TA Day 31: Saturday 18 January 2025

South of Dogs Hill - Swin River North Branch

We had an easy morning today which was nice. In the morning and early day we met some SOBOs - we meet more and more every day now. It makes it feel less personal. It's of course nice to talk to some of them but you can't talk to everyone. So in a way it reminds us of Kungsleden.

Very early on we came to a gravel road, and had walked maybe half of our time there when a car stopped beside us. It was Denis! Denis is one of the more famous trail Angels on the Te Araroa, he is very active online and the manager of the WhatsApp groups, so you see his name a lot. We learnt a few days ago that he was actually sleeping in Camp Stream Hut the morning that we passed by but never looked inside.

Denis didn't recognise us (he meets too many people) but he is actually the one who helped us with storing our bags while we're hiking! So nice of him.

The gravel road became a 4WD-track, and then a trail again. We were experiencing some chafing and also wanted a "foot massage', so we decided to take our shoes off. After a few km of slow barefoot walking, Barry finally caught up with us again.

We had dinner in Manuka Hut, and met some SOBOs. One guy who recommended us not to road walk but to hitch on the North Island, and one couple that said that was road walking was not that much of an issue. It's interesting to see how everyone's opinion and experience on trail differ.

We pushed on a little further after Manuka Hut. Decided not to go to Double Hut because it's so much off trail - even if there is Edmund Hillary's signature there!

Instead, we found a camp spot by Swin River North Branch. We just managed to finish pitching the tents when the rain started.

Today's:

Distance: 23.75 km

Ascent: 419 m

Descent: 354 m

Tent nights: 22/31

Weather: Sunny and hot, clouds in the evening

(Our tent is the one in the background)