Wednesday, March 18: Cloudy throughout with some sunshine but no rain

Tramping: Waikaremoana Great Walk, Onepoto – Panekire 9.6 km & Panekire – Waiopaoa 7.8 km

Waiopaoa Hut (DOC, $32)

Beat the compass alarm again and was up at 5:45, before even Jude, who wanted to get up at 5:30. Had some coffee, two eggs and two muesli bars for breakfast, packed the rucksack for the tour and threw everything into the car to start as planned at 6:30.

At the petrol station bought the toilet paper that is necessary for this trip and then took off down the road as the sun was rising. Not much is still unsealed but it does slow down progress quite a lot and I arrived at Waikaremoana @ 8:00. Sorted things out (remembered not having packed the condensed milk into the pack), locked the suitcase & the car, got the spot to send an OK and waited at the little hut for the water taxi to arrive.

People wanting to go everywhere today – two English guys starting the track from the other end and a German couple wanting the taxi from Onepoto to Waiopaoa to do the mountain in the opposite direction. They had to get into their car quickly and drive down the road because we were almost ready to leave, which we did at 9:30.

Life jackets were worn on this trip and we were soon across the lake for me to get off at. Here I was joined by an Australian pianist, and an American couple, Dan, Matthew, and Clare. I stayed with them for a short while but they were very slow so after one break I charged on. Took a bracketed panorama of the view before Panekire and I could still hear their voices, though they never caught up.

There was an excursion signed to Bald Knob and an hour to the hut where I wanted to have lunch so I marched on arriving at 12:30. Met the German couple here who were also having lunch and set up a time lapse of the clouds moving. There were a couple of brackets along the way of the Enchanted Forest when the sun shone through. At one of these the tripod decided to lose its major column but that was quickly screwed back on.

Part of the upper track appears to be new, and from Panekire onwards almost all of it is. Nice steps along the way and a mysterious grotto that was marred by graffiti. The signs were saying 4½ hours for the first leg and 4 for the second; I left Panekire at 1:30 and was down at the lake at 3:30.

Action had to be taken was sock (and foot) washing, applying deet, sending a spot OK, and then lighting a fire. The only other inhabitant was Taiwan-born, Argentine-raised and US-domiciled Kevin whose attempts at fire-lighting only exhausted my firelighter. I needed a good half hour to get it going, the wood was very damp and it took three matches and two tea candles.

In the meantime two Kiwis have arrived who are doing the track in my direction.

Some birds along the way: Tomtit and wood pigeon, and down at the hut: Swallows, kingfisher, paradise ducks and swans.

Dinner was the tramping favourite of rice and instant noodles, rice was cooked by keeping it warm on the fire, but it was quite grainy still.

Chitchat here was interrupted by the complaints of a male (white-headed) paradise duck directed at his partner playing dead, which she was doing fairly convincingly until Stu went out and the other ducks waddled away. Eventually the “dead” duck got up too and headed in the other direction.

Another couple has arrived and is now cooking as the place grows darker. Let’s see how many snorers we have. There were two; one in each dorm.