Day 52: Rest Day, Taumarunui

Happy New Year everyone!

It was a very quiet night last night, just a few fireworks in the distance. Otherwise I slept like a log.

I was up for a briefing with Taumarunui Canoes first thing this morning (the lovely owner Karen made me a real flat white, with home baked bread). Kayaking down the river is going to be a challenge, so there is a lot to learn about navigating rapids and the logistics of the whole exercise. My kayak trip doesn’t start until January 11, so I have plenty of time to forget everything I heard in the briefing!

Today I need to stock up on 10 days’ worth of food - 5 for the next few days on the road, and 5 more to pack in a barrel and leave with Taumarunui Canoes for my kayak trip. It’s a 4km walk, but the canoe people kindly dropped me off in town.

10am pic: dropped off in bustling Taumarunui. Everything is closed on New Year’s Day!

Well, almost everything!

So, McDonalds for breakfast! I spent 2 hours there, using their wifi to upload my photos for the last 6 days of my blog, so it was worth it.

Then off to the supermarket, the only other thing that was open. On the way I linked up with some of the TA hikers from the campsite at the end of the Timber Trail, who were also doing the same as me and stocking up on food. We all aimlessly circled around New World for over an hour, trying to work out what we needed to bus.

They were all heading back to Taumarunui Canoes - and while we waited for a pickup, we were joined by others. There were almost 20 TA hikers in the end - they had to send a bus!

What’s the collective noun for TA hikers?

So much busier than last night!

I think the canoe place is a TA hub - all pass through to book canoes and plan ahead, then they split off in different directions at different speeds. However the group of 7-8 I met at the end of the Timber Trail seem to be headed the same way as me, so so imagine I’ll see them over the next few days. 

I finished my day catching up on my blog. I was still working on it in my tent at midnight. It’s finally up to date, so you can go back and check out the last 6 days for more details if you haven’t yet done that. (Also, note to self - write less!!)

Finally, off to sleep. ‘Rest’ day is over, and another big week is ahead - which will include the Tongariro Crossing!