9/4/22, Day 114, 20km, Total 3190km
Elevation Gain: 343, Loss: 649m
A much easier day with a more sensible distance.
I was ready to go at 7.30. Nice to have a bit of a sleep in. My plan was to hitch back to National Park but the café didn’t open until 8 and the Canoe companies were unlikely to arrive before 10. So I was going to have to be patient. Eventually some vans arrived from a crowd based in Raetehi which was perfect except I had to wait until 11 for them to be ready to head back. I was happy to wait for a free ride right to my car.
Arrived in NP at 12.30, got some lunch then hitched to Whakapapa. I was picked up by a guy who had spent a few days fly fishing near Owhango. I started the 20km walk at 1.30 and arrived back at NP at 5.30pm. It went well, my feet were good but my left knee hurt a bit at times. It hurt yesterday when I was jogging for a while. Hopefully it will behave tomorrow.
Today’s walk was initially on the Round the Mountain track which I have done a few times, then it followed a ridge down to the campsite. So a mixture of open tussock terrain and beach forest. Very pleasant.
Tomorrow I’ll drive to Whakapapa then walk to Mangatepopo and over the crossing, returning on the Northern Circuit or hitching from Ketitahi, depending on how my knee feels. The forecast is good
