TA Days 41 to 45: Double your Hamilton

I told myself I would get stuck into my blog in Hamilton. Yet here I am… sitting in bed at midnight on Sunday, finally writing a post despite arriving in town on Thursday afternoon.

I was going to leave tomorrow, but let’s be real… if I don’t get stuck now; I never will. So instead, I’ll take a short test day to finish my writing. Oh!

So, forgive me for my tardiness and enjoy the avalanche of messy posts coming soon!

From Ngaruawahia to Hamilton

You know by now that I’m not the best sleeper, but one of my favorite nights was camping outside an earthship in Ngāruawahia. I woke up to the simultaneous chorus of roosters and a distant train. I thought the roosters were giving their morning call and the bright light outside my tent was daytime; I woke up feeling pretty good. I finally slept through the night without waking up!

However, a quick glance at the time told a different story: simply a beautiful full moon at 1:40 am.

Well, at least I knew I was in for a short day and still had time to hopefully make it back to dreamland.

Walking along the river

Shortly after 8:00am, I hit the road and began my 27km walk towards Hamilton. I was looking forward to the 21km stretch along the Waikato River. The paved river walking/biking trail is what I thought the Mercer to Rangiriri River Trail would be. Nice, easy and with lots of trees that provide shade on a hot sunny day.

I was in full tourist mode in Ngāruawāhia, admiring the murals and reading the displays along Ngā Huinga’s lower Waikato esplanade. Ngā Huinga, which translates as «the Point», marks the place where the Waipā and Waikato rivers converge.

As I began to slowly wander down the hallway, I struck up a conversation with a local. We ended up walking together for more than a kilometer while we talked. Totally unexpected, but I really appreciated getting to chat with Kim. Great way to start the morning and a sign of things to come.

I don’t know what it was, but the river trail seemed to have the friendliest people. Everyone, including the cyclists speeding by, said «hello» or «good morning.» I feel like it’s pretty normal to greet other hikers, but I’ve yet to meet that many happy people, especially near a big city.

History in motion

If I have time, I usually take small detours to viewpoints or historical sites along my route. I also like to read the trails and learn about the areas I travel through.

Ngāruawāhia is a pretty special place. The name comes from the 17th century and means a call to «open the food wells.» This message came during the celebration of the birth of Ngaere and Hekeiterangi’s son. The daughter of a local chief, Hekeiterangi’s father did not approve of her marrying Ngaere, who was the youngest son of another chief. Fortunately, the birth of their son and a great party reestablished family ties, thus also giving the area a name.

Ngāruāwāhia is also the home of the 1858 coronation of the first Māori king, Pōtau Te Wherowhero.

Throughout Aotearoa (New Zealand) there are many different fortified Pa or Maori sites. This time I passed through Mangaharakeke Pa and Pukete Pa and looked at the remains of land.

Arriving in Dinsdale in the early afternoon saw the transition from trail days to rest days.

Hop on the Hobbit tourist train

Channeling my inner tourist once again, I spent my first day off traveling to nearby Matamata to visit Hobbiton.

I don’t normally like tourist attractions, however, I have heard a lot of good things about Hobbiton, I have read The Hobbit and I have seen all the Lord of the Rings movies. As someone who also wanted to design props and sets, I thought; Why not? Come on!

Located on a beef and sheep farm, the original Lord of the Rings set was deliberately burned down for a scene in the latest film. The current set on display was reconstructed for the Hobbit movie. It was great to learn about the hierarchy of hobbits in the shire and how movie magic made hobbits appear smaller than other actors. I don’t want to spoil it all, but above Bilbo Baggin’s house is the only fake tree on the set.

My favorite fun fact from the tour was that the local firefighters helping on set were assigned orc roles. It’s ironic to go from an everyday hero to a terrifying villain.

Apart from my trip to Hobbiton, my days off have been filled with errands; planning the next leg of my journey, resupplying food and exchanging some equipment. I also enjoyed spending time with my “kiwi parents”, their children and my grandson.

back to that

Today I have a short 12km walk and then I will officially be back in the morning. Leaving Hamilton, I will be carrying a 33 pound backpack. Looking forward to eating some food and lightening it up as the days go by.

A special thanks to Le Groves for the great company, cozy home, and delicious, nutritious food! Nga mihi.

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