Te Araroa Trail – Day 39

Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Distance/ Total: 15.8 km / 9.8 mi

I got around fairly early but didn’t leave the hostel until after 8:00am. It was a short day so I wasn’t in a big hurry

It was 1.5 kilometers back to the trail and the trail was mostly single track today. It started off through some farmland going up and down several steep hills. At times the trail would go into a forested area as it went over the top and around the hills.

As the day progressed a strong wind picked up and the wind was really blowing on top of the hills. I crossed a suspension bridge over a stream and had a nice section of trail through the forest.

The trail came back into farmland and followed fence lines through cow and sheep herds as I slowly made my way up to the Penitawa Mast – a communications tower situated on a hill above Te Kuiti. The views from the top were awesome.

I started down through another farm field, but soon joined a nice gravel pathway all the way into Te Kuiti. I walked the road into town and to the studio I had reserved on AirBnB for the night. Leaving my gear in the room I walked down to the grocery to do my resupply for the next section to Taumaruni.

I returned to the studio, repacked my food, and enjoyed the wildlife at the house – a friendly pigeon and a floppy rated rabbit.

I walked back into town for dinner and had a wonderful mushroom and bacon fettuccine. Thoroughly stuffed, I headed back to the studio for the night.