Tākitimu - Aparima Hut

18km 8.5 hrs

The path today started out through an absolutely gorgeous forest. The only downside being that the track was a bit of a goat track sidling along a ridge going up and down rooty outcrops and over downed trees. And then there was the mud! Great patches that you couldn't go around and smaller patches hidden by ferns until it was too late. Just the kind of terrain that we are very slow over.

At about lunchtime the landscape changed and we came out of the forest into a tussocky bog. There were parts that seemed to be great masses of moss floating on water that you just had to go through and other bits that were the same as the bogs in the forest. However, the open train meant that we were moving faster than before lunch.

The trail wended its way between these open bits and the forest all the way to the hut. I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately on one of the forest sections Karen managed to slip in a muddy patch and get mud all over her. To add insult to injury it also got really cold at about the same time so we had to match on until we could find a stream so she could get cleaned up and some dry clothes on.

In one of the clearings as we were climbing a little rise, there was a chittering that sounded very much like birds coming towards me then out of the bushes came two stats, one chasing the other. They were very bold, taking no notice of me until I called out for the others what they were. Then they his in a bush near the track. Karen and I went either side to see if we could kill one with our poles but they were too quick. As soon as they zoomed off they were back at it with their squacking.

We were quite ready to see the hut when it turned up just to get warm.Läs mer