• Te Araroa Day 44
• Kaniwhaniwha Camp to Mt Pirongia – 11 km in 5 hours (including cave side trip)

Well it was another night of more reading than sleeping in the tent, and everything was damp this morning. I put on the damp clothes and set off to check out the nearby Kaniwhaniwha Caves. The fifteen minute walk warmed up my stiff body, and it’s amazing how light and free walking without a pack feels. I didn’t really go too far into the cave, as it didn’t seem like a good idea alone and I’m not a huge fan of small spaces. There were also a lot of large creepy crawlies hanging out on the cave roof – kind of a cross between a spider and a weta. I’ll have to Google what they are!

I went back and packed up then just as I was about to set off into the campsite popped Te Araroa hiker Bruce that Jo & Greg had mentioned. We chatted briefly and I looked forward to talking more up at the hut. I wanted to get up there before any rain, and to make the most of relaxing in a comfy place.

The weather was overcast and the track initially climbed quite gently. I found this a bit trudgy, but I think it was just my mood. The forest was vibrant and beautiful after the recent farmland. I knew towards the summit it got steeper and a bit more challenging, and oddly I enjoyed this a lot more. I think the bit of bouldering I’ve done helps with foot placements, and I quite enjoy the task of scrambling uphill. It was also a surprise to see these bright blue mushrooms here and there!

Unfortunately it was very much overcast then at the top misty and drizzly with the clouds lowering. Nothing to be seen from the lookout places or the summit!

The hut did come into view though and after half an hour more I was there. It hadn’t taken long from the campsite, and I can see why it’s a popular place to visit. There are plenty of raised campsites too, and the hut is quite new. It was built after the old one proved too small, and it now serves as DOC warden and goat hunter accommodation.

I had the hut to myself for about fifteen minutes before a couple of ladies from Hamilton showed up and embarked on a massive eatathon. They were quite funny but I was a little envious of all their yummy food, and thought back wistfully to how I’d also been able to pack treats a plenty on short overnight tramps.

Quite a bit later Bruce, his son, and his brother in law arrived with Tussock the dog. They’d taken it easy and had lots of breaks, and even had views! The hut had been in the mist the whole time though, and it got dark and gloomy pretty early.

Bruce has been doing the North Island of Te Araroa in sections, and this one to Te Kuiti is the final piece of the puzzle. He is planning to bike from the bottom of Mt Pirongia to Waitomo though because he’s heard the track isn’t maintained and is terrible. That filled me with confidence… He’d also biked a large part of the trail around Bulls, Palmerston North and Fielding because it’s all road too. Darn it, how can I get my cycle touring bike and gear up there so I can do the same?? I have everything I’d need, it’s just in the wrong island… Bruce’s wife seemed to be driving around in support of him.

Because of the gloom, I think we all cooked and ate dinner at about 5pm! It was dark not long after, and at 6:30 pm Bruce’s camp all got into bed. It’s a shame the hut doesn’t have a fire, but someone thought that might be because the tracks are so muddy even at this time of year and maybe DOC doesn’t want to encourage visits in colder months?

I finished my book, but tossed and turned instead of having the great sleep I had hoped for. Tomorrow’s track down the other side of Mt Pirongia is a bit notorious for mud, and the forecast still looked like rain. At least Bruce’s party were going down too, and I’d have other trampers around for a change. I tried not to think about the day after and the track Bruce didn’t want to do.