Day 35 - cow redemption
Whatawhata —-> Kaniwhaniwha Campsite 23km
In my agony the night before, I’d completely forgotten to ask the bar staff how to get out of the Whatawhata pub garden in the morning. I wandered around, testing handles and looking for a secret door… I text Steph to see how she’d gotten out a few days before and hoped she’d reply before I needed to leave!
As she was a few days ahead of me on the trail Steph had been sending through tips for what I had to come; photos, as well as exact km marks for obstacles / water / places to have a nice rest. They were incredibly helpful. She’d told me that the section I was to do today was her favourite of the trail so far so I was looking forward to it!
By the time I was ready to leave (a very leisurely 9am), the pub garden was alive with activity - builders and staff on site - I needn’t have worried about getting out! I walked through the small village of Whatawhata, where the trail took me behind an old church and through some fairly nondescript bush alongside the river.
Bush turned into farmland and that obviously meant more cows. All my fears of the evening before had disappeared and I strode through several cow-laden fields with all the confidence of a farmer - cow encounters should be scheduled in the morning when my spirits and energy are at their peak!
Elated that I’d passed through two cow fields already, I came to a third full of calves shortly after. They were on the other side so I strolled right in and headed in the opposite direction when suddenly I was thigh deep in bog. I’m saying it’s bog, I’m praying it was bog… but I was in a field of cows so I’m sure it wasn’t just bog. Bleurgh. I tried to climb out but my legs were suctioned in… My walking poles were both in there with me so they were useless, I began pulling myself out using the grass. Hearing the calves starting to potter over to me, curiously excited about what was stuck in their field, made me pull harder. I squelched out, losing the bottom of my walking pole in the process and legged it to the gate before they could catch up with me. I made it just in time and hopped over the stile - the calves stood there and watched me excitedly, I think they thought I was taking them for food somewhere.
Had this happened at 6pm, my mood i’m sure would have been pretty similar to yesterday. But this morning - it was actually rather funny! I was slightly peeved I’d lost the bottom of my walking pole but meh, if that’s the first thing I’ve lost in 35 days, I’ll take it.
I washed my legs as best I could with the long grass, said goodbye to the cows and then headed out onto the road. If only all road walking could be like Old Mountain road - no cars, beautiful countryside and hills in the distance.
I turned off after 5km, climbed over a gate and entered a new field for the start of the Karamu walkway. What at first just looked like typical farmland, soon turned into some of the most stunning landscape I’d seen so far. Rolling hills in every direction with rocky cliffs sticking out from under the tussock. The pathway was well defined, and despite hills all around me, not hilly! I had my lunch tucked into a sheltered spot with sheep bleating at me from every direction.
After a few hours of bounding along, I see another walker about to pass through a gate ahead of me. Spotting me, he quickly changed direction and walked along the fence line. This walker was naked. Stark- bollock naked with just his boots on. He had a large crossbody bag which he swung in front of himself (thank goodness) as he walked away from me. I said good afternoon, he said good afternoon and we both went on our way.
I headed down from the hills and rejoined the road which would bring me alongside the Kaniwhaniwha stream - a beautiful little spot nestled in amongst the trees and full of kids jumping off the bridge into the water below. This was the starting point for what would be my hike tomorrow - climbing Mt Pironga.
I followed the stream through the forest for a couple of km before reaching Kaniwhaniwha campsite. A wonderful spot right beside the stream - no water tanks needed here, you could fill up straight from the little waterfalls flowing over the rocks. I was sweltering by the time I’d set up the tent, so I backtracked a few hundred metres to where some other campers had told me I could swim and slid into the water to cool off. I did maybe five strokes before I got out - oh it was cold! I washed my clothes as best I could before my hands went numb and then headed back to camp.
There was one other TA walker at the camp, Hayden, who’d I’d first spotted a few days before getting out of a car in Huntly. He’s sped off a lot faster than me so I hadn’t actually spoken to him before - he told me that morning he’d spent two hours walking in the wrong direction over the Karamu walkway… oops. I spent the rest of the evening chatting to a lovely kiwi couple who generously lent me their battery pack so I could charge my phone. Reminder to self - always charge your battery pack!
