Levin to Waiopehu Hut aka Te Araroa LASH Mudfest Day 1

Is there a better way to start a hike than taking a night bus for ten hours and leaving it in light rain an hour before sunrise?

Okay, yes. There are better beginnings to a walk in the woods than my inauspicious beginning.

However, this is where I find myself on a reasonably cold morning in Levin, a thriving metropolis (small farming town) on the North Island of New Zealand. Of course, there is no prosperity at 4:45 am. In fact, there are no signs of life on the main street.

I decide to celebrate my arrival by putting on my alpha fleece before I suffer hypothermia and start walking in the direction I believe the Tararua Mountains live. They are currently lurking under the cover of dusk, I would be surprised if they had relocated regardless of the light situation.

On my way out of town I was lucky enough to witness a robbery. A burly man was busy stealing a cardboard sign (some sort of advertisement for the local lottery, I think) from the front of a dairy (convenience store in Kiwi language). He seemed as surprised to see me as I was to witness the robbery. He quickly tore up the sign he was carrying under his arm and ran to his car with what I can only assume were his willing and able accomplices. I’ve had many strange starts on a walk, this one has definitely been on the top ten list as the car screeched away down Levin’s dark main street.

As I left the town behind, I asked myself many things. First, what good did the sign do to the men? Secondly, if the sun ever came out, I had been in the dark for almost an hour. Third… well, to be honest, the third thought was about the first breakfast.

Food

As I talked about in my last post, I think I have my meal plan really figured out for this LASH. I promised a photo of the route of the month-long hike, so here it is.

My carefully curated shopping was done over many months since my return from the Appalachian Trail, looking for cheap special offers and managed to create a meal plan that cost $7 NZ per day. Packing it all up took a little work, and then they packed it into boxes and shipped it to the places I’ll pass along the way. For those reading and wondering if this is necessary in Te Araroa, it definitely isn’t, you can always find information along the way. For me, this worked out significantly cheaper and, more importantly, lighter than if I had bought the usual hiker junk food I would normally grab when I was on a grocery shopping spree visiting the city.

Double Tied

Ah but I digress. While thinking about food, I took a loaf from my back pocket and ate happily as I headed towards the foothills of the Tararuas. Light had slowly begun to fill the valley I was in, and hints of the long climb that awaited me began to appear.

The rain had begun to let up and the temperature had risen to such an extent that the alpha was no longer necessary. I walked for another hour along farm roads and finally reached the entrance to Tararua Forest Park.

I celebrated reaching the end of the road by having a second breakfast. My cold-soaked overnight protein-enriched oats that had been brewing in my backpack on the bus were delicious and cheered me up as I headed up one of the most feared sections of the entire Te Araroa trail.

mud party

It is very difficult to describe the mud of the North Island to anyone who has not experienced it firsthand. Most people reading this will simply think that mud is mud. I need you to understand. Not all mud is the same. The mud of New Zealand’s North Island is the mud of nightmares. This mud wants to claim your soul. This mud has designs to own for your trail runners. This mud will eat your carbon fiber trekking poles as a snack. This mud… well, I hope you’re starting to get the idea.

Another thing I love about the mud here is that it’s not five minutes of walking down a dry trail and then you hit some mud followed by a drier trail. The Tararuas specialize in mud all day long. Mile after mile of deep, absorbing, pulverizing mud.

Of course, there has to be a reason to put up with all this mud, right? And yes, there absolutely is. This forest park is impressive. Lord of the Rings like forests, crystal clear streams, views of peaks stretching impossibly far into the distance, this is a hiking Mecca for Kiwis and international hikers alike.

The rise

So, knowing the beauty that awaited me, I continued up the mountain and enjoyed the stunning forest as the trail climbed higher and higher.

The rain continues to fall in bursts. The good news was that I now had excellent tree cover and felt much less exposed than I had at the start of the day. I continued enjoying the forest. It was absolutely silent, except for the light rain coming through the canopy, creating a truly magical atmosphere to walk around in.

A few hours later I reached the tree line. Due to the inclement conditions, the view was not at all inspiring.

Still, the weather changes quickly in the mountains of New Zealand, so I crossed my fingers and toes that I’d be able to see it later that day.

Waiopehu Cabin

A little before lunch I arrived at the cabin. It’s always a pleasure to reach a lodge during a hike, and New Zealand huts are a real highlight for any hiker. There is a fierce culture to keep the cabins in top condition and ensure they are a safe base for all hikers.

I had walked 20km to the cabin and, according to my watch, had 90 minutes of sleep since my night bus from Auckland. My plan was to walk to the next cabin, but as we all know, plans often go wrong.

I entered the empty structure and proceeded to remove all of my clothes while I was soaked to the bone. It turns out that the forest has not kept me as dry as I had first suspected. I put on my alpha sweater and Tyvek painter pants (don’t worry, we’ll talk about them in a later post, I promise) and set about making lunch.

A few other TA attendees appeared while I ate, creating a pleasant atmosphere as we talked about the weather and the mud.

After lunch I decided I would prefer to do a longer day tomorrow and after the other hikers left for the next cabin, I lay down for a nap.

A couple of hours later I was awakened by the arrival of more hikers. There was a big storm system that had come through the day before, so it turns out that a lot of TA hikers had stayed in Levin waiting for the weather to clear up.

At the end of the day there were twelve people in the cabin and it was great to chat with people from all over the world who had come to experience the trail.

The weather started to clear just before sunset, allowing for a glimpse of the view.

After eating the first of many cold-soaked dinners, it was time to hit the sack for the night. I really wanted to get a good night’s rest so I would be fresh for the next day, known as one of the toughest on the trail.

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