• Te Araroa Day 65
• Te Whare o Moturimu to Tokomaru Whare – 16km in 5 hours
• Rat encounters – read on to find out!

We all enjoyed not having to hurry off this morning with just a relatively short distance to the next shelter. After I warmed up I had a really solid 9hr sleep last night, and woke up at 7 am. It had rained quite heavily in the night which is always nice to listen to when you’re tucked up inside and not in a tent.

Comparing food seems to be quite a common getting to know you topic with fellow hikers, and Stephen has the same porridge as me but without milk powder. Crikey. Pieter is vegetarian, but both of them have backcountry meals for dinners so nothing too exciting. Meanwhile I’m now eating my ‘Kona trail mix’ with the chocolate coffee beans that weren’t going down well removed, but still enjoying most of my food.

I started off at 9:30 on a moody morning and was surprised to hear runner’s footsteps approaching from behind a wee way in. This time the runner in the middle of nowhere looked suitably prepared and like an ultra runner. I wondered how far she was going, and how she got here. After a climb on a forestry road for a few kilometres, a DOC track called Burtton’s Track began. Although a little muddy in the rain I really enjoyed the forest, particularly as it seemed to go mostly downhill! I could see why it’s recommended to do it in this direction…

This was also a day of river crossings. The trail followed Tokomaru River for quite a portion of the day, and crossed once, involved crossing/walking in it for 50 metres at another point, and there were quite a few smaller side streams to cross too. They were all manageable and not past knee-deep, but rocky and the main river had a decent current. The chilly water felt nice on my shins – muscles sometimes tight from all the walking.

After one crossing I came across a grassy clearing with this sign:

Not a happy ending! Worthy of the track being named after you though certainly. The trail widened and was often easier after this point though, so thanks for your hard work back in the day Mr Burtton.

Out of nowhere popped the trail runner. Wow. I had wondered if she was doing the whole trail, but it’s not a loop so that would require some transport planning. No loop no worries, it seemed she’d turned around and was running back! She said it was about 35 km but there were more stream crossings than she’d thought. I wished her luck up the big hill.

As often, the last part of the trail for today seemed to drag even though it was a short day. Pieter said he finds this too. Eventually I came to the gravel road, and then just around the corner tonight’s shelter. Not as aesthetically amazing as last night’s, but it does have a door! Pros and cons…

Stephen was already there, plotting to start a fire. It seemed like a good idea in theory… but the wind was all over the show making it tricky to sit in clear air. On the one hand I wanted to enjoy the fire, on the other my clothes had only just about stopped reeking of smoke from the last campfire back near Te Kuiti.

I sat inside sipping chicken noodle soup, and heard all about Pieter’s life, work, and travel as he asked what I might do when I finished my adventure gap year. I’ve really enjoyed hearing how people ended up in their line of work, and how they live their life. Meeting new people on this adventure has made for quite a few of these conversations, and it feels a bit like attending the university of life. Although this wasn’t an objective I had before I came, it is a reason I’m glad I came alone. I think I am more open to these sorts of interactions, and maybe people are more inclined to talk to me.

Tonight’s shelter is made of iron, and along with the door has a wooden sleeping platform (but alas no built in foam like last night), a table, and chairs. It’s 5:30pm and tramper dinnertime because it’ll get dark soon. A trail app mentions a pesky possum or rat that hangs out here so hopefully 3 of us might scare it away.

Tomorrow’s journey is about 20 km to the Makahika Outdoor Centre, where there’ll be hot showers, hopefully Wi-Fi, a bed in a hut, a food parcel I posted ahead, and some weather advice on the main Tararua section. I feel really lucky to have come across some fellow trampers planning the same schedule, and hope we can get the right weather window to travel through the Tararuas.

Update at 7:15 pm – we are now in bed but while talking after dinner the resident rat ran across the floor right in front of Stephen & I… I’ve now hung my food bag from a nail on the ceiling beam, fingers crossed we won’t be disturbed again. At least it seems warmer than last night!