Day 14 ~ Omahuta and Puketī Forests.
4th December 2020 ~ 26kms over 13 hours
Raucous possums and screeching rats had everyone awake in the night. It’s impossible to escape the tent for the morning pee without getting soaked with condensation.
The kids are distracted by their new besties and it’s beyond your wildest cat herding dreams trying to get them ready to tramp for the day. Chahlia (Charlie and Dahlia) have decided to walk with us today and we are all a bit tickled to have their company. We’ve planned to do the next 26kms over two days. The first 17kms are supposedly pretty gnarly, steep and slow going.
It’s insanely beautiful walking up the stream for about 5kms, surrounded by dense Northland bush. The day goes on, we climb up and down, cross a fast flowing river, mountain goat along ledges and use our hands to climb a lot.
We are completely shattered as we approach the spot we planned to camp in the late afternoon. We promise the kids that we’ve nearly made it. We finally find the spot. There’s a big sign in the middle saying not to camp to help stop the spread of Kauri Dieback. Oh, shiz. We search for other spots. The only flattish options have signs too. We’d hate to be the ass wipes that cause mass Kauri tree deaths, so we keep on going. We have no choice.
“ We’re screwed. ”
Everyone melts down in their own way. Golds can’t hold it together anymore and refuses to move. In a moment of (stupid) brilliance, we realise she’s hungry. She’d normally be full of dinner by now. Problem solved.
On we go.
It’s 7pm by the time we get to the top of the ridge after a 2.5 hr climb up 500meters. Legs and hearts are burning. 9kms to go. Wow.
Thank feck for Chahlia. Having these two to chat to makes the exhaustion fade away and as the sun sets our headlamps come out and we become the Night Walkers.
The best bit?
As we approach we hear a human howling like a wolf. Goldie/Wolfie (new trail name) returns the call. Howls guide us in through the trees and of course, it’s Tip Tap and Marv. Tucked up in their tents they heard our excited/delirious approach and they’re stoked we made it. Turns out they’d been listening out for us, backing those little legs in to make it.
Brilliant.
Bloody brilliant.
We become the night walkers.
