Day 35 | Waitomo
17 November 2022 | 22°C | 15km
It’s almost 8am as I wake up. I feel fresh and energized (as fresh as you can feel as a sticky hiker :) and much better than after last night in the hut. A few drops are still falling on my tent but it sounds as that’s rather drops coming from the trees than actual rain. Seems like the heavy rain during the night stopped.
The girl who camped with me is long gone. She planned a big day all the way to Te Kuiti in 35km. I am not sure how far to go today. Waitomo in only 15km seems too short but then there is heavy rain expected sometime during the day. Let’s see.
When trying out the time lapse functionality on my phone with some fancy clouds movement, someone comes up the hill at high speed. It’s an Aussie hiker I have never seen before. We walk together for some time talking about trails and gear until I stop for a short break. Guess I will never see him again with his speed.
The heavy rain kicks in at around 1pm. I first think that I could wait for the heavy downpour to pass buy below a tree but it won’t stop. Still 7km to go to Waitomo the next town. I catch up with Connor and Charlotte at some point fortunately and time passes quite fast.
Once in „town“ we bump into Jasper and Margot with whom we eventually find a cabin to share with. Finding accommodation in this small town was harder than expected due to its glowworm cave that seems to one of the major tourist attractions. Relief on the day: A long hot shower after being soaking wet and cold
Day 37 | Lake Taupo (off trail)
19 November 2022 | 19°C | 0km
A little bit of van life after being saved from the rain … shopping in Taupo, lots of food, a glass of wine, a visit to the hot pools and a lovely camp by the lake.
