Day 52: Flying Fox to Hiponga Park

I was woken at 4:30 in the morning by the rooster cock-a-doodle-doing, but managed to doze some more until it was a reasonable time to get up. We finished off the eggs for breakfast, but sadly there was no more bacon left. The morning was quite relaxed since we only had about 35km to paddle. The river was calmer than the previous days, with no real rapids to speak of, perhaps because there was no rain for over a day or perhaps because it was a bit wider.

We stopped on a gravel beach for a break and then continued on to the campsite. The campsite wasn’t marked in our Trail apps, but we had seen a comment in the app that it was at km 1350.8. About two kms before this, Catherine and I spotted a couple of people on a dock, one in a Santa outfit, but assumed they weren’t canoers. However, they were waving at us frantically so we went over and it turned out to be Line and Nic and that this was Hiponga Park, our campsite for the night. It was another steep climb up to the campsite, which was pretty basic, but lovely nonetheless. I tried to chill my wine bottle in the river, but it wasn’t that successful so I only had a glass and decided to save the rest for tomorrow.

Day 53: Hiponga Park to Whanganui

I slept well and there no roosters to wake me up, so I had a bit of a lie in. I also had to go back to my regular oatmeal for breakfast, although I jazzed it up with some Nutella. We weren’t in much of a rush since the river becomes tidal at this point and it’s easier paddling if you wait for the outgoing tide, which was early afternoon. It was also only about 20km to our exit point from the river at a campsite in the outskirts of Whanganui. The river was sluggish and we definitely weren’t moving as fast as the other days. Luckily, we didn’t have too much of a headwind, more of a breeze, which was a relief from the hot sunshine. The weather literally was a Christmas miracle. Over the day, the river widened even more and felt a lot less wild.

We arrived at the Campground mid afternoon and did our chores like setting up our tents and laundry. This campsite had one amenity that I’d never seen before, a machine that makes french fries. I didn’t indulge in the fries, but I did get myself an ice cream.

I made lentils and couscous curry for Christmas dinner and then had some mint chocolate Tim Tam’s and a mince pie (store bought) for dessert accompanied by the rest of my wine, which I could chill properly in the fridge. Five of us did a secret Santa gift exchange and I ended up with some lip balm and a cute reindeer pen. I think it was my latest night on trail yet, I didn’t get into my tent until about 11:30.

Day 54: Whanganui to Hamilton

I didn’t get the best night’s sleep since there was a child who seemed to be having night terrors at the campground and I also got a calf cramp. I had some eggs and toast for breakfast courtesy of Kendall who had way too much food. Then made a few calls home to family for Christmas before packing up. Ian, a trail angel, came to the Campground at about 11 and brought me my new tent that I had mailed to his house and then drove me and Catherine into town to the bus stop. The bus was late and when was hot and with the winding roads, I didn’t feel good at all. I got off at the first stop to get some fresh air and ate a few cookies to get something in my stomach, and I was better afterwards although it was still ridiculously hot. Apparently the AC wasn’t working well or something. We also had some heavy rain and then waited for a guy who got back on the wrong bus at one of the stops. We finally pulled into Hamilton about 1.5 hours late. I had booked a Airbnb in a central location and it was a short 15 minutes walk there from the bus station. After showering, I headed back out for dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant, which was stuffed eggplant and baklava to follow. When I got back, I unpacked my new tent and looked up how to set it up. It came with stakes and extra cord so I decided that I should mail those somewhere to pick up later since I don’t need to carry the extra weight. I also made a rough plan for the next week and figured out a grocery list before calling it a night.

I didn’t get the best night’s sleep since there was a child who seemed to be having night terrors at the campground and I also got a calf cramp. I had some eggs and toast for breakfast courtesy of Kendall who had way too much food. Then made a few calls home to family for Christmas before packing up. Ian, a trail angel, came to the Campground at about 11 and brought me my new tent that I had mailed to his house and then drove me and Catherine into town to the bus stop. The bus was late and then was hot and with the winding roads, I didn’t feel good at all. I got off at the first stop to get some fresh air and ate a few cookies to get something in my stomach. I was better afterwards although it was still ridiculously hot. Apparently the AC wasn’t working well or something. We also had some heavy rain on the road and then waited for a guy who got back on the wrong bus at one of the stops. We finally pulled into Hamilton about 1.5 hours late. I had booked an Airbnb in a central location and it was a short 15 minutes walk there from the bus station. After showering, I headed back out for dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant, which was stuffed eggplant with baklava to follow. When I got back, I unpacked my new tent and looked up how to set it up. It came with stakes and extra cord so I decided that I should mail those somewhere to pick up later since I don’t need to carry the extra weight now. I also made a rough plan for the next week and figured out a grocery list before calling it a night.

It was a bit of a sad day with many goodbyes, since the group I’ve been hiking with all went their separate ways. I hope to see them again at some point. However, I’m also looking forward to be going off on my own again and getting to see more of Tongariro National Park (aka home to Mt Doom).