23. Puteore – Omaru (TMM 3)

Sunday, March 3: Fine & sunny

Tramping: 19.7 km

Omaru Hut (Doc, $15)

I was feeling better when I woke up @ 7:30, and was able to hold down a breakfast of two eggs, salami, crackers with butter, coffee, and packed up leisurely. The night had not been so cold because this was a modern hut with a door that not only closed but also sealed, and possibly some insulation as well. Before leaving at around 9:30 I checked to see where I had missed the path yesterday: The track (in reverse) goes down to the clearing where someone had tried incinerating a sleeping bag, and where I lost the path yesterday. I would only have had to look up.

Then it was onto the track. Today’s variation was a kind of donkey track along the contour lines and that went well until about the third westward section where the signs were lost for a while. I was not optimistic about proceeding, but eventually found a sign, and the track had surreptitiously changed mountain sides. A little further on I thought I had reached a larger clearing, but the going here was also tough. Came through again, but appear to have lost quite a bit of time finding the track.

Slide Show

The clearing that I was aiming for was much more expansive, and I had some difficulty getting to the other side – only one large triangle to be found across the abandoned fields. Also striking was a formation of huge cypresses, obviously to mark the location of the homestead. Should have taken photos of them, but how? This is the original “Letterboxes”, while there are also cypresses at the Letterboxes Junction, later along the track, I think they might have just stolen a name.

Finding the continuation of the track here was not easy, but once found it was the easiest part to follow: An old road, although all of the bridges have decayed (if they were ever built at all). But it was a great, level thoroughfare and I raced on. Reached the junction @ around 3:00, quite late for the circumstances and stopped finally for lunch of just a couple of muesli bars.

What was signed here was another 1½ hours to the junction with the Matemateoanga Track, then another hour to the hut. But there were still hurdles to overcome. The first hour of the connecting route was both poorly signed and hard to find, although it was recognisable that the track passed through another couple of abandoned farms. After that the signage and findability improved (again contour-following donkey trail) and I arrived at “the road” (Whaka Road – not so dusty as in my imagination but overgrown with grass) and was very soon on another connecting path, which appeared to be a regular tramping path. Then the track itself was there. Signed were 3.4 km/one hour to the hut. I was there in about forty minutes. True tramping track this time, with clearing on either side and a couple of boardwalks. Passed the old hut site and just around the corner was the new.

Interactive Map

Plenty of sweating today and I resolved that not only the clothes all had to be washed, but me myself, too. No convenient river for this, but I worked out that I could used a bucket to supply fresh water to wash off the soaped body parts. Very refreshing, that’s the least I can say. Improvised a washing line at the front of the hut and with the remaining four pegs (one was lost today herbiage surfing, but the attached sock survived), everything is set for the night.

For dinner I tried first one extra salted pack of instant noodles and when that went down OK, a second one (chicken and then beef) as well. There was a packet of UHT milk before its best by date left behind which I gratefully drank, and a kettle which I’ve used to boil some extra water.

Can’t understand how I measure 10.6 km to the next hut, and Doc 13.3, unless they calculated in the side trip to Mt. Humphries (will see about doing this tomorrow). Anyway the track is less of a worry from now on.

The thigh cramps started twitching just after a suspension bridge (got a jolt or two?) and the left calf threatened to cramp. Now just the left hand seems to want to go into spasms. Thirty-six hours without contact. To bed just after 9:00 and to sleep after 11:00.