Great Walk

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Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk

Date: 29 December 2017 to 1 January 2018
Distance: 46km (give or take)

“The Lake Waikaremoana track has the largest area of native forest in the North Island. This region is the ancestral home of the Maori tribe Ngai Tuhoe – the ‘Children of the Mist’. Entirely within the boundaries of Te Urewera, the track mostly follows the shores of the great lake. Over three to four days, it leads you through pristine rainforest, regenerating shrubland areas of wetland, rush and herbfield and a magical ‘goblin forest’. You will also discover magnificent rivers, waterfalls and ghostly valleys of mist. Continue reading →

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Kepler Track – round #2 (24-27 December 2014)

Fresh as morning daisies we were ready to start the tramp: Nettie, Gerry, myself and Johann.
Crossing the Waiau River at the start at Rainbow Reach.
The beautiful clear water of the river is mesmerising.
Enormous fungus growing on a beech tree.
Lush green forest for the first day’s hike. The shade from the blazing sun was most welcome.
Lunch at one of the small beaches of Lake Te Anau. That’s the life!
Yep, we’re definitely lost. The highway we’re currently on, surely cannot be the right path…
Johann bending trees. From now on we’ll just call him Chuck Norris!
First things first – mozzie repellent has to be applied quick smart!
With the tents pitched, it’s time for a tipple by the fire on Xmas eve.
I just love a little camp fire. Contrary to common wisdom, smokey fires don’t really deter sandflies.
Brand spanking new stove that Johann is trying out for the first time.
With suspicion (and trepidation?) the engineer looks at his new stove.
Spending Xmas eve next to a lake with good friends.

A few years ago, Gerry and I did a similar stint: we ran the Fish River Canyon in Namibia, rested a day, then started walking the route again with my sister and her family the day after. I guess there is something zen-like about doing the same route over and over, especially in such a short timeframe.

After our one-day run of the Kepler Track two days before, we again started walking it with family after one rest day. This time with Johann and Nettie. Admittedly I was quite knackered after the 60km track, but the fall on top of the mountain probably made up for the biggest part of my muscle soreness. The 50 shades of green-yellow-purple egg on my arm was still prominent, very sore and always in the way. I kept on bumping it against everything.

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