30km total 2898km
9 hours
After a nice night in the old hut it was time to attack the last bit of forest of Te Araroa. After a little bit of mud the water race track begins. Over twenty two kilometers of zigzagging track following the old water race on the side of the mountain. It was very long and the rain didn’t help at all. It was like taking the longest traxk possible to go from point A to point B. The cold and wet forest didn’t invite me to have a break so I basically until I would be out of it some seven hours later. A lot of little stream crossing, fallen trees and earth slides on the trail made the progress even slower. At some time near the end of the forest a clearing offered good views of the region but then the trail was overgrown and full of ferns. I hot my toes a few times and hated it. Still the water race must have been quite some work to build and I was thinking about the gold mining having to work here under these harsh condition for a probably very low salary. Finally the track improved and soon I was out of the forest. It was a relief to find a road to walk on. A lady stopped by and said from the car that whole New Zealand was going in lockdown soon. My phone got humidity inside and started to die. Not Again! I walked down the road and along the state highway to Colac Bay. The nice and warm sun made place to a mix of wind, rain and hail. Really crazy! I finally arrived at the little settlement , enjoyed the views of the sea after such a long time. I stayed a the campground this evening in a very noisy cabin but a good beer at the bar. It was cold so I was happy to have a warm bed to rest in.