November 23

Hi from Taumaranui!  As you can see we have been on the Trail and made some considerable distance.  From  Huntly we went to Ngarawhahia and then walked down towards Whatawhata missing out the Hamilton part as it was all road walking. From Whatawhata we road walked to the base of Mt Pirongia and camped at a lovely Doc campsite there by a stream.  The next day we were up early and climbed up Mt Pirongia on the north east track. The weather forecast was for rain so we wanted to try and beat it up the mountain.  The track was great for the first couple of hours then got steep and track very wet and then the rain arrived along with a gale force westerly wind so by the time we arrived at the summit it was cold and wet and miserable. We reached the summit by 11am and went into the hut up there put on every piece of hat and clothing we had climbed into our sleeping bags had food and tea and whiskey and still didn't warm up till about 4pm! A lesson in the how to respect alpine conditions and not to take them lightly. We stayed there till the next day when it was still blowing but not raining.  It took us 4 hours to get down to find sunshine!  We met with an American chap up the mountain who had no cooker no warm food a light sleeping bag and only jeans to wear!  I think he got the idea we weren't too impressed with his equipment.
The next day we road walked a lot of back country roads crossed farmland and camped just in the start of a bush track.  We have been walking 20km to 28 km a day any more is too hard on our feet. Some days just 16km when the tracks are hard and there are quite a few of those!
The next day was a hard day to Waitomo with very steep climbs up and down fence lines scrub tracks and our first river crossing. We were shattered at the end of the day. The accommodation in Waitomo was expensive so we managed a ride to Te Kuiti and stayed at the camp ground there in a cabin. We met up with Maria and Andy from Germany doing the Trail as well. We met with the camp ground owner Tokowha who gave us great learnings about the history and Maori heritage of the area.
The next day Wayno and I got a ride back to Waitomo from Tokowha and did the Waitomo to Te Kuiti leg.  What a shit track for the first half. It was poorly marked impassible in places and 6 foot high gorse for a long way. It was a poor representative of the TA Trail! And we weren't the only ones who felt like that.
We have met so many wonderful people on and off the trail. NZ is really a great place with great people -friendly and generous. For us this journey has definitely become more about the people we meet than the places we go. As I have said previously we do get some car rides at times usually short ones only and only when road walking is involved and mostly tarseal road walking.  Every time we have had a lift we have met some amazing people from all walks of life and different cultures and nationality and every time we have learnt something new and interesting which we wouldn't have if we had been walking.