Te Araroa – Day 21

Bushcamp to Bushcamp

36.4 miles

Mile 597.0

I woke up to a positively balmy morning. I packed up in the rain and set out into a gloomy drizzle that persisted for the next 3 hours.

By 10:00 AM the clouds gave way to sunshine, allowing me to dry off a bit.

About an hour later my road walked ended at Pureora Forest Park, where I began the historic Timber Trail.

This trail was rad. Designed for both hikers and cyclists, it’s gentle grade made for easy tramping through an gorgeous old growth forest.

I made good time along this trail, which was a nice contrast to yesterday’s absolutely brutal trail.

I passed over countless bridges, ranging in size from just a few feet to massive suspension bridges.

Just past 7:00 PM I found a perfect lawn next to a creek to pitch my tent for the evening.

Cheers!

2 thoughts on “Te Araroa – Day 21”

  1. With the exception of Wellington, it looks like you’ve cleared the main population centers of NZ:

    https://i.redd.it/6tmkakgwqt211.jpg

    Have you seen anyone else on the trail? Either NOBO or SOBO?

    Is it weird/lonely mostly hiking & camping by yourself? Where do you think the tail of the SOBO bubble (laggards) is located?

    • That’s a neat map. It’s certainly felt more rural since I left Hamilton!

      I’ve only seen one person on trail since starting. That was on day two, and they were just doing a section heading nobo. I’m really hoping to catch up to some of the “laggards”, because it has been a rather lonely trail! I’ve got no idea where that’ll be though, I figure most people are already on the South Island.

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