Te Araroa – Part Two

Logistics, logistics, logistics

A short note to explain what has been happening over the last few days!

Firstly, the time in Waitomo was excellent.  It’s a sleepy little town with a couple of cafes (if they are open), no groceries and a lovely, traditional pub serving up hot stone grill amongst other fare. Overlooking the town is an archaic white building which in its time has served as a boarding school, tuberculosis hospital and fancy hotel.

The obvious highlight of my stay was a trip to the famous Waitomo Glowworm caves. It was an absolutely magical experience descending into a huge, limestone white cave. It was very dimly lit, so encouraged a sense of danger and adventure as you travelled deeper within.

The excellent tour culminated in a boat ride into the depths of the caves which was unbelievably beautiful.  A policy of no photos bought a sense of stillness and quiet to the boatload of visitors, the only noise the lapping of the water on the boat as we gazed up into a vast miasma of stars twinkling across the ceiling.  Like being in the depths of the Milky Way.  It was spectacular.  Nature really is an incredible thing.  And beautifully preserved and shared by the traditional owners of these lands.  

As I have said, Aubs has had a tonne of trouble accessing his money and bank accounts since we arrived in the country.  As a result, he proposed a scenario whereby we would skip the walk to Te Kuiti (consisting of farmlands), try to get a ride, and thereby give himself a chance to get all the banking stuff sorted in town.  On the back of my sickness, I was happy to agree.

How to get there though? A fortuitous trip to the Visitor Centre provided the answer when, on hearing of our conundrum, a legendary staff member said she would give us a ride the next day.  So great when a plan comes together because of generous people!

The following day, true to her word, Aquarius (what a name!) motored up right on time, saddled up our bags, and drove us into town.  What a legend. 

Over breakfast, a secondary plan was hatched.  Looking at the notes for the upcoming section had revealed a further lambing closure (take note me!) which would result in another long, dangerous road walk.  Even the trail notes suggested trying to avoid that stretch of road, or at least wear a high vis vest.  Without high vis vests in our packs, we were screwed! Additionally, the forecast was looking decidedly grim, with light rain predicted all the following day, and heavy rain (up to 50mm) following that. 

No thanks.  I’m not here to see the sights from NZ’s highways whilst it’s pissing down with rain and logging trucks are rumbling past.  As chief organiser, Aubs rang a trail angel who agreed to take us out to the start of the Timber Trail and the Pureora cabins, where we would base ourselves for two nights to avoid both the rain and the roads. 

So, here I am.  Cozy and warm.  I have a little cabin all to myself, oil heater ticking away, whilst I stare out the window at the lashing rain, curled up in my sleeping bag, book by my side.  After all this time, perhaps I have learnt a thing or two after all…