Day 31/50 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The North Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Date: Friday 1st December
Weather: sunny ☀️
From: Taumarunui canoe camping
Start time: 6.50am canoe 🛶 briefing. 8.15am started waking into town to get a hitch to the start of the 42 Traverse. Started at 9.20am
To: Tongariro Holiday Park
End time: 7.15pm
Accommodation: camping 🏕️
Terrain: gravel tracks, muddy & clay paths, nature tracks
🥾Km: 37
🦶Steps: 47,025
🚗 Hitch 1 - into town - Ash 🙏 4K
🚗Hitch 2 - to the SH junction 4K
🚗 Hitch 3 - Darren 🙏to the start of the 42 traverse 1070km
Streams little - 2
River crossings - 2
Total Km: 1109/1715 = 65% ✅
💰Costs: $25 camping 🏕️
Ice lolly $3.50
Total = $28.50
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10 loving life. 🙏
Fatigue: 4/10 - feeling more energetic- end of my period. So the hormones are balancing out again 😀
Ease of terrain: 8/10 tough - but the good type of tough.
⭐️Highlights: the 42 traverse was stunning. I had a perfect day for it.
🏞️Really enjoyed the river crossings. Doing 37km and getting where I needed to get to.
🚎Being told there is a bus that goes at 7am tomorrow- from opposite the holiday park - which will take me to exactly where I need to get to 1115km - start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
🏔️Challenges: even the muddy sections weren’t horrendous.
🛣️The highway was quite quiet and I ran a few kms to get to the holiday park quicker as I didn’t want to be on the road when the light was starting to go.
💭Thoughts: I’m really enjoying the TA now. Since 700km/Hamilton and skipping the road walking. It’s been epic. I’m really excited for the next few days. 🥳
Day 32/50 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The North Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Date: Saturday 2nd December
Weather: dry & sunny ☀️
From: Tongariro Holiday Park
Start time: 7am - bus 🚎 (free)
7.30am started the crossing.
To: Whakapapa Holiday Park
End time: 5pm
Accommodation: camped 🏕️
Terrain: 1k gravel road to the start of the park. forest tracks, stairs, screen fields, sandy paths.
🥾Km: 27.6
🦶Steps: 35,491
🚎Bus - Ross 🙏 5k down the SH (7.10am)
Total Km: 1143/1715 = 67% ✅
💰Costs: $23 camping 🏕️
$4.50 ice-cream 🍦
Total = $28.50
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10 🥳
Fatigue: 7/10 - wiped by the end of the day
Ease of terrain: 9/10 - steep scree fields to climb and descend.
⭐️Highlights: well marked path at the start. Beautifully maintained paths. Stunning walk. The emerald lakes, the red crater.
Views of the hot springs & the volcano 🌋. The whole walk was incredible. Plus I had perfect weather - blue skies and sunshine.
🏔️Challenges: none. Perfect day!
💭Thoughts: these past few days have been epic. Incredible experiences. 🙏 Very grateful to be out here.
Day 33/50 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The North Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Date: Sunday 3rd December
Weather: rainy 🌧️
From: Whakapapa Holiday Park
Start time: 9.45am
To: Monument - just past 1190km
End time: 4pm
Accommodation: Trail Angel Sharon - bed in a garage 🛏️
Terrain: mix of well-formed track, rough tramping track and gravel road.
🥾Km: 29k
🦶Steps: 37,307
🚗 Hitch 1 - Korean Family 🇰🇷 took me to National Park (20k) from 1143 - 1163
Total Km: 1190/1715 = 69% ✅
💰Costs: $40 for the bed, sheets & shower 🚿
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 5/10 - not very challenging. Mostly downhill on nice paths or gravel roads.
⭐️Highlights: Got a hitch in about 3 mins and they took me all the way to National Park. Fisher track was a stunning walk. Beautiful views. Really enjoyed the walk.
🏔️Challenges: the weather wasn’t great. Lots of drizzle 🌧️ during the day and constant rain from 6pm onwards. I’m wondering how this will impact the river? But the weather is the weather and I have no control of it - so will need to wait and see what happens tonight!
💭Thoughts: felt really tired and ill. I had no mojo this morning- it was a struggle to leave the tent. Feel like I’m coming down with a cold. I need a hot lemsip and a warm bed!!
Day 34/50 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The North Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Date: Monday 4th December
Weather: rainy 🌧️
From: Monument - just past 1190km
Start time: 8.30am collected by canoe company. Started in the canoe at 10.30am
To: John Coull Campsite.
End time: 4.30pm
Accommodation: camped 🏕️
Terrain: River - gentle rapids
🥾Km: 0
🦶Steps: 0
Canoe Km: 35
🚎 bus ride - canoe company (1109 - 1215) Whakahoro - where the canoes get launched from
Total Km: 1252/1715 = 73% done ✅
💰Costs: $16 camping 🏕️
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10
Fatigue:6 /10 - didn’t sleep well last night
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: Due to the rain last night. The river is running faster. So we got to camp a lot faster than expected.
🏔️Challenges: the weather. Challenging to get everything packed in the barrels. I’ve bought way to much food for the trip! My bum hurts and I think I’m getting a blister on my left hand.
💭Thoughts: the scenery is stunning - but very similar all the way along. I think it’s going to get boring after a while.
I’m really excited about the next few days and the river adventure 🛶
Day 35/50 🥾Te Araroa Trail - The North Island 🇳🇿
📍Supported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ℹ️Stats: Date: Tuesday 5th December
Weather: dry with rainy spells
From: John Coull Campsite
Start time: 8.20am
To: Ngaporo Campsite 🏕️
End time: 6.20pm
Accommodation: camped 🏕️
Terrain: flat calm river, with a few small rapids
🥾Km: 12 * stopped off to walk to the bridge to nowhere
🦶Steps: 15,460
River km: 50km
Total Km: 1275/1715 = 74% Done ✅
💰Costs: $16 camping
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10 - the river not so much, the chat at the campsite with the other hikers was great fun
Fatigue: 8/10 it was a looooong day on the river
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: reaching the campsite 🥳. Dinner & banter with the other hikers
🏔️Challenges: my bum hurts from sitting on the seat for so long. I was also getting leg cramps. My lower back also doesn’t like the rowing motion! When it was cold and it started to rain I was not in a happy place.
💭Thoughts: I don’t like being cold and wet. Especially when there is no way to get warm. big days on the river are hard going. The final few kms - ughhh just get me there already!