It was a bit of a chaotic morning leaving the Powerhouse Lodge to tour the Rākaia. With such a large group of hikers, three separate tours were needed. I was going to be on the last ferry leaving for Methven at 10:30.
Wanting to get some sleep and do some writing before heading out, I didn’t mind a later start. I certainly took my time getting up and even had a long call with my parents before leaving my tent.
That’s when I knew I was actually going to take an earlier ferry and now had less than half an hour to pack, eat breakfast, and be ready to go. Although a little stressful, I arrived on time and was grateful to leave early. 
At Methven, we had a short break to resupply before our next trip to the trailhead. I already had too much food, so I had a snack while I waited. 
The trip to Glenrock Creek went well. I sat up front chatting with the driver as we passed many sheep and along the Rākaia River; One of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand.
This was the first of two ferry sections that avoided dangerous braided rivers. In this rainy year, attempting to cross these areas would have been extremely dangerous.
We arrived at the trailhead shortly before 1:00 p.m., arriving simultaneously with the precipitation. With my rain poncho on, I started walking uphill to Comyns Hut. 
The rain cleared as I climbed, making for great views as I approached A Frame Hut.
From there I kept walking. Shortly after, the rain reappeared and continued with me to Comyns.
I was surprised to see so many tents already outside the cabin. However, I was even more surprised when I opened the cabin door to sign the DOC book of intentions and saw my friend Gitte, sitting there. We started TA the same day, but we hadn’t seen each other since Kerikeri months ago. 
He had seen his name in the DOC books, but he was always a few days ahead. Definitely a nice surprise to catch up!
There were also some other friends in the cabin. One by one, more hikers began to arrive. In total, there were about eight hikers sleeping inside the cabin, and at least twenty-two of us outside in tents.
Those already there told how they tried to make their way past Comyns and up the River Ashburton. Gitte and her friend were even trapped for a few days between different stretches of the river. Eventually another group found them and they were all able to return to Comyns after enduring several falls, fast currents and chest deep water. Definitely unsafe conditions to try.
However, despite the horror stories, a group climbed the river the same day and managed to reach the next hut. In this case, height (i.e. being tall) seemed to make a difference. 
Despite the negative narrative, he was optimistic that the river would be feasible. However, after another whole night of rain… I didn’t have much hope that it would be doable the next morning. Sure enough, the river continued to flow fast and full. 
Some taller people crossed the first crossing and came over to check the second. The water had gone down slightly, but it was still too dangerous for the moment.
That morning, almost everyone who had previously attempted to cross the river and backtracked to Comyns Hut walked back to the trailhead to hike the entire section hRhSD.
Another group of eleven reached the hills; trying to form a new track to avoid some of the junctions. The rest of us took a climate rest day. The rain was supposed to stop in the afternoon, giving the water time to fall for the next day.
Three of the eleven hikers who made it to the hills returned after one fell and hurt his back. They would also rest and wait with us.
Honestly, it turned out to be a wonderful day. I enjoyed taking things easy, drawing and doing two new watercolors. 
Only five other hikers came, so the campground became a little less crowded with about eighteen of us. 
The next morning started very early; Pack up camp and return to the North Branch of the Ashburton River. We weren’t sure we’d be able to make the crossings and wanted to get an early start in case we too had to walk back to catch the ferry. 
Fortunately, the crossings were doable…although not pleasant.
Let me tell you, getting to deep mountain fed rivers early in the morning is great! It felt like knives were being stabbed into our skin. 
Then, after attacks of unbearable cold, I endured a struggle with tingling and numbness in my legs and feet. It was going to be a difficult day. 
As someone who has never skipped, hitchhiked, or missed any section of TA…the idea finally occurred to me. Was I going to be able to do this?
The pain of the cold was one thing. Yes, it felt horrible. However, I was also afraid. The first two kilometers beyond Comyns were said to be the most difficult, and if we could cover four kilometers we would almost be done with the crossings. However, the thought of finding water so cold at chest height was terrifying. If we did, I probably wouldn’t be able to continue.
Fortunately, none of the groups that had preceded us had returned. This was a good sign.
As well as cold crossings, we spent the day climbing, clambering and literally crawling under gorse. My legs had only just begun to heal from all the scrapes along the path of deception. Now there were new cuts everywhere. The only benefit of being cold was that I couldn’t feel the spikes as much. 
In the end the sun hit the river bed we were walking along, making the temperature much more bearable. 
However, it was brutal to go through the painful plants and the continuous crossings. 
In total, we had to make at least forty crossings, although we did our best to avoid as many as possible.
I was extremely grateful to be with friends. We stayed ahead and made sure we all arrived safely. 
After almost seven hours, we finally left the river behind and headed into the hills. 
I normally don’t like walking on scree, however, this was one of the best paths; a far cry from the overgrown river trail we had just arrived on.
As the hours passed, my body became heavier and heavier. Feeling a little lame, I went pretty slow the last few miles to camp. After twelve hours it was nice to finally arrive at Manuka Hut and set up my tent for the night. 
I felt bad because it was poor Robert’s 28th birthday. I must say his day was by far the hardest on the trail! Memorable, but challenging, with plenty of cuts to prove it!
Despite the night, I got up at 5:00 to pack my bags. After not getting enough people to organize another ferry for the second river diversion, I knew I was going to have to hitchhike to Geraldine.
Since seven of us needed to hitchhike, I wanted to be the first on the road to give myself enough time to find transportation. We had a good twenty miles left to go, so I left shortly after 6:00. 
Without wasting any time, I put on the tune and stepped on the accelerator. I was cruising and felt good on the hike. Despite my rush, I managed to have a nice visit with some cyclists on my way to Clearwater Lake. 
From there I kept walking. The last section of the trail features landscapes from The Lord of the Rings. This meant that hopefully plenty of tourists would be in the area to take us. 
It was a little cloudy, with a strong headwind, but it cleared up as I got closer to the end of the trail. 
What I wasn’t expecting was another river crossing in the last half mile. I spent a lot of time walking up and down the shore looking for a suitable area to cross. 
It was quite difficult to see through the glacier water. The calmer section seemed quite deep, while large, fast-flowing rapids flanked shallower sections.
As a smaller person, I couldn’t find a place I really felt safe crossing alone. I ended up waiting half an hour before another hiker arrived and we crossed together. 
From there, it was a little slow to get an issue. In the end, a Dutch girl my age took me halfway to the city. After another long wait, a friendly Kiwi guy drove me the rest of the way to Geraldine.
In town I met up with my tram, resupplied and went camping at the local holiday park. At night we watched the movie; “Wild Robot” and I had a quiet night.
Another section of the books. Now there is one more detour of the river!
