8-12 November 2007

From the Psychotic to the Sublime

The Lake Waikaremoana Track

Day 3, Page 8: Waiopaoa to Marauiti

I had imagined a flat lakeside track around tghe estuary and up to the campground, but no such luck. We're back up in the air again.

Nothing seriously difficult but I'd been saving the last few bits of energy for the last small saddle before the hut. I can, however, now afford a long swig of water and with some fruit leather as well, I'm back on track. I'd normally have a bit of biltong sitting in the front of the camera bag and that seems to keep me going more evenly than pure carbs, but I welcome the small surge nevertheless.

Round the headland we go.

You can see the two baches just below the first u in Maraunui, and we're somewhere straight in from the M.

We pass a turnoff at the head of the inlet and the news is welcome though I mentally calculate 30 minutes as closer to 50.

It's just a little bit of a plod now, but nothing we can't handle or wouldn't expect at the end of a good day.

As you can see there's nothing very strenuous ahead just now.

Back into grass and along towards a recently replaced bridge.

There are a number of interesting features about this structure:

but I think the most interesting is that DoC appear to have undertaken some landscaping and feature planting.

Round we go to the start of the last saddle.

There's a few dark clouds lining up over there and I wonder for a moment whether our rain magic is going to fail us.

Up we go

and up, and curse the bloody tree roots.

"I'm not buggered, I'm just stopping for a photo."

And down we go for the last time today.

The red roof of the marauiti hut looks very welcoming.

We head inside and all our gear is there already but there's no sign of the boat. Trout for dinner? Yes, indeed, when Dakin and Lesleigh arrive, and hot-smoked, to boot. A little Te Mata Woodthorpe sav blanc does not go amiss either. Tramping was never like this.

The hut is comfortable and unassuming. The gas heater works excellently and within minutes the chill has gone from the evening.

Miranda boils the kettle and I browse through the entries in the visitors book. We have visitors.