Great Walk #2: Lake Waikaremoana

Lake Waikaremoana

This past weekend was the first National Holiday in some time. So in order to take full advantage of it, Beth booked a couple hut spots for us to tackle the second of nine Great Walks that New Zealand has to offer. We had opted to do Lake Waikaremoana over 3 days, which is situated just East of us.  We extended an invitation to the other ninjas (this is from Ninja Tortoises our team name for events) and a total of 7 of us took to the trail over Labor Weekend. We weren't the only people on the trail as the huts were booked out months in advance, but a few spots opened up the final week and Rachel was able to get a spot as she wasn't sure she would be able to go. She has gotten her work visa sussed for the time being though. For the full photo album go here.

Ginger Ninjas

The gang came down in 2 cars on Friday, which meant we were able to host again and let Banu see the house for the first time. In order to satisfy Peter, we ate at Pauly's Burgers in  Taupo. They have a sign that says best burger in town and we agree with that statement. Prior to the second vehicle showing up I made some Ginger Ninjas, gingerbread men in the form of ninjas, for the gang to snack on and I took some on the tramp. It was an early night for most of us as we had to be out of the house by 7:30 in order to make the shuttle time of 11am.

We woke early and had a breakfast of croissants with nutella and banana that were gently warmed in the oven and some French Press Coffee. We launched from the Kinloch pad early to get to the trail head where we would be dropped off. From there Beth and Banu would drive to the Big Bush Holiday Park, 3 km away, to leave the cars in the secure lot and then be shuttled back to the trail head. We were a few minutes late to the Holiday Park, but that didn't much matter as the shuttle driver was already driving to the trail head. Its Island Time at its finest. He started to ask us what our plans were and Peter responded I don't know, I'm here to walk. I broke down what we were expecting to do: 2 people drop off cars at Holiday Park and get shuttled back to Onepoto for the 9km up to the first hut which had an elevation gain of 600m. Next day we would do 20km and sleep in the next hut. On Monday, 2 of us were to be picked up by water taxi at noon, where they would then get the cars and drive up and meet us at the trail exit. He left thinking we didn't have a clue what we were doing.

While waiting for Beth and Banu, we ate snacks and stood under the starting shelter. There was another group of people doing the tramp as well, but from what I gathered they planned on camping each night. From the sounds of it, a few of the people we under prepared as they didn't have a sleeping pad or even a sleeping bag. Don't know how friendly they would be after a few nights camping on the ground with only the clothes they have keeping them warm. They aren't my responsibility so whatever. In preparation for the tramp, I was once again asked to provide a packing list. I had previously did it for a day hike. This makes it easy to pack in that there should be a minimum one needs to take in order to be self sufficient, but also can prevent you from missing vital items. You have to check the list verses what will be offered in the huts as well or you may end up eating cold food. More on this later.



 

The start of the tramp saw fits of light rain, but nothing that compared to the drive in. The weather forecast had said that it would be heavy in the morning and lessening after noon and then the next 2 days would be partly cloudy with a high of 18-20C. To start, we were all in our rain gear as the rain was just holding on, but would be shedding under layers fairly quick as day 1 consisted of gaining 600m of elevation over approximately 9km. We didn't get to see anything of the lake while slogging our way up as a dense fog settled over it. We did get to see some cool trees on the way up.

We arrived at the Panekire Hut around 5 after playing leap frog with a couple trampers throughout the day. We set off close together, but they liked to take breaks and eat snacks. We didn't do much stopping other than stripping layers, the odd photo, and eat a couple snacks. There would be no long tea breaks today with the cold rain. We would wait until we got to the hut to eat any substantial food. The hut is located on a bluff that over looks the lake and when we first got up there there wasn't anything to see as it was covered in a dense fog. One has to be careful as there isn't much keeping you from falling over in some sections. The drop behind us in the photo above would have been gnarly. At the hut, we quickly hung up wet clothes around the fire, claimed mattresses, unpacked gear, and cooked up food. Beth runs into a co-worker expectantly. We later played some wifi-free word feud, aka scrabble, and cards against humanity. As it neared night time, I broke away to do some studying. I've got to get my MSCE for work. Which consists of passing 5 exams. Since there is no power at most huts, trampers usually go to bed once the sun goes down and get up when the sun starts to peek out in the morning. Right as I was falling asleep, a group of trampers come in and start to grab the last few mattresses. I briefly hear that there is an 80 year old woman in the group. I was debating internally if I give up my bottom spot for a middle when I say to myself, she is doing the tramp she can probably do a ladder rung or two. With that I go to sleep.

I'm kicking myself now as it was such a cool image, but I woke up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, which is out back. I put on my jandals and quietly sneak outside. Bam, there is close to a full moon, pockets of dense fog on the lake, and just the tips of land cradling the fog in place. I doubt my camera would have captured the image as vividly as I remember it. So I guess you just have to experience for yourself. In the morning, I wonder out to the toilet again only to run into my friend Csaba as I'm entering the hut. We talk briefly, but he, Kirsty, and her mom (the 80 yr old) are doing the tramp as well, but over 5 days. New Zealand is a pretty small place, in that I frequently run into people I know while out doing things. I come to find that Csaba left his camp stove at home as he recalled that all Great Walk huts have gas stoves provided, which may be the case for newer huts, but most if not all on this one did not. Since we had 3 in our group, I gave mine to them for the duration of their trip so that they could have their morning coffee and hot meals. Always check what DOC provides in each hut/campsite. It pays to be prepared or you might be stuck eating cold food for multiple days after being out in the rain. We mucked about the hut for a long time on Sunday morning grabbing dried rain gear, repacking bags, eating breakfast, and running back down the trail for some scenic shots. We probably didn't get on the trail till after 9am. Seems early, but when you've been up since before 6. That is late.

Day 2 consisted of doing approximately 20km and losing all the elevation we gained the previous day. Spirits were good as we started down the trail, knowing that lunch awaited us at the first hut/campsite we would cross. We would also have ample places to use the toilet and replenish water on the rest of the tramp. The next stopping point just happened to be about 4 hours down the trail. I believe we made it in 2:45. During this section, Rachel and I started talking about how this felt like the Fellowship of the Ring. Not that we were in New Zealand or even in a place where filming occurred, but we there were 7 of us with packs walking in single file to a destination in the future. We then proceeded to give everyone a name from the Fellowship. I was firmly anchored in the back, so I took on Gimli. Beth was Gandalf as she lead, organized the trip, and as I said old and crotchety. Peter was Aragon. We both instantly agreed that Banu was Frodo. Mike was Legolas. But now I forgot what we determined the others, Rachel and Paula to be. We talked about Ents and trying to place different city names. We were asked if we read the books or if all our knowledge came from the movies. We were nerding out, but then someone would say 'gilly weed' and we would go on a Harry Potter tangent for awhile. Ah, the conversations you have when tramping. I often lagged behind to take photos and would catch up to the main pack. Hence, why most of the photos I took are of people's backs.

After a short sand fly anger induced lunch, we had the option of going to see the Korokoro Falls, which we were told is a must see even if you're dead tired. 5 of us decided to go see the 4m tall falls. It was a cool little spot with a river crossing where DOC gave you a braided steel cable to use for balance, but unless you plan on jumping in the water I may give it a pass if you plan on doing a 20km like we did. If you are doing a shorter day, absolutely do it as there are trout in the stream and campsites near by. As the day wore on so did the nerves. Its hard to be on your feet with a pack for over 9hrs. Right before we got to the hut for the night, there was another hill that wasn't shown on the map. This elicited a few choice reactions.

The 2nd hut, Marauiti, was situated right next to the lake. This had a slightly different design than the first in that the sleeping area had a separate entry than the kitchen area. This makes it nice for those that like to have a bit of a lay in as they don't have to hear the people making food. However, when someone sets an alarm for pre-5am, its hard to keep sleeping and when they proceed to pack up their sleeping bags and gear in the shared room nobody is sleeping through that. Time to get up and make some food. We had 17 km scheduled for the last day, but that number changed as the final bridge out to the recently broke. There is a cool French video of it happening. Beth and Rachel picked up the Water Taxi and were given a quick ride back to the other side of the lake. We ended up having an extra 45 minute hike out from the broken bridge. This was an older track that was quite steep and muddy. We seemed to keep climbing and climbing and sharply descending back to the road where we were greeted by a cleaner looking Beth and Rachel. Banu and Rachel drove right back to Auckland as they had to work on Tuesday morning. While Mike, Paula, and Peter came back to Kinloch.

Spring has sprung

The weather has finally started to turn. We are now having longer days and nicer weather.  We have several activities planned that are coming up soon. We are running Queenstown again in just over a month. I'm under prepared, but I'll be able to finish another marathon. Beth is doing the half this year. The week after I'm pushing myself to do a 160km cycle around Lake Taupo. I've been spending a fair amount of time trail running and mountain biking. I need to switch over to the road bike as I've got about 6 weeks until the long ride. We are still swimming and climbing in Taupo.

Beth and I did a relay from Paeroa to Thames along the Hauraki Rail Trail. It was my old stomping grounds and we met up with Kat and Garth for a coffee. Kat is busy training for a multi-day swim race in the US and Garth recently had ACL surgery. Some of the Auckland Mountain Bike crew came down for a ride around Craters of the Moon and the Redwoods. It was a good weekend topped off with a trip to Tauranga to buy a BBQ. I happened to find one on TradeMe and it allowed me to say hi to some friends I haven't seen in awhile. However, having a charcoal BBQ this summer is going to be interesting. Since we live in a rural area, we are subject to a rural fire ban. I get to apply for a 2 week permit that allows me to start a BBQ between 7am and 3pm and have it out by nightfall. I'm looking forward to smoking some ribs, brisket, and lamb shanks.

We are doing the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk next weekend. It's also our first national holiday in about 5 months. There are 7 of the ninjas going out to hike 46kms over 3 days. Banu is nursing a knee issue and hasn't been to any of our training sessions so this might be interesting. In preparation, we have done several day hikes of various distances and elevations as a group. This past weekend, Beth and I took our new aarn packs out for just shy of a half marathon (20.4 km). A few others from Auckland did a tramp in the Waitakere Range.

The Auckland crew are coming down Friday afternoon and we'll leave from here early Saturday morning. We are starting by Tuai and ending by Anikiwa. 2 of us will be shuttled from the local holiday park (secure free parking) to the trail head and then picked up by a water taxi at noon on Monday and then driving back to the trail end to pick up the 5 who get to do the whole trail. It should also be interesting as some also have never done a multi-day tramp before. They are still busy buying and organizing gear. I've been asked to provide a list of gear that should be taken with. This should take care of someone forgetting vital gear like a rain jacket. We are in New Zealand after all.

What else are we up to? I've planted a garden recently and it makes me remember my Grandfather and his garden. My garden is no where as big as his was, but I've got rosemary, coriander/cilantro, basil, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, hot and sweet peppers, beans, and peas. On a daily basis, I've taken to pulling extraneous grass from the bed as well as watering. The rain isn't coming that frequently as its no longer winter and the hot sun dries the soil out by midday. Lots of seeds have started to sprout and come Christmas time we'll be having quite a bit of fresh produce. I hope that Bill and Betsy will be able to help us eat the produce.

We've gotten the kayaks out recently, but we have a lot more kayaking to do if we are going to take on the Whanganui Journey this summer. This will be one of next adventures, but we have Betsy and Bill visiting in December. We are hosting Peter's family for a couple days in January. We have to be up in Auckland a few times in December for holiday parties and someone is looking at getting her eyes corrected. January we are diving White Island and mountain biking Hawke's Bay. So I guess we better get Beth out on a MTB soon.

Te Aroha Mountain Summit: Day hike

Beth, Paula, Mike, Peter, and I

It has officially started. What? Our getting ready for the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk that is. A portion of the Ninja Tortoises is going to head out and tackle the 46km track over the 3 day long Labor Weekend. We have been discussing this outing for several months. We have booked our hut spots and are anxious to go, but there are a few with limited experience. So we have planned a few outings before hand. Our conversation is really just a continuation of the same email thread that we kick around all our group activities. Did you know that Google will only allow 100 consecutive responses to an email before it spins it off to its own thread?

Any way, Peter, freshly returned from his trip to the US on Friday afternoon, was picked up by Paula and Mike in Auckland early Saturday morning while Beth and I left Kinloch to a foggy start. We met in Te Aroha at 9:30 am  and departed right from the iSite. The plan was to summit the 952m track via the direct path up, located behind the local spa pools, and then taking the longer ridge track back. Shortly before getting to the Whakapipi lookout, we were already stripping off excess layers. We would be adding/removing the outer layer most of the day. This would be a common story all day as the weather fluctuated all day long. After leaving the lookout, the conversation dried up as the heart rates increased along with the steepness. This was only a temporary set back as we stopped for snacks and the trail leveled out a bit.

At the trig station

 We heard all about Pete's trip to the US, where he downhill mtb in Alaska. He ended up having some medical issues on a flight to Boston. He ended up passing out 3 times on the flight and ended up "getting off" the flight in Chicago. He ended up driving to Boston with strep. Evidently the congestion prevented his body from equalizing and he passed out. Mike and Paula talked about celebrating their meeting at flight school. With a flight school reunion in Matamata. We ate lunch at the trig station and talked more about the Great Walk.

Bearded Pete in surprise

We talked about what gear we have/could share on the trail. A good discussion was our trail recipes for tramp meals. For previous trips, I've made Beth and I a combination of couscous, dehydrated peas, Parmesan cheese, chicken bullion cube, and canned chicken for dinner. For breakfast, I had porridge with dried fruit. For my daily snacks, as I typically don't eat lunch, is salami and cheese. Beth opts for English muffins with cheese.

 We joked that we should have a color-coded spreadsheet of equipment people would be responsible to bring. We are now planning an over-night planned trip in a couple weeks. We will find a tramp that has a decent distance and an available hut for our next adventure. It is good to break in the others with a gentle day hike, followed by an over-night trip, and then a multi-day walk.

Is this thing on?

Whirlwind US review

It would be an understatement to say we're just tired. Not only have we been bouncing from airport to airport to get back to NZ, but we also spent several weeks back in the US. The trip was a whirlwind of seeing friends and family that I have not seen in several years. The last time I was back was 2.5 years ago. That was a whirlwind trip as well because after I got off the flight I had an email with a job offer that started in 2 weeks. So I didn't get to reconnect with that many people as it was packing house and trying to stay on the New Zealand clock.

Anyway, back to this trip. We tried to see our friend Steve right away in Saint Louis, but it didn't pan out. He is currently living in Missouri and interning during the week in St Louis. I could retell the tale of how a lot of rib places close early and that I didn't get ribs until Sunday.

  It was one of my desired meals in the US. We then picked up Sara the following day before heading to the Moll family reunion. There ended up being just under 40 people in attendance. It was also roughly 100 degrees and very humid. It probably felt worse to us as we just left a high of 50 and some frosty mornings.

We flew to Minneapolis on Sunday and were greeted by Jake, Asa, and June at the airport. The kids have changed quite a bit since I've seen them last. Asa was working on a loose tooth, but the entire time I was back, it didn't come out. We loaded our bags and picked Becky up before eating dinner at Punch. After which we dropped Beth off to see some of her friends at her former local watering hole in NE Minneapolis, The Palace. We then topped the night off with Izzy's ice cream and playing tag in a park.

The next morning we drove out to South Dakota to see the rest of the family. As well as some friends. We had a lovely dinner over at my friend Melissa's house where her husband grilled for us. Her sister Miranda and her boy even showed up. Their father used to teach me Taekwondo. Then my parents threw a pizza and pool party and invited over all the relatives in town. I got to see my other brothers and sister as well as some of my nephews and nieces. I stopped over at my sisters house to play peanut gallery to my nephew and his friends playing 2nd Edition D&D. It reminded me a lot of my high school years.

Next was a quick over night trip to Sioux Falls to see Otis, Zerf, and Geffre. Otis has sired a large rambunctious family. 2 dogs, twin 3 year olds, a 4 year old , and a step-son of 11. There was also a cousin over. So the noise level was off the charts. I don't think our lives could be more different. So we ended up grilling out and shooting the shit until the early morning. If you're a guy and ever meet Gabe, make sure your boys or pay the price. You have to be on DEFCON 5 around that one.

Now it is back to Minneapolis, where we spent the bulk of our time back. Beth left a little early to go see some friends in Vegas. Minneapolis involved seeing a lot of friends and family, consuming too much awesome food, riding my bike with friends, trail running, playing paintball, sailing, randomly running into an old high school friend twice (once at the trail running race and the other time at Vertical Endeavors for indoor climbing), and playing with Asa and June. I could go into more detail like above, but to rehash each day right now feels like a  pretty draining exercise. To those that I didn't get to see, I'm sorry. There is only so much I can cram into a short amount of time. Next time you will be first and those I did get to see count yourself lucky.  For the few that I saw multiple times, don't rub it in or others may get jealous.

I do have a video that I'm editing together of us sailing. Both Asa and June took a turn operating the camera, so I'm sure the video will be extra special. I know that Asa liked taking 30 FPS action shots. So I have to make some gifs out of some of those. I'll add the photos and video later as its been a week since we got back.

Now its back to work, training, and planning our Ninja Adventures. We have Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk planned for the end of October.

Checking in

We've made it back to the States after a very long day. Haha. Of course I got pulled for the 'random' (only necessary for passengers to the US) screening. Then we had the pleasure of sitting in front of some young Aussies (probably college freshmen) going to 'the land of the free' for the first time. And they let you know it the entire flight. I may have slept 3 hrs total on the 13+ hr flight. We had just over 3 hrs in LAX to get to our connecting flight which we thought may be tight. Getting through LAX wasn't an issue as they are using some crazy electronic immigration terminals that printed a picture of you to be turned in as you left. It took about 30 minutes. We did get asked if we're bringing back Vegemite and I said that's not from New Zealand. Marmite would be what they eat and that there is a difference. Maybe not a good thing to say to immigration \customs officials. Now the fooding has begun. BBQ and Mexican so far.

Visiting the homeland

Next week, we'll be returning to the States for a brief visit. We'll be hitting a few States and trying to cram as much in as we can. Here is what is laid out so far.

This trip starts early with us heading to Auckland to have a get together with our friends there. Then hopping onto the plane heading West to Melbourne then another heading East to Los Angeles. Then another heading East to Dallas then another heading North to St Louis. This is where we plan on meeting up with our friend Steve. Whom has had his own adventures since seeing him last. Where do we know this stud from? He was on our burrito union team and we've played soccer together for years. All of this action is on the 23rd!

Next we pick up Sara up from the airport the next day and head to the family farm for a weekend of family reunion in Southern Illinois. This will be our only chance to see Beth's side of the family. I may get to eat some ribs and drink some sweet tea as well.

Sunday we fly to Minneapolis to meet up with my brother, Jake, and his family (Becky, Asa, and Juniper). They are picking us up from the airport and Beth has already voiced her opinion on eating at Punch Pizza on the way to their house. I'm sure the kids will be fine with that. That night I'm sure we'll play with the kids a bunch before crashing. They are going to be much bigger than the last time we saw them.

The next day we are heading to Aberdeen to see my folks and other family in the area for the next couple days. We may be bringing Asa and June with us, but I haven't heard definitively yet. Then on Wed we are going to Sioux Falls to see Otis and his growing family, Zerf in his new house, and Geffre. We head back to Minneapolis on Thursday where we are selling our kayak to a friend as we use it so I'm infrequently now.

Friday we have to checkout our renter and clean the place for the new renter who moves in the following day. From here our plans diverge. Beth is doing a half with Angi and Bri and I are doing a gravel ride on the 1st. Then I believe the plan is to go out to Jake's boat for a couple days of sailing and then biking back the 60+ miles to his house.

On Tuesday, Stef (another friend we have roped into burrito union and played soccer with), Beth, and I are doing a 7mile trail run in Hyland Park down by my aunt's house. Afterwards plan on grabbing a meal with friends and family.

From there plans are open, but I have serious eating and visiting to do. We have a list of places that we've been missing since we packed up. I won't bore you with the list but any friends I meet up with will secretly be scratching off a name on the list. Yes, I have a food list and a list of friends that I need to see. This includes and isn't limited to: Skog, Maria, Mary, Justin & Logan, Sludington & Paula, Pilon, Beth, Melissa, Proho, Shell, Matthew, Larry, Beth, George & Holly, and many others.

Saturday is paintball with the team. I'm going to see if my nephew Josiah is able to come play. Then prior to flying home Koderick and I'll be going out for a road ride. While I'm doing this Beth and Angi will be hitting the slots in Vegas.

We land a few days after we leave and then after faced with a 3.5 hr drive back to our quaint little hamlet of roughly 400. Where we are in full winter mode not the steamy mess we'll be leaving that is the mid-west summer. It will be right back to running and riding trails as we got events on the horizon. I have K2 and Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge for big rides. Then we are doing the Queenstown Marathon again. This is all in for a 2nd run at Ironman NZ.

Quick Update

We have been granted Permanent Residency. Its a good thing as we didn't have a back up plan other than never leaving New Zealand again, until we were ready not to work here.

We are starting to make plans for a trip back to the States next month. Its hard to grasp that I haven't been there in about 2.5 years. The trip is already starting to flush out and there probably will be people I don't see again on this trip as we'll probably be pretty full on the entire time. Granted its not just visiting people, but participating in fun activities like riding, climbing, running, and sailing. Oh and there will be food that I haven't been able to source over here.