Day 53: Taumarunui to Owhango (23km, 6 hours)

Today is another a road walk, 23km through countryside and farmland to the tiny settlement of Owhango. But long road walks are very hard on the feet, not to mention boring.

I was packed and ready to head off at 8:30am. As I left  I said goodbye to a few of the TA hikers who were sharing the campsite. Some are heading down the trail with me and I’m sure to see them again. But Andrea, who was the only camper sharing the campsite with me on New Year’s Eve, won’t be one of them. She’s an Australian lady, camping here for a few days waiting for a friend. We’d only spoken with each other a little, but we seemed to be kindred spirits. As I walked down the road it made me think of goodbyes, and I had a wee tear in my eye. 

As predicted, the next 6 hours involved plodding along a mostly gravel road on increasingly sore feet.

Wait, what? Who’s this?

An impressive fellow! He walked down the entire field with me - I appreciated the company 

10am pic: time to rest the feet for a few minutes

Looking back down the valley. The road has been  going uphill steadily for several hours

Late morning I was passed by a couple of TA hikers I’d briefly met previously, Curtis and Nicky, and stopped by the road for a bite of lunch together. 

At 2:30 I hobbled in to Owhango. There really isn’t anything there, an old cafe (closed today) and the old Owhango Hotel, now an adventure tourism company. They allegedly have accommodation for TA hikers, but when I called in the only person there said they were closed. But he sent me down the road to a house called Forest Lodge, where the owner allows tents and rents out a few rooms. I was the first guest there, and ended up with a real bed for tonight, woo-hoo!

The owner was actually away, leaving her visiting sister-in-law Suraya to look after the place. Suraya was increasingly stressed as more TA hikers arrived, but eventually found a bed or camp site for everyone (probably over 10 of us). Her sister brews her own ginger & lemon cider, which Suraya was happy to sell for $10 a bottle - I think we bought her entire stash.

Suraya - she’s actually a writer from Auckland, we may catch up for a coffee when we’re both back

The rest of the afternoon involved a shower, doing some washing, drinking cider and chatting to some of the other TA hikers about the road ahead.

Ally, Nic, Ayumi and Frank

Dan and Sophie, from USA 

The next 3 days are going to be challenging, and I’m feeling increasingly worried about what’s ahead. Tomorrow I cross the 42 Traverse (a track over the hills), which is currently closed by a 150m slip. After talking to a lot of hikers, it sounds like it is stable and passable, so I’ll give that a go (don’t worry, I’ll be sensible). But there is also a river crossing and bad weather approaching, so I’ll need to make an early start tomorrow to try to get through before the rain. And the bad weather is going to get worse for the Tongariro Crossing which it looks like I will need to attempt on the 5th. Arrgh! Please wish me luck!

But for now, time for dinner (instant noodles!) and an early night in my comfy bed.

My bed for the night

A final note: I’m likely to be rough camping tomorrow outside cellphone range. I’m not sure what coverage will be like for the next few days, so don’t worry if you don’t hear from me until after the Tongariro Crossing. 

Today’s route