Day 49 John Coull Hut 27k
Day 50 Tieke Kainga DOC site 29k
Day 51 Flying Fox Lodge 51k
Day 52 Whanganui Holiday Park 53k
How lucky can someone be? I’m so excited about this section. I’m on a thru hike that includes paddling down a river! And not just any river. The Whanganui. This river is so special I will post on it next.
I wake up to a perfect, perfect day which makes me smile.
Until I think about how hot that sun is going to be!
Good thing I have the official, world’s ugliest hat (Sunday afternoon adventure hat. In eucalyptus. truly ugly. It is most unlikely you will see a photo of me wearing it. Feel free to google it) and I’m still wearing my spf 30 long sleeved shirt. I have sunscreen. I’m set!
There actually wasn’t any rush this morning. We had a safety briefing and then were on the water a little after nine.
When the group met yesterday and yarned at the blue duck cafe, it was no surprise that a lot of our focus was on food.
We had all re-supplied with extra, extra food because we didn’t have to pack it! All of our stuff was loaded into barrels that were tied down on the canoes.
The river was high due to recent rains (or so I was told, I had nothing to compare it to. It just looked like a river to me).
First up was some rapids. Again, I dont have a lot of experience to compare it to. It was fun rather than scary.
Ok. It was a little scary :-)
At least we had great forward motion! Not long after the rapids we were into eddies where we had to paddle really hard to keep moving.
This section was just amazing. Lush greenery and forest right up to the banks. Crevices and waterfalls. It is just so peaceful being on the water. I’m so blessed to be here.
The river widened out on the last day, the land flattened and the current slowed which was unfortunate as it was the longest paddle day.
I can see why people tend to stretch this to five days.
Day four was massive and I was pretty sore. I thought I would get some relief from Katie but I can only last about thirty minutes sitting down before she’s about.
Thankfully my arms, shoulders and back were also sore so I didn’t notice Katie as much as I could have.
A special mention for a landmark on day 50. We stopped at Mangapurua for lunch. This is where a lot of TA hikers enter the river.
Well at least those who hadn’t had to detour around the rock slide :-).
I hiked for about half an hour up to a really interesting structure. The Bridge to Nowhere. I was careful on my way up. Hazards listed on the track notes were slips, rockslides and ... wasps. While it’s been many days since the wasp sting on my neck, I don’t need a repeat that’s for sure.
The Bridge to Nowhere is a large concrete bridge built in the mid 1930’s to provide road access to the Mangapurua Valley Soldiers Setlement, a collection of farms in the lower and middle valley.
By the time the bridge was completed, those areas of the Mangapurua Valley were deserted and construction of the road to the Whanganui River was abandoned.
It is a really interesting site and worth the short hike and wasp risk!
Accomodation for day 51 was amazing, The Flying Fox campsite. It doesn’t have road access. Guests arrive via the river or via a flying fox (cable car). Guests who ‘flew’ over tend to stay in the lodge or glamping accomodation. It looked great. Clean.
Us river rats stayed in our tents. Great. But much less clean and it required a heck of a lot more courage.
There were chickens... :-| not my favourite marinated and roasted kind, rather these are the on the loose, prowling kind.
Near my tent. :-(
Summary of four days on the river:
Sunburned nose.
Full belly.
Sore body.
Happy spirit.
Yep chicken survival at its finest. Go me!
Bridge to Nowhere
Whanganui River
Chicken outside my tent :-)
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