Day 7 - 11 Great weather and a challenging walk

14.02.18-18.02.18: Rotorua - Lake Waikaremoana - Wairoa - Mahia

The weather is already a bit better today. In the morning we even saw some sun. Today we want to relax at the Polynesia Spa in Rotorua.

But first, we need to do some shopping for the Great Walk. After we had everything together, we drove to the spa. The entrance fee there was a hefty 100 NZ dollars. There were six different pools. The coolest one was 36 degrees and the hottest one was 42 degrees. The relaxation in the different pools and the view of Lake Rotorua were priceless.

After a good rest, we drove to Lake Waikaremoana. We found a good spot at a beautiful campsite. First, we did some laundry, took a thorough shower, and then prepared everything for our Great Walk. Phil checked his camera, chargers, etc. a hundred times, and I read a bit.

After a restful night, we woke up at 8:00 am and packed our backpack. 2.5 liters of water, three small sausages, some bread, 100 grams of ham, 6 eggs, and various fruit bars. Of course, we also brought a sleeping bag, spare clothes, toiletries, and pyjamas. We decided to drive to the starting point of the walk in Onepoto instead of taking a taxi. When we arrived there, we started walking. First (and until the end) uphill. But we knew that and planned to take a break at the first hut in Panakiri after 9 km. That was a good decision:)

The huts are all very functional. Running rainwater, two to three bunk beds, and pit toilets that smell terrible. In the Panakiri Hut, there was a group of 14 people who had their luggage transported to the respective huts by boat and were cooked for by guides in the evening (similar to the lifestyle pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago). So they had rice with chicken and curry sauce, and we had our eggs, "bread", and sausages.

The next morning, we woke up at 6:00 am. The group had breakfast, and it was quite noisy. After enjoying a delicious fruit bar, we started walking again at 7:30 am. We had 20 km ahead of us. According to the plan, it was supposed to be downhill first and then straight ahead. But the reality looked a bit different. It was steep downhill, and then it became hilly, swampy, and incredibly exhausting. After 20 km, we arrived at the hut quite exhausted. As it was located by the lake, the first thing we did was go for a swim. After that, the world looked a bit better. After dinner (the same as yesterday), we quickly fell asleep and woke up 10 hours later.

On the third day, we walked another 12 km to the endpoint, Whanganui Hut. The path was more straight, but since everything was hurting, hiking was not a great pleasure. When we arrived at Whanganui Hut, it was only 1:00 pm, and we had booked our water taxi for 5:00 pm. Phil and I had different opinions about where to wait. I insisted on staying near the "taxi stand". Luckily, as it turned out later. Around 1:45 pm, the boat arrived, and we asked if we could already join. We could. It turned out that the nice man from the boat didn't have a reservation from us, and the last official taxi already left at 2:00 pm. Luckily, everything turned out fine in the end.

Back in Onepoto, we decided to return to the campsite from the 14th of February. First, we took a shower and washed our sweaty clothes. Since it was a fasting day and we didn't have to cook, we had time to go to bed early.

This morning, we packed our things and continued to Wairoa. Phil had a flat white coffee, and I had an organic juice. We sat on a park bench, caught up on WhatsApp and emails, enjoyed the warm weather (according to the weather app, it was 32 degrees), and did nothing. A local recommended us to go to Mahia Beach. There would be a stunning sunset and a cool bar. We didn't need to be told twice. Now we are at a free camping site at Mahia Beach, going to the bar soon to have dinner and then heading up the hill to admire the breathtaking sunset. Pictures will be in the next blog post.