Te Araroa Trail – Day 99
Wednesday February 14, 2024
Distance/ Total: 16.2 km / 10.2 mi
It was a cold morning and I just didn’t want to get out of the sleeping bag. I kept covering back up and falling back asleep. Before I knew it it was almost 7:00 am. I forced my self up and started getting ready.
The trail continued following the Hurunui River upstream and started out in the forest once again going up and down the side of the hills. There were several deadfall’s to negotiate and a landslide reroute to climb over. The trail continued upwards over Harper’s Pass and then started a steep descent down toward the Taramakua River. Once at the river there were several wet crossings as the trail continued down the valley.
I reached Locke Stream hut about noon and stopped in to eat lunch. There ended up being about 5 hikers there for lunch as well before I headed back onto the trail.
From the Locke Stream Hut the trail followed the Taramakau River downstream. There were several wet crossings and lots of walking through meadows and rocky riverbeds. I reached the Kiwi Hut about 2:30 and decided to stop there for the day. Heavy rain was in the forecast for the night and the next hut was 27km away. A roof over my head sure sounded good.
