2016: In review

Walked this solo over the course of five days at the end of May, beginning of June in an anti-clockwise direction, beginning in Whakapapa Village. The weather was mostly dry, if a little chilly, each day apart from my final leg from Waihohonu Hut back to Whakapapa Village where it persisted down for the day. This is a stunning walk and it was great to take my time over the course of five days. This gave plenty of time to take photos, read and let the stress of everyday life ebb away. There were several stretches where I saw only one person during an entire day, and I had several of the huts to myself - which was something of a luxury. Favourite sections? Too many to list, the tramp has a huge diversity of landscapes from forest to desert including hiking up the side of a waterfall and a lake on top of a plateau. The tramp could be done faster than the five days I took - because my first and last days included driving from Auckland to Whakapapa Village and back. Four days would be great. Three days would be a bit of a slog - fine if you're an ultra-lightweight kinda guy/gal but I prefer to take my time and carry a little bit in reserve. Several of the huts had run out of firewood (Mangaehuehu and Rangipo) and I suspect they were due resupply as it was the start of the winter season. Whakapapaiti Hut: Wood stove heats well. Popular. Reports of bed bugs in the book, but been treated and I didn't see any despite searching. Shared with a LSAR team on exercise. Mangaturuturu Hut: Lovely hut with a good stove. The markers to cross the river to the hut aren't obvious even though there are a couple of cairns. Low on wood. Hut to myself. Mangaehuehu Hut: This was welcome as a cold wind was starting to pick up and the track was certainly 'undulating'. No firewood. Hut to myself. Rangipo Hut: Stunning location for a hut. Stunning sunset and sunrise over the desert. Crossing the large valley and the Lahar flow gave the legs a good workout. A bit chilly (no firewood). Shared hut with one other. Waihohonu Hut: Large, ultra-modern hut with hot water. Plenty of firewood. Only five of us in the hut.