The next morning we were up early as the organising was more complex than usual, given the 3 separate start venues. Breakfast in the kitchen where there was jug and toaster etc.
We got underway, dropping the rugged party off at the top of the road first. Next there was the drive to Taita Road and the bridle track for us. We thought it was going to be a 6 hour tramp but the sign told us….9 hours. Jeez! This led to a decision to have more than one main break for lunch.
We set off, in dry conditions, through farmland initially and then onto the track proper, or rather, the route. We needed to focus well on where we put our feet. The track was overgrown, obscuring the ground and the surface was very uneven due to roots, stones, mud, bumps and hollows. There was some uphill work at times. One of the hardest tramps most of us had done. Three out of the four of us slid and fell over far more than once. The bush was beautiful NZ bush which we were able to appreciate later in the tramp when we turned onto the next track. This, I think, was the Waima main range track. At this point we were able to move faster and admire the bush. There were glimpses of sea and beach as well as farmland and forest. We also saw some white rata blooms; so beautiful, and lots of rewarewa flowers on the forest floor.
After having tramped for nearly 7 hours and expecting 2 more we came to an intersection. It was like a dream come true. Frampton Hut 30 minutes. Yay. This was great motivation. Off we went at a rate of knots; well sort of. Naturally to finish off the day was a hill. Just what we needed-not. The rest of the party, except me, were going to tent so I was hopeful of a bunk.
As we rounded the last corner we caught a view of the lovely swath like expanse of green grass. Plenty of tent sites. We were very pleased to see it after walking for 7 hours 20 minutes instead of 9 hours. The short party had arrived after a 4 hour or so tramp and was ensconced comfortably in the hut. As our 2 groups were the only ones in the hut there were enough bunks for us. Two of the bunks were in the dining/kitchen area. The hut was tidy, clean and spacious. One of the best of this type I have stayed in, the construction based around an old house. There was an old bath out the back porch area as well as a tub. Good for dealing with the mud!
After tents up and bunks prepared, on went the billies for tea. Bliss. Chin wagging. Tea drinking. Some had a little rest. Later a wee dram and dinner cooking. With the longer daylight hours most of us didn’t get to bed until 8 or so. J. The best thing was…no mossies. There was some snoring though. No idea who!
Up soon after 6 the next morning doing the usual. We were all going to tramp out together. The short party had let us know it was not plain sailing. Sure enough there was much up and down but the track was easier for us than the previous day, except… The trickiest was some down hill sections. One in particular was a very long and steep descent with a lot of high steps down and slipping and sliding. Hard on the knees especially as we hadn’t really recovered from the previous day. Once we were on the loop track the going was a lot easier. We saw so many huge kauri trees. Awesome. If you do nothing else, walk this part. I didn’t realise that kauri can spread their crowns to this extent.
We finally made it to a beautiful stream and waterfall where we had lunch, about 20 minutes from the bus. A group of 4 tourists had stopped there as well, enjoying the beautiful scenery. After lunch we headed out to the bus. A welcome sight. We even had enough time to stop for a coffee on the way to collect the rugged party. Not often that happens!
A great experience thanks to the organiser Rob and the drivers, Helen and Bernhard.