"We’re not going to hike Tongariro Alpine Crossing a third time this week," we said in a firm tone to our beloved editor. There comes a time when a man must put his foot down firmly; he should act with authority and firmness. "Okay, if you’re going to look at us with those sweet blue eyes we suppose another hike in that desolate but exquisite area will be nice," we weakened, but only slightly. Then we realized she was kidding.
We have to keep moving north towards Auckland so we plotted a route with hikes near Tauranga and settled into the town of Waihi after passing Rotorua and then Te Puke—we weren’t car sick though—that’s also a town. One of these days, our teeth are going to fall out as we struggle with the Maori names. The weather continues to be what one would expect in New Zealand. We had two large downpours overnight. Terrific! Nothing pleases us more than a hike on slippery mud, particularly on the way down a mountain. As an aside, today our legs slipped from under us on a few occasions resulting in finding ourselves in the supine position in a split second, including a roll. We’re not complaining because, if we might mention, we are developing a certain graceful movement in our falls.
On the road again, after business this morning, we headed for Te Aroha, with perfect directions. We arrived exactly where we were supposed to be. However, it appears someone moved the mountain. Now we like a bit of humor as much as the next person but this was a bit much. There were houses close by and cattle in the field. We thought of asking a cow, but then who likes to interrupt their meals, which are all day affairs—they never stop eating. We wonder if they chew while asleep. We knocked on the door of the first house and introduced ourselves to the Kiwi—a man, not the national bird. He looked at us in a strange manner. Perhaps it’s our stylish hat or our constant wet-look. Who knows? He redirected us and we hit that mountain running. Thinking of birds, we have been remiss in not mentioning the variety of birds on the trails. Just the sounds are sufficient to uplift one while negotiating the terrain.
We must admit that when we looked at the ‘bugger’, one kilometer high, with the largest antennae atop we ever did see, we were a little intimidated. Why? We don’t know especially as this our 250th hike in about twenty months. The clouds were moving over the summit and it looked fascinating, inviting but a little eerie. Then we thought about the many things we have experienced and learned on hike-about. We humans tend to create artificial barriers around us constantly. We are learning, we think, to separate the self-imposed limitations from the impossible; or, as Gary Frank once said: ‘Man is awfully adept at rationalizing any weakness in his character.’ With that thought in mind, we headed up the 3,200 feet ‘little monster’ that was very steep, wet and slippery; a track comprising rocks, tree roots, some log steps, mud and water. What a special place, what a great climb, what a day. We gained 1,600 feet per hour, which if we may again be forward, is tough and good going especially under difficult conditions. Our editor continues to impress us enormously even though her health has been a little suspect.
We are serious when we write this is first-rate hike. Many of the hikes we have undertaken are not well known; yet they have turned out to be superb as well as quiet. This was another of that genus. It had everything including views that were spectacular although our cameras don’t capture them. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which is world famous, we enjoyed enormously. However, this one was more challenging, not unlike Ben Lomond and Sawyer’s Burn, to mention a couple. Jenni noted that we had not seen Europeans at all on the track but only a few locals. A couple of hours later as we were about to complete the hike, an approaching fellow said to us, “Ich bin verloren (I am lost)”.
Finally, Jen observed that small towns on South Island are in fact, tiny. Here in the north, they are far more frequent and much bigger. The north has a feel and look about it which is still very much New Zealand but closer to other western countries. The South…oh! the South…
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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