I’m walking on my own again choosing not to be side tracked by the glorious great walks nearby but very tempting. I choose to walk my own walk with shorter days, that suits my ability perfectly.
It was an overcast morning; showers were likely but didn’t happen. Before each section I download a 10 day forecast due to no internet or regular updates during the section. Today it was mostly in beech forest, 10km walk but estimate time of 4-5 hours meaning the terrain would not be a walk in the park. It was muggy and warm through the beech forest. Spider webs in my face told me I was alone on the track. A large clearing appeared that marked the way to the Taipo Hut in a long terrace of tall tussock with the Mararoa River nearby.
Waratah markers were hard to find earlier but gee it was good to see them ahead.
This open land needs markers for successful navigation, the destination is only clear on a map, consulted only when needed.
