Te Araroa : Ohai to Colac Bay

KM this section : 88
KM completed : 2917

About time I read some of this.

I've been a bit uncertain about the next bit, the guide has a total of thirty-three and a half hours to Colac Bay, there are lots of warnings about 'no camping', and just one hut.  My original plan calls for three days, the second being thirteen and a half hours to get me to that hut, well let's see.  In the event what I get is a demonstration of the DOC's undue deference to private landowners, hence all the 'no camping', there are also many signs warning to only tramp in daylight hours, in groups no larger than eight, etc.  There is even a section of pine forest that we are supposed to phone the owner and ask permission before entering, presumably tugging on our forelocks while doing so...

Signal masts on Bald Hill.

The walking?  First day turns out to be mostly road or gravel farm track so I rip the guide estimated time apart, end up camped just into a wood, some three hours ahead of plan.  Gravel tracks continue through the forest and up to an array of signal masts on Bald Hill, from here I can see the sea, and oh my that is Bluff, endpoint of the trail, at the end of the bay there.  Can also see Stewart Island, no I'm not going there, the trail stops at Bluff and so will I.  What can the TA throw at me first?  Well, the route down to Martin's Hut is through bog, and some of the worst, muddiest, most horrible forest I've seen for a while, and it's raining.  But so what, it's nearly the end.

You can see Bluff from here!

The tiny four bunk hut is a squeeze for me, Dragos and French Tim, plus Germans Carl and Jonas, but at least that keeps it warm.  I feel rather guilty about poor Kiwi Bob who arrives late and camps outside, he seems OK though.  This is the last hut, feels weird to leave it.  But I have more awful mud to wade through... today the route is along a water race from the old gold mining days, at least it follows a contour line, but of course has not been maintained as a path since the miners left in 1920 or whatever.  At regular intervals I clamber over trees, down into eroded ravines, all with the rain coming down... on at least two occasions I slip into deep holes or the old race itself, neither this, nor banging my head against trees repeatedly, is much fun.  Believe it or not, the DOC has the gall to suggest any TA thru-hiker should give them a (quite substantial) cash donation in return for hiking the trail.  Well it is while walking this 'path' that I finally decide they're not getting a cent from me.  Seems that in any case their priority is to provide huts for their rangers to stay in while out on 'conservation', i.e. hunting, trips...

For all that, I make good time to Colac Bay, where there is, oh yes, a pub.  Also does camping, that is me set for a day or two, doing that last bit in three days means I have time to spare.  I buy a burger and much beer... so nice to have a day of not walking, though after a lie in, cleaning of self and clothes, what shall I do in the afternoon?  Oh, there is a big wood burning stove that I can sit feeding logs to you say?  Go on then :)

Back in the woods.  But not for long :)

Photos to go with this post can be found here.