Day 42, Pureora forest - Bog Inn hut - Waipahu hut

It was still raining when I woke up, and this put a slight moisture in the air. Everything I had hung up was as wet as it was from the day before. No wonder that wood wouldn't light from the last night.

I left bog inn with high spirits, making my way towards Waihaha hut. The trail was incredibly slow going right from the start. Lakes of water to walk through, and trees that were taken from a recent storm layed around every corner. With the rain continuing to fall and the slow movement of the trail I quickly found myself cold. I also thought it would be a good idea to try walking in shorts today. I hated it, and since they got soaked I decided not to change.

I certainly had some increidbly challenging trail to get through. This was no obstacle course, but rather a Gauntlet. One wrong step could be very bad. A bush with razor sharp teeth lining it's branches continued to catch and rip through my gortex jacket. I hated how the track led me through the worst of it. I did eventually reach Weraroa summit at 1088 meters, and from the other side down I was treated with less debris.

I started to quicken my pace, but was finding it difficult because I continued to stop and take in the beauty of the forest. I couldn't belive how green it was. Though the rain was cold, it added a soft finish and glow to the trees around me. It wasn't long until I spotted a bird I have yet to see on Te Araroa. With a loud screech from above I saw a Kaka. The crimson colored wings were not hard to spot on this massive parrot.

My pace was slowing as I got closer to the hut. I was tired, and my body was still getting back into the swing of things. I did see quite a few places to camp which is actually rare for North island forests. I came to a large stream that was flooded and too deep to ford so I started looking for another way across. I followed a smaller trail upstream and came to a large tree that was bridged across. Not only were my boots wet, but the rain also made the log wet. If I were to fall In I would be swimming. With slow steps and complete focus on my grip and balance I was safely across. I then had to climb over several hills before finally reaching Waihaha hut. It took me 6 hours when I have read of others doing it in 4. Either from the amount of debris or gaining my legs back, I certainly was slower.

I hung up my clothes and got into something warm. The hut had fire starting cubes but the wood was just too wet. I managed to get a small tp again, but it wouldn't hold. Another cold wet night. A Kaka was outside and screeched for as long as the sun was up. I'm quite happy to have the comfort of a hut here in the middle of the woods.