TA Days 78 to 83: Facing the Tararuas

The Tararua Mountains were absolutely beautiful. We ended up getting lucky with the weather; We just spent one more day in a cabin waiting out a storm before continuing up the ridge.

It was a little difficult waiting for the morning, because the weather was still nice outside. However, we knew the storm was moving in around 10:00.

Sure enough, at 9:45 it started to rain. The rain stopped shortly after. Then, as if on cue; 10:15 arrived and suddenly the rain and wind increased.

As the day progressed, so did the intensity of the storm. We definitely made the right decision by staying at the cabin.

I was also feeling a little worn out from the long walking sections leading up to Tararuas, so a rest day was very welcome.

The next day, good weather accompanied us on our ascent to the highest point we were going to in the Tararuas. It would have been a bummer to have gone up and not been able to see anything!

The extra day we spent at the cabin, there was a young Kiwi who had chosen to go in the middle of the storm. We tried to convince him otherwise, as he was not well prepared, the winds were going to be around 90 mph and the wind chill was almost freezing. However, he decided to go ahead and left before the really bad weather took hold where we were.

During our hike the next day, we could see the remains of snow scattered among the grass. Sure enough, when we caught up with him a few days later, he told us how he was soaked, frozen, and had to deal with snow and pouring rain.

The only problem with our rest day was going from a group of ten to a group of thirteen when three other hikers arrived. This was fine for the eighteen berth Te Matawai hut where we were staying. However, the Nichols cabin we all planned to stay in next had only six bunk beds.

I was very lucky with the weather; Arriving before the rain at the Nichols cabin. Another hiker entered just before me and, after seeing the small cabin, decided to continue on.

One by one they all began to arrive. We were thinking of creative ways to fit twelve people into the small cabin. Fortunately, in the afternoon the weather cleared up again.

Myself and three other people ended up camping outside the cabin that night; solving most space problems.

The next morning we were still climbing the ridges. Only this time everything was shrouded in a thick fog. Honestly, it was a little creepy and I felt sluggish during my walk. I ended up putting on some music to boost my motivation and energy.

Finally, the trail emerged from the clouds and into the most magical mossy forest.

I caught my tram on the way down and stayed with them until camp at the Parawai Lodge.

The next day, we made one last push out of the mountains. From there, a stretch of road took us to Waikanae for pizza to satisfy our post-trail hunger. After devouring an entire pizza sitting on the street, we still had a few more miles to El Rancho for the night. It was another good day, although long.

In general, the days were long in the Tararuas. Hour after hour we went up and down continuously, navigating hill after hill.

Despite the effort, I enjoyed the unique plants, the beautiful mountains and spending a lot of time with my nearby, extended tram. The Tararuas definitely stand out as one of my favorite places along the TA so far!

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