Thursday, April 2: Some cloud came over during the course of the night and there was rain in the early morning, clearing to a fine & sunny day

Tramping: Cape Brett – Rawhiti, 15.1 km

Wainui Lodge, 92D Te Wahapu Rd, Russell 0272, tel.: +64 9 403 8278, double as single, only two rooms, max. 5 guests (BBH, $50 + 3)

I had photographed three fixed time sequences during the night: One of the rising moon, one of the moon @ full zoom (A470), and one of the Southern Cross (SX120) until the batteries gave out. The camera was retrieved due to increasing cloud, but the tripod had been tied to the picnic table with a new twist-and-tighten mechanism which I was unwilling to untie late at night.

The hut was still very warm, but there were no bugs so I slept on an open sleeping bag. It started getting light about 6:30 and by 7:15 the sun was rising. Now this would have been a good sunrise to shoot, but I was concentrating on getting out alive. Breakfast was quickly dealt with, the salt shaker seemed to work fine and everything was washed, dried (including the sox) and packed away by 8:30. Swept out the hut (a little bit of grass cuttings had found its way into the hut) and then I was ready to go.

Plan for today was to take the hills slowly and what a better place to start than the first hill up to the telegraph pole, the second hill across the peninsula, and the third hill over the pass, to the intersection with the Deep Water Cove Track. The left leg seemed to be doing better, but I wasn’t pushing it and arrived at about 10:30. This would give me an ETA of 2:00 if I stopped for lunch at the private hut along the way.

Water was there to be consumed, and in any case I was at the hut around 11:30 for the salami sandwich and most of the rest of the water, which I then topped up from the tank. This section of the track is very level and I was regularly posting 15-16 minutes per km. Met one guy who appeared to be finishing the last of his water and told him to top up at the private hut; he had been told that the water @ Cape Brett was OK (barely, but anyhow), and he had the more difficult part of the track ahead of him, and it was very warm. I was sweating out all I could drink.

The track changes into a major climb at the first exit to Whangamumu (via Te Toroa Bay) up to Pukehuia, where the second exit leaves (in any case just a few 100 m before the lookout, which is Pukehuia proper). Now I was a bit slower again, stopped at the lookout for the last photo from the track, and within 30 minutes was back down at the road. Then took a photo of the beach that I had been meaning to take yesterday.

Car was sitting pretty, and all the lawn around it had been mown. Aired it, did some basic sorting of stuff and took off into Russell to withdraw the last cash (will be interested to see if this comes off the account this week or next), some sparkling to celebrate the last walk. Had an ice cream but it wasn’t the hokey-pokey that I had ordered, so will have to try again. Then it was off down the road to this place (about 5 km out of town) and on the way there was a place to buy petrol, which I did without delay.

Tiny place here, only two rooms, but very nice, and a back garden that reaches to the waterfront. Showered, unpacked most of my stuff, sent a last message with the spot and am now hungry enough to want to find a burger. Pictures can wait until later.

On my way into Russell was checked by a policeman for seat belt compliance. In my search for a burger landed at the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club (25 The Strand, Russell 0202) but the first one they served was desperately undercooked, although the second one was OK. Together with a beer $24, so won’t complain too much.

Now for the track and the pix. Later Christina arrived with her son, and they had to spread their stuff around. Long conversations about photos, saw all of Christina’s and showed them some of Stefan Knaak’s work as well.