We left on time and travelled steadily as the Easter traffic was not too bad, arriving at Ohinepane campground at about midnight. We were serenaded to sleep by our neighbours singing around the campfire!
Good Friday dawned clear and saw us on the road just after 7.00am for the drive to the track start. This ended up taking about another 3 hours so it was a lengthy journey to get to this tramp. We finally got away walking at 11.00am leaving Dave of Eastern Taranaki Experiences to transfer the bus around to Pipiriki for us.
The track climbed gradually upwards to reach 400m then stayed fairly level for the next 3 days. It took 1.5 hours to reach Omaru Hut for lunch in the sun. After lunch we continued along a ridge with occasional views out across row after row of steep bush clad hills that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Apparently on a fine day it is possible to see Ruapehu but we had a few showers to contend with. The camping party consisting of Roger, Helen, Campbell and Lynda stopped at Humphries clearing about 4pm whilst the hut party continued on to the 12-bunk Pouri Hut by 5:00pm. There were two women from Wellington at the hut who had lit the stove so we peeled off our wet coats and soon had a steaming rack of clothes drying above the fire.
Saturday morning the camping party climbed Mt Humphries and the hut party continued on to the 10-bunk Ngapurua Hut. We sloshed along through puddles and over and under windfalls from the recent storm. This was thankfully only a three-hour walk as the rain continued on until we arrived at lunchtime. The hut was new and had a sink- complete with soap - under cover at the end of the verandah. Small things like this make a huge difference when tramping especially in the mud and rain. When then mist cleared we had a good view down a steep valley with huge rata trees and birds swooping amongst the trees.
The ground along the track was strewn with many different types of berries from large black olive-like Tawa to bright red Pigeonwood, Coprosma and Miro. Other plants of interest were the giant moss Dawsonia and the tenacious Hook Grass which clung to our legs as we brushed past. Campbell got the prize for the most seeds!
Sunday was another wet day for the last leg to the Whanganui River. Fortunately the track was not hilly so we didn't get too hot in our raincoats. We had lunch at Puketotara Hut and then down a steep slippery clay track to the Bridge to Nowhere lodge on the banks of the river. Showers all round - even those in the campground had a shower. Lodge diners had roast lamb and vegetables and others were able to cook their own food in the kitchen.
Monday morning was sunny for our trip on the river. Those canoeing set off at about 10:00 am for the trip down river to Pipiriki. The recent rain had covered most of the rapids making for a smooth ride downstream. The others boarded the jet boat for a ride upstream to the "Bridge to Nowhere" walk. Eventually we all met up back at Pipiriki. The canoers were pleased to see the jet boat arrive as they had been waiting for their packs to have lunch. We finally got away to Auckland at 4.30pm making it a long day by the time we had stopped for a meal at Te Kuiti. Everyone agreed the trip had been enjoyable with lots of variety in transport and weather!