Day 58: off trail, day 1 of Round the Mountain

I didn’t mention it in my last post, but I was exhausted when I got to Whakapapa. When I got to the campsite, all I could do was lay on the ground for a while. I was also in some pain from my pack, the shoulders more this time. To add to my woes, I learned that there is no post office in Whakapapa, contrary to the NZ Post website. This was a problem because I posted my bounce box to the Holiday Park here so now had no way of sending it on. The Holiday Park owner suggested that I contact a courier, but I couldn’t reach one and the NZ Courier website suggested that I needed to open an account to do anything, but there’s a whole application process for this. I finally posted on the TA Trail Angel FB page. I got a reply that there is a post office in National Park (also not on the NZ post website) at the Gas station/convenience store. I called them in the morning to be sure and they were open from 9-5. So I started my day by hitching the 15 or so km to National Park and back. I got a ride with an Austrian couple in their campervan on the way there. On the way back, I didn’t even stick out my thumb, a woman stopped because she thought I might be about hitch when she saw me crossing the intersection! She was very sweet but seemed to have trouble staying on her side of the road. At least she kept her hands in the stearing wheel and she took me all the way back to Whakapapa even though it was a slight detour for her. In any case, I made it back safely within an hour.

I had also rewatched the Aarnpack video last night and had a few things to tweak to hopefully make my pack more comfortable. When I put it on the morning, it felt good on my shoulders and my hips, although these areas are still a bit sore.

I had heard about the Round the Mountain track from Cecile and Caroline and also know of a few others that have done it. Its 66km loop around Mt Ruapehu and the nice thing is that you don’t have to reserve the huts/campsites, which you have to do for the more popular Northern Circuit in Tongariro National Park. I decided to go anticlockwise since I was having a late start and the first huts are closer going anticlockwise. The first track followed a stream to it’s source, a place called Soda Springs. This part was quite easy.

The next part was along a road, which was exposed and very windy today. I was staggering somewhat in the stronger gusts. The track turns off the road and goes across the lower flanks of Mt Ruapehu, climbing in and out of gullies and valleys along the way. There were a few streams to cross in some of the valleys, all were low and easy and I didn’t even get my feet wet on all of them.

I could feel the fatigue from the previous days in my body, but was taking it easy and enjoying the trail. I met a few people going the other way, who told me they were over 20 at the hut the previous night, so half had to camp since it’s a 10 person hut. I figured that I would be camping, but when I arrived there were still 3 spots left indoors. I wasn’t feeling very social though, so I set up my tent anyways and had a lovely evening watching the sunset over the flanks of Mt Ruapehu.

Day 59: Day 2 of Round the Mountain

I slept until 7:30 this morning, much to my surprise and not as planned, but I probably needed it. The first part of the trail was about 3 km to a road and part of it was along side a waterfall and then through it, thankfully at a calm spot.

Then it was down the road for about 3km and onto a very well maintained trail to another waterfall, which is supposedly the highest in the park. There were quite a few people on this part since people go to the fall and back as a short day hike.

After the falls, the track continued through forest to another hut, where I had some lunch. After this hut, the trail goes through a desert, created by a rain shadow from the mountain. It was quite rocky and sandy, but not completely barren.

The trail eventually comes to the Wahianoa, that was spectacular with a river at the bottom.

The climb down was well graded, but it was quite a climb up the other side and then it was gentle uphill to my home for the night at the Rangipo hut. It’s quite cool up here since we’re at 1556m so I’m staying inside tonight. There are about 12 of us in the hut, including another TA walker that I haven’t met before, and a couple of others camping outside. Hopefully it won’t be too noisy tonight since I’m not planning to stay up to see the New Year in.

Day 60: Round the Mountain Day 3

I went to bed at my usual time, just after 9, and slept through the New Year. I was awake early although I didn’t get up to see the sunrise like some of my hut mates. The sun was warm despite the chill air and it was pleasant cooking and getting ready outside. I headed off about 7:30 and had some more desert to do, although it was a gentler trail than the day before. I had another gorge to cross, although less dramatic than the previous day’s, it did come with a warning.

I stopped to get some water at the next hut. It’s not a free hut and it was quite large and looked much newer than the ones I had stayed in. From there, the trail gently snakes between Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe back to Whakapapa.

I arrived just in time to get some fries from the food truck before it closed and had enough time to do some laundry and mend my gaiter that got ripped by a branch.