we chatted a fair bit. Getting to the campsite early meant being able to do some washing. Especially good for the mud off my pants!
We stayed at Pureora Campsite for the night.

Day 48
Km 22
Cumulative Km 600

Today we started the Timber Trail. It’s a shared mountain biking/ hiking trail and thus is at a easy gradient and is nice and wide!! So exciting to be on a trail where you can enjoy the forest surroundings! We passed some really awesome tall trees.

About 12km into the trail we diverted up the Toi-Toi track, leading up to Pureora Summit. I was hoping to get views and Ruapehu and Tongariro as it was a clear day, but too hazy further in the distance. We also got a view of Lake Taupo.

The trail down is no longer maintained by DOC. Though it’s not worse than many trails we have been on. There were a fair few boggy sections on the way down, and then we joined the Timber Trail again.

Our hut for the night is a little off trail. It’s called the BOG Inn Hut and is one of the older huts in NZ. It was built in 1960. It has sleep space for 4 , a wood stove, washing up area and toilet.

The guys who named the hut had a sense of humour and must have referred to some of the boggy areas you need to pass to get here. With a sign at the diversion: 1.6km, 30 minutes and then half way 800m, 30 minutes???

Day 49
Km 22
Cumulative Km 622

Today the most exciting thing on the trail were the superb swing bridges and the stump hut- a tiny dwelling made inside the stump of a tree. It’s rather dilapidated now and I can’t imagine 2 people living in here!
The other highlight of the day was food related- pizza at the Timber Lodge- fancy lodge on the trail . The view from the lodge is also great as it is perched on a hill.
We spent the night at Camp Epic- and it was EPIC! The best and most modern camp bathrooms ever! Breakfast included!

Day 50
Km 24.5
Cumulative Km 646.5

It was due to rain loads from midnight but we had very little of this predicted rain while walking, which is good! Lots came down in the evening though!

The day started with a winding climb, gaining 180m in elevation and joining the incredibly impressive 141m Maramataha Bridge. The cost of building was 470k NZD and the bridge life will be 50 years. It also took 18 helicopter hours to help with the different stages of bridge building. The height of the bridge is 53m above a gorgeous creek and gorge covered in forest.

I enjoyed today’s walk as we followed old logging tram ways with explanations of logging related activities along the way. One fun story was when the payroll officer fell off his horse and the horse bolted with the wages, in cash, for 100 men! The horse was found 2 weeks later with all cash on board!
We walked through cuttings in the mountains that allowed the railway locos and trains to pass and are now overgrown with trees, creating natural tunnels.

Day 51
Km 24
Cumulative Km 670.5

The last section of the timber trail has a trail highlight- a spiral construction for logging trains to make a sharp turn across 2 bridges and through a tunnel. There is also a 1500m long active landslide area where we passed the 1,000km of the trail mark!! That’s a third of the trail!

Hereafter the trail gets somewhat boring and a bit depressing as we have a large hill that is bare and clogged, perhaps a fitting end to see what logging does to a landscape?

The trail finished in the old milling town of Ongarue , now a near ghost town. We walked another 3km to get to SH4 to try and hitch to Taumarunui 21km down the road. We eventually got picked up by a lady who picked up the girl who we have been hiking with.

It was difficult to find a place to stay, as all was booked out. We eventually found a lovely cottage on Airbnb for a good price, though 3km out of town.

Day 52
Km 3.5
Cumulative Km 674

Today is pretty much a 0 day for rest, washing and eating loads!! Of course we buy supplies to do some cooking too! We also go to the I-site to get some info on the upcoming river canoe, which I will skip and the Tongariro Crossing.

We had already booked 3 nights at our accommodation but it turned out that the weather would be great for the crossing the next day. So I enquired if it was possible to get a return transfer from Taumarunui to the start of the trail and back. And it was at the same price if we used a complex combination of bus, shuttle and no more accommodation costs! So we were booked for that the next day!!