Distance today: 22.5km
Distance total: 2411.6km
Time hiked: 8h 46min
Time total: 731h 53min
My motivation isn't much higher than the low hanging clouds. Cold, humid and light drizzle. But the show must go on...
Very average, easy-going track, which only has some tricky scrambling sections right before Harper Pass Bivy. After the Bivy, the track crosses Huruinui River and ascends towards the pass and into the clouds.
The descent is steep, the track however surprisingly well formed, making it quite easy. At one point I cross Taramakau River via a swing bridge. Nice but a bit pointless as a few steps later I need to ford the river anyway to avoid a rockfall.
"Travel down the river is easy", state the trail notes. Some parts certainly are, there are the rockfields and some sketchy parts along the bank though, which doesn't make the tramp as straightforward as I hoped it would be. While getting closer to Kiwi Hut, I play with the thought of continuing all the way to the State Highway and camp there nonetheless. There would only be two more major river crossings between here and there.
At the hut however, I meet the two TA-Trampers Soya from Japan and David from Australia. They tried crossing the Otehake River for two hours but had to give up. With the weather getting worse anyway, I decide to stick to my initial plan and spend the night here in this cozy hut.
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