From the sublime to the ridiculous….It poured down all night long. In the morning, carnage at the campsite as campers dealt with newly developed swamps around their tents.
Packing up is never easy in the rain. A case of try and do as much as possible inside, before getting out and tackling the rest of the pack up in the elements. Afterwards, I find HOSC huddling under the small roofed area we ate dinner at the night before. Both of us looked fairly glum. Nothing for it but to get moving. So that’s what we did.
Very honestly, it was a crazy day. The rain barely eased up. Cats and dogs. We started out on a little used road. A track closure meant a 7.5km detour. Ordinarily it may have been interesting, but today was not that day. We raced through it, barely stopping.
A fortuitous “for sale” sign led to us spying a mysterious orange triangle seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Where the triangles go, we follow. Over the fence and into a grassy paddock we plunged. Pelted by the rain on all sides. Now this was more like the Heysen!!
Up, down and around through grassy and weed infested paddocks. It was boggy, muddy and the views were, well, pretty ordinary.
That is, until we arrived at a magical, green grotto. Full of vibrant pungas, or tree ferns. I’ve never witnessed so many in one place. It was like a lovely, wet, fairy glade.
It was nice whilst it lasted, but before long we were back on the boggy track. Finally we arrived at a river. Swollen, brown and frothy. On the verge of flooding. On a sunny day, meandering alongside this creek would have been lovely. Today, it was a wet, soaked mess.
But then the glory. The moment that made the whole day worthwhile. The moment that had us grinning from ear to ear, as the rain continued to pummel. Rainbow Falls. Thundering and magnificent under the heavy floods. Power and beauty wrapped in a roaring package. It was stunning.
The final few kilometres of the day were the icing on the cake. Beautiful, lush forest. Birds crying out as the rain began to fade. We exited the track and made our way into the town of Kerikeri to be met by the owners of our accommodation for the night. One quick look at us was enough to have her pulling out the drying rack immediately. All I could think about was a long, hot, soaking shower.
The shower was spectacular. The accommodation was superb. By the time I was in fresh clothes, hair washed, equipment drying I felt on top of the world.
It was a really rough day. 32km, non stop. In the pouring rain. It’s enough to make anyone cry. One thing is for sure. It was so nice to have company. Someone to laugh with, feel frustrated with, wet and haggard with, joyous with, to bitch and moan with, to feel alive with. It was a gift.
Additional gear breakages – 3. My new puffy sustained damage from an unknown source. The hole is taped up. Aubs tent fly is currently safety pinned together, the zip having completely zipped off. Aubs bed roll stuff sack has succumbed to the pressure as well.
Number of falls/trips/spills/ slides in the mud….Aubs -3; me – 0. Haha!!
What a day ! You two are still laughing so that’s the important thing. xx
Hahaha! 💦💦💦 So good to see smiles on your faces despite all the wetness! Love the little fern glade – and how your photos reflect these up-times! Enjoy the dry, warm, cozy unit, and fingers crossed for successful repair work! Any tape left?? 😄
I can identify with your struggles. I had to get around the golf course today in horrific wet and and windy conditions. OK, I was in a motorised cart, but still very trying!