Te Araroa Trail – Day 90

Monday February 5, 2024
Distance/ Total: 24.6 km / 15.3 mi

I’m taking 1/2 day off in St. Arnaud today to get my post updated, and take care of some bills and tax paperwork.

I got up and had a cup of coffee and finished off my Tim Tams cookies from last night. The restaurant opened at 8:00 and I was busy downloading tax information when it opened. I made it over there about 8:45.

The breakfast was very good – eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast, tomatoes, and mushrooms. I finished it up and packed up the rest of my gear and checked out of my room. I found a table on the patio and called my parents before heading out on the trail.

It was a short walk through town to the trailhead and then the trail followed the shoreline of Lake Rotoiti towards the Travers River. The lake was pretty, but there were limited views through the trees.

At the head of the lake the trail began following the Travers River upstream. The trail became very rocky and my plantar fasciitis was bothering by this time. The rocks didn’t help. I made my way up the trail and across a couple of suspension bridges. In places the trail was muddy and had to be navigated around and there were several streams to cross where I got my shoes wet.

I made it to John Tait hut about 6:30pm and setup my tent before going into the hut to cook my dinner. I visited with the other hikers there for awhile and then headed out to my tent for the evening.