Day 40: Whatawhata to Kaniwhaniwha camp (20km, 6 hours)

Jules after she dropped me off at 8am, at the spot where she had picked me up yesterday. I waved goodbye and stopped to watch as her car disappeared back down the road. There was a little tear in my eye - it must be the TA finally getting to me. Bye, Jules and Jel, thanks!

Goodbyes are hard! Especially when the days ahead are going to be challenging.

And, I was off down the road. Today's route was leading me towards and over the Kapamahanga ranges, to the Kaniwhaniwha campsite which is at the base of Mt Pirongia. But first, there was a little road walking.

In fact very soon I spotted some well-hidden orange markers that were telling me to veer off the road back into farmland by the Waipa river. But after clambering down from the road, they turned out to be the last orange signs I saw for well over an hour. There was no sign of a trail whatsoever - I ended up wading through increasingly overgrown grasses and thistles, along the edge of a cornfield. After trying to battle through blackberry patches for the umpteenth time, I'd had enough and walked between the corn rows instead.

Blackberries 1, Simon 0

Lost in a cornfield 

Another kilometre of corn later, I gave up and barged back through the field to the road a few hundred metres away Sorry, corn farmer, for any bent leaves! I finally started making better time. After a while my TA app took me up a side road, which soon became gravel and started heading steeply uphill to the start of the Kapamahanga Ranges. I was looking for the entry point to the Karamu Walkway, which would lead me over the ranges to my camp on the other side. My trail notes said the entry was "a little obscure" - all I could see was an unsigned locked gate off the side of the road, heading into farmland! But my app said the trail started about here, so I headed through and up the hill, with fingers crossed. 

10am pic: looking for the start of the Karamu Walkway

Finally! After 5 minutes, an orange marker. About time.

Getting pretty hot! The sheep have the right idea.

Great views out to the west

It's 30 degrees! I found a shady tree to stop under for lunch. Time to open  the salami I bought in Hamilton.

The Karamu Walkway started as rough 4WD tracks through farmland, but after an hour or so it veered off this - and then occasional orange markers stopped. With no visible trail, I had to trust my TA app, which seemed to be telling me me make like a goat and cross over a steep ridge. After scrambling up and gingerly inching down the other side, it was then a matter of scouting for more markers.

This had better be the right way!

It’s like Where’s Wally. If Wally is a little orange triangle. Who is sometimes not actually there at all.

Several false starts later, I eventually found a marker, and worked out that it was telling me to leave the farmland and go through the bush. In fact it turned into a nice bush track heading downhill for an hour or so, all the way out of the ranges to the road on the other side. It was still searingly hot and I must have looked exhausted, as a woman driving past stopped and handed me a cold nectarine through the car window. Thanks, mystery fruit lady!

I made it out of the bush! Stopping by the road for another OSM bar.

A further hour's walk down the road, and I was at the Kaniwhaniwha stream, which I followed down a shady forest trail for 45 minutes to the campsite.

 

On the home stretch. A nice even track. With shade!

…and following the Kaniwhaniwha stream

The campsite itself was basically a field by the stream - the water source was the stream itself. I was there just after 2pm, and set up my tent in a quiet corner. There were a couple of other small tents there, and a few day trippers walking from the road and back. These included a lovely Bolivian family who I had passed on the way - they offered me a hole lot of watermelon and several bananas, and we had a nice long chat. They even gave me their number and said I should stop by to see them if ever I was passing back through Hamilton.

I’m at the back of the little shady spot near the right.

Enrique, Cecelia, Angelique and Lucas. Thanks so much for the fruit and the chat!

The stream was calling out for a swim.

Having a dip. Yes, it was cold!

Dinner was spaghetti bolognese - my first dehydrated meal on this trip. Cooking basically involves boiling 2 cups of water, pouring it into the bag, and then waiting 15 minutes. While waiting, I noticed a young guy with a backpack had arrived - sure enough he turned out to be another Te Araroa tramper, Dan. Finally, a TA walker heading the same way as me! He was going to meet his father here in the morning for the climb up Mount Pirongia, and like me would be staying in the hut at the top of the mountain too. We had a quick chat, and he gave me some good advice about another navigational app (FarOut / Guthook) that seemed like it would be a very useful addition to my free TA trail app. I must download and check it out in the future.  

Spag bol for dinner! 

A big day tomorrow - up Mt Pirongia! Time to get to bed early and try and get a good night's sleep.

Today’s route