Days 98-105

Michael R. and dbBrad leaving Havelock on the Te Araroa Trail

New Zealand sure has some good looking cows

Day 98 (38k) As I left Havelock I turned around thinking I should just hitch this section and there was a man with a pack and gators, clearly a tramper and his name was Michael Reed. We ended up hiking together 12k along the road and then another 10k or so along Burtons Track? and the Pelorus River. He caught a bus from the camp ground and I hiked another 16k along a road to it's end and the beginning of the Pelorus River Track.

dbBrad on the Te Araroa Trail crossing a fence in/on style

Day 99 (19.2k) A lot of vertical today and some beautiful forest. Not a soul to be seen except for the two women, Nick and Penny, who I kept bumping into along the trail. As it turns out, we all ended up staying at Roebuck hut.

Michael r. on the Te Araroa showing some style too!

Day 100 (14k) From Roebuck hut the hike had an exit at Hacket Junction where the two women exited and I went on to Hacket Hut to begin the Richmond Alpine track. From here the tramp goes up 900m and it was 3 oclock by the time I got there. A bit too tired, I lit a fire in the hut and passed the time day dreaming and swatting at sand flies.

One of the many bridges on the Te Araroa trail

Suspension bridges along the Te Araroa trail can be long, bouncy high and even scary!

Day 101 (12k) Not that far but lots of vertical. Had lunch at Starveall Hut and then spent the night at Slaty Hut high on a ridge and without a view but with wonderful vibes all around. A very nice place.

dbBrad with 9 days of food tramping from Havelock to begin the Pelorus River Track.

Suspension bridge along the Te Araroa Trail

Day 102 (15.5k). Today was just a hike through forest, along rivers, over streams, and up and down. Highlights include Old Man's hut, 1271m vertical gain, and entering a warm Rintoul hut where Irene had hot water on the stove and a huge smile to meet me. Nice!

Another hiker, Penny, on a suspension bridge

Same bridge, same track, different perspective

Day 103 (25k) via Tarn hut and Lower Wairora hut all the way to Upper Wairora hut. I call this a tripple and the Te Araroa info lists this as 13 hours of hiking. When I got to the hut, there was Michael, again with a fire going and another smile. I could get used to this!

Water, water everywhere, with rocks, moss and little pools.

DoC marker for the high country

Day 104 (19k) Just a double via Hunters Hut for lunch which was a long hike up and over some burly terrain around Mt. Ellis. We ate lunch together. Thinking I may do a tripple again, I went ahead of Michael headed down the mountain (he has bad knees and I like to go fast) but ran out of steam. We camped together again at Porters hut.

Sometimes the markers are hard to find in the barren landscape above tree line, especially in the fog

Clouds come and they go, and so does the scenery

Day 105 (36k) Hiked out to the highway, down the highway to St. Arnaud where I could purchase nothing with my stupid bank card. The folks at the Alpine lodge were awsome and tried everything they could. As it turns out, a bus was leaving for Nelson in half an hour and Sandra was in Nelson and it was her birthday. I went to Nelson, celebrated, got money, purchased a pair of shoes and food for the next 7 days and was back in St. Arnaud 24hrs. later.

Above tree line on the Richmond Alpine Track

Orange snow poles instead of triangles above tree line on the Te Araroa Trail.

Day 106 Around Nelson and bus ride back to St. Arnaud to stay at the lovely Alpine Lodge.

Woods, good light, moss and a curvy path, a perfect section of the Te Araroa Trail

An orange stick is a wonderful thing when you don't know where you're going. Thanks DoC!

This picture just doesn't do justice to the real thing, along the Richmond Alpine Track, Te Araroa Trail, New Zealand

Ditto

Orange triangle on a stick. Guess you use what you have, thanks DoC!

When I got to the top of Mt. Rintoul (1731) along the Te Araroa Trail, my friends Ludo and Flore had left me a little note. They are now in front of me and the note said 'dbBrad was NOT here' I sat down and laughed and laughed as I pondered the unlikeliness of seeing my name on the top of such a remote mountain. Thanks Ludo and Flore, you made my day even though there was no view, I had a reason to stop and ponder!

Ludo and Flore graffiti along with Charlie Barron, Philippa and Madeleine, and dbBrad, all hikers on the Te Araroa trail 2012! A community on a stick!

dbBrad and Michael below Mt. Ellis. Like Snoopy said, "it was a cold and rainy night", only it wasn't rainy and it wasn't night, just cold and windy!

Michael and dbBrad on the Richmond Alpine track, part of the Te Araroa Trail across New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff

The perfect little path on the perfect little trail, the Te Araroa!

Wet feet or a risky move? Michael follows suit and makes a successful jump--whoo hoo!

At St. Arnaud a bus took me to Nelson to celebrate Sandra Belker's birthday. I had carved her a boomerang out of some hard wood from the trail, slightly symbolic of my return after our departure following our completion of the Queen Charlotte Track a few weeks earlier.

And upon returning to St. Arnaud, I see it has snowed and the breeze of the lake is frigid indeed.

Snow above St. Arnaud in March along the Te Araroa trail.