Palmerston North to Levin
With a pair of new shoes on my feet, after a day of rest and excited about no more road walk for the next few days, we left Palmerston North and made our way towards the foothills of the Tararua Range in the east. The TA shared its path with the newly developed Green Corridor. It was a pleasant walk along the expansive grounds of Massey University, meandering through hilly farmland and on gravel roads further away from the city. We came across an incredibly maintained mountain bike park where we had a break in an excellent shelter that provided pleasant shade on a hot afternoon. Eventually, after roughly 30 km, we entered a pine forest, an active plantation maintained by Palmerston North Council. On a junction, Moturimu Whare, a hut with Māori carvings in the entrance, awaited with shelter for the night. To our big surprise, we were the only people present. A look into the register revealed most of the big bubble of hikers we were with on the river were already ahead of us, some a couple of days (which meant they probably hitched from Whanganui to Palmy), others only a day as they went faster on the road walk to Palmy. We enjoyed the sunny evening by sitting outside in chairs.
The next day started a bit dreary, and an hour after leaving the hut, we entered a typical New Zealand bush and were back in the mud between vines and roots. A steep detour to avoid a slip made it exhausting, but we knew we would have a shortish day as the next hut was only under 20 km away. The second half of the day was relatively pleasant hiking on a track that Jim Burtton, a pioneer farmer who lived out in the bush at Tokomaru Stream alone for many years (and he died after a bridge collapsed), built. It wound its way through meadows, bush, and along a stream, and we had to cross creeks many times; fortunately, the water levels were low enough to rock hop. My feet kept bothering me, and the shoes started feeling too small and uncomfortable.
Arriving at the shelter „Ian’s & Frank’s Hut“ was a relief, and I couldn’t wait to kick off my shoes! Shortly after we arrived, a couple from the Czech Republic arrived and stopped for a chat. She barely spoke English; instead, he talked too much and barely listened when someone other than him added to the conversation. I couldn’t help hoping they’d continue. And they did! It was another relaxed and quiet evening that we really enjoyed. Having spent five days on the river with so many other people was draining. I find it challenging to connect to many of the other people on the TA for various reasons, but the crowd on this trail is a different one. Anyway, I hoped that the pain in my feet would ease … instead, the next day started really painful, and I could only continue after popping a painkiller. It was not just the blisters that gave me a throbbing pain, but I started feeling the dull pain of impending plantar fasciitis. This is no joke, and I started getting really worried. Eventually, we left the forest, and after walking through farmland and down a gravel road, we made our way to Makahika Outdoor Center. The owners, Sally and John, also run a luxury retreat and take their clients into the Tararua Range. We were happy to enjoy a shower, a nice flat yard to pitch the tent, and a sun tarp to sit under. We valued local advice on the notorious weather changes in the mountains. Again, we were the only people around, and we were happy when Sally gave us valuable advice on how to interpret the weather in this area where clouds and strong winds from the Tasman Sea to the west and the South Pacific to the east hit the north to south running Tararua Range.
Determined to hit the mountains tomorrow, we went to sleep.
But the pain in my right foot almost made it hard to sleep. I started with painkillers again the following day and was, to my own dismay, barely able to talk. After some time I revealed my decision: if I am still in pain at the junction to the mountains, I will bail. Of course, the pain didn’t go away. Instead, emotional pain was added when I decided to hitch to Levin, take the bus back to Auckland, and nurture my feet for a bit back home. This was the toughest decision on TA so far and caused quite some tears and sobs. It was tough to see John turning for the Tararuas and me climbing into a trail angel’s car who stopped and offered a ride shortly after I made my decision. But I will be back in a couple of days!