Day 71: Tokomaru Dam to Mangahao Flats hut (Tararua Forest Park) Started 8.05am, finished 2.15pm, 9.5k. Pain in the head status: Woke up with a migraine, which I tried to pretend wasn’t a migraine but eventually had to concede that it was a nasty one that needed treatment. Almost worse than the pain was theContinue reading “Tokomaru Dam to Te Matawai hut (Tararua Forest Park)”
Tag Archives: Te Araroa
Palmerston North to Tokomaru Dam
Day 69 (Sun 17 Jan): Palmerston North to Burtton’s track in Gordon Kear forest (Whare o Moturimu) Started 7.35am, finished 1.15pm, 21k plus 6k by car. Pain in the head status: No pain in the head, a good start to this final section of the North Island. Word of the day: Risible, laughable, amusing. TodayContinue reading “Palmerston North to Tokomaru Dam”
Fielding to Palmerston North
Day 66 (Thurs 14 Jan): Fielding to Palmerston North Started 8.55am, finished 1.50pm, 17k. Pain in the head status: Persisting mild pain but still ignorable. Word of the day: Ontological, related to the branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature of being. The path out of Fielding took us alongside the railway line and awayContinue reading “Fielding to Palmerston North”
Turakina beach to Fielding
Day 64 (Tues 12 Jan): Koitiata/Turakina beach to Bulls Started 7.30am, finished 4.15pm, 31k. Pain in the head status: A migraine started sometime after lunch but was aborted by a migraine tablet. It was disappointing to get one during the day though. Word of the day: Sisyphean, unending task, endlessly laborious (from the Greek kingContinue reading “Turakina beach to Fielding”
Atene to Turakina beach via Whanganui
Day 62 (Sun 10 Jan): Atene to Whanganui Started 7.25am, finished 2.35pm, 24k (plus 7k car ride). Pain in the head status: Fine. Word of the day: Desultory, passing from one thing to another in an aimless way. We resumed our desultory ramble along the Whanganui River Road in the cool of the morning, passingContinue reading “Atene to Turakina beach via Whanganui”
Pipiriki to Atene
Day 60 (Fri 8 Jan): Pipiriki to Matahiwi, via Jerusalem and London, along the Whanganui River Road Started 7.15am, finished 1.40pm, 24k Pain in the head status: Used another caffeine tablet in the night for a nocturnal headache and it worked again. It’s like a vampire headache, obliterated by coffee rather than a stake toContinue reading “Pipiriki to Atene”
Whakahoro to Pipiriki
Day 58 (Wed 6 Jan): Whakahoro to Johnson’s campsite (on the Mangapurua track) Started 8am, finished 3.30pm, 24k. Pain in the head status: Disappointingly, had another migraine in the middle of the night and had to take another migraine pill. But it retreated entirely by the time we started walking. I’m hoping tonight will beContinue reading “Whakahoro to Pipiriki”
National Park to Whakahoro
Day 56 (Mon 4 Jan): National Park to Kaitieke Started 7.50am, reached Kaitieke memorial 2.45pm, 27+k. Pain in the head status: All good. Word of the day: Salutary, beneficial, conducive to some good purpose. Bonus word: Farrier, a person who shoes horses. Two zero (no trail walking) days in National Park were salutary to myContinue reading “National Park to Whakahoro”
National Park
Day 54 (Sat 2 Dec): Tongariro Crossing National Park Distance covered today: From Macrocarpa Cafe in National Park for second breakfast, to Pipers Lodge accommodation, to Station Cafe for lunch, to the Four Square for bananas (their own meal category), back to Pipers, to Macrocarpa Cafe again for dinner (vegetarian pizza, roast vege salad andContinue reading “National Park”
Taumaranui to Mangatepopo stream
Day 51 (Wed 30 Dec): Taumaranui to Owhango Started 8.05am, reached Owhango Forest Lodge 2.20pm, 27k. Pain in the head status: Still have the leftovers of the Timber Trail migraine but it is ebbing off. I took some aspirin at lunchtime as my hip was hurting, which also helped the head – poor hip hasn’tContinue reading “Taumaranui to Mangatepopo stream”
Tramping with migraine in Aotearoa/New Zealand 