17km total 1550 km
8 hours
Tararuas here I come! After a nice road walk in the morning sun things start to get serious. With my backpack full of food I can clearly feel the steepness of the track. Lot of elevation is gained over a short horizontal distance. The track consists mainely of scrambling over rock and roots. Add mud to it and you get a realistic image. It gets hot and I suffer a bit on the exposed section out of the forest. I am tramping slower than 2km an hour and even it is normal I get a little bit frustrated. I finally get to the hut where I am joined later by a NOBO tramper. Nice and warm evening and a good rest.
