We woke up to more rain. We ate breakfast inside the tent and one by one packed our bags inside as best we could - one person has to lie down still so the other can actually move their elbows enough to be able to pack up. It may have taken longer than usual but we just about managed it and packed away our wet tent before the rain set in.
We walked through cut scrub (evil plants that scratch your legs to pieces and stick in your hair) until we led onto a nice track through forest. It was a steep (and very slippy) down hill to a knee high river crossing and then a steady uphill via horse/cycle path to the road leading into Waitomo village and past the glow worm caves. We're going to stop in and visit the caves on our way back up to Auckland.
When we reached Waitomo, we stopped for a milkshake and a pie in the cafe just as the rain closed in. We watched the sky get more and more grey but eventually, knowing we were desperate for a resupply, decided it was time to brave it and make our way towards Te Kuiti.
We knew this part of the trail was supposed to take a fair bit of time but it wasn't until we started we realised why. We climbed up until we hit forest and then, in a crazy downpour of rain, had to make our way back down a muddy path that zig zagged down the slope. We slid most of the way - rain softening the mud more and more as it came down.
Eventually coming onto farm land, and then more forest, then farm land again, and so on and so forth, we had tackled hill after hill and gotten absolutely soaked through in the process. Not far from Te Kuiti, we thanked god we didn't have to climb the hill to our right. We followed orange triangles through the sheep fields until and appreciated the views of the valley until, oh, wait... we realised we were going up the huge hill to our right after all. We made our way, very slowly it felt, up and over the hill where we caught our first views of the town. The sun fought its way through cloud just in time for us to catch site of a huge rainbow right over the town. Luke got somewhat distracted on his way down from the trig point and slipped on cow's poo managing to get it on his socks, his trousers and his coat - all the more reason to get into the town and put a wash on.
(On the way down Luke found a 7foot long palm leaf hanging in the way of the path- he popped out from it and said 'good morning, ladies' and it was so funny Renee slipped through the mud trying to stop herself laughing).
We stopped at Te Kuiti camp ground where the grumpy manager soon made us realise why this particular site isn't on our list of recommended accommodations for the area. Sighing as he checked us in and too lazy to put his shoes on to show us where to put our tent up, he waved in the general direction of some grass and shut the office door.
We cooked and then went to the local New World to stock up on food for the next six days. We may have gotten slightly carried away with treats but we validate it by insisting we need the extra calories so it's fine!
Here's a list of things I have come to hate that I have mentally recorded so far while walking:
- Stiles
- Stiles made for giants with really long legs
- Stiles at the top of hills
- Hills
- Hills with mud
- Mud of all kinds
- Barbed wire and/or electric fences
- Rain
- Inquisitive cows
- Spiky bushes and/or thorns
- Not having enough toilet roll
I could go on but I won't- must be positive. Love early mornings, love wet shoes and muddy socks. Am happy happy happy!
It rained all night and view from the tent in the morning didn't show much promise for the day to come either. Nonetheless, I jumped out of bed nice and early to get ready for a day's walking.... before returning to the tent a short while after with my tail between my legs to tell Luke the bad news - I had a VERY upset tummy and wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
I sat in the camper's kitchen feeling sorry for myself while Luke took our dirty clothes to the laundrette and finally made an appointment at the dentist.
So here's what we had achieved on our unplanned day off:
- Daisy lost probably a stone in weight and used two roles of toilet paper
- Luke had his coat stolen from the laundrette
- Luke had root canal treatment
- Like had to replace said stolen coat with cheep pac-a-mac
All in all, it was not our most successful.
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