D20 Te Tatia o makora campground to Manganiuohou valley

It's amazing how a clear sky can suddenly turn to rain. It's less amazing when it then rains all night. Even less amazing is a ute full of retatrds (aka Tuhoe) turning up at midnight with spotlights and a radio on full blast. Picking the campsite across the river would of solved half my issues.
Its a clear sky in the morning but everything soaked and not going to dry in a hurry. Best plan- pack up wet and hopefully dry later. Another long day. Continuing back down the road it's an easy 3km to the Hopuruahine bridge. Theres a track starting here but there's no sighn and the first markers have been removed. I get the feeling doc dont want people to use it as it bypasses the start of the great walk. For me it bypasses a big bend in the road. It actually starts about 50m back from the bridge. Once on it it's marked and sidles the river for a km before joing the track where the river exits into the lake.
Its about 15km along the Waikaramoa great walk to my turn off. Theres 3 huts along the way but without a booking and $35 theres no way il be using one, and they check, daily. On a previous trip they even tried to fine me for camping within 500m of one. Politics aside the track is second to none. There's bridges over every stream, board walks over every swamp and steps on every hill, they even mow the grass on the grassy sections.
Theres a slip part way along and i find the first section of tracks closed, explaining why i haven't seen a sole. The advised methord- a water taxi around the whole section. The challenge for me is not getting seen by the boats.
After the first section the track becomes 'open' again and the crowds appear. The track turns to mud. The smell of sunblock. I pass a hut warden mowing the lawn.
The suns out and there's a slight breeze. Despite the remaining ground to cover, it essential to stop for an hour and hang everything up to dry. Having not washed sinse the Waioeka, a dip in the lake is required.
Whatever was causing me a sore ankle a few days ago has been slowly coming back. I don't know if its got wore today or its the heavier pack from my resupply putting more pressure on it. Either way im having to hit the pain killers quite hard to keep walking.
Eventually passing Maraunui campsite i reach the turn off to Manganiuohou. A doc sighn states Manganiuohou valley 3hr. A piece of moldy laminate paper above says the tracks been badly damaged by snowfall and to double times. It's aready 3pm and I've gone further than most great walkers. Its starts off not too bad. Theres reguar permalot markers and the occasional doc triangle. Its quite followable up the obvious spur to the ridgeline. After this its a bit hit and miss and it's easier to follow the compass in the open forest.
Locating the spur down the otherside it's not too bad, tho there a lot a large windfall to be navigated near the bottom. On reaching the river its bluffed in and carefully scouting is required to find a safe route down.
The Manganiuohou river is unlike any other so far. Its flows in a single channel of slippery bedrock between its forested sides. The water has a teal stain and looks uninviting, there's no shingle, sand or possible campspots on the banks. Its slightly reminiscent of the Mangamatane but looks morw like something you might find in Northland/ Kaimi ranges.
If you're carfull you can jump from rock to rock to cross and avoid getting wet feet. Which are final dry. There's a clearing tucked into the beech forest where a major side creek comes out. Its a bit lumpy but that's what a sleeping pads for. Theres no shortage a firewood but findind some that will burn is another question. Its another clear night, and if experience is anything to go by im expecting rain. Spilling half the dinner in the fire is mildly annoying.

D19- Makomako hut to Te Tatia o makora campground

It's not exactly sunny but at least its stopped raining for the first time since entering Te Urewera- Land of the mist. Its possibly the longest day so far distance wise but it's all reasonably easy walking.
From the hut it's onto another 6 foot pack track, there a bit of windfall to navigate and its bit overgrown but its a level gradient and its easy progress. It probably owes its existence to the fact it still used by horseback, tho it also makes it very muddy, especially after yesterday's rain.
Unfortunately after about 2 hours the track enters private Maori land, and travel reterns to a standard tramping track. Its still in better nick than the previous ones just muddy and scattered with windfall. The topographys changed asewll, no longer the steep vallys and defined ridgelines, but flat- rolling hills, crisscrossed with small muddy streams, not quite sure of which way to flow.
The clouds lift and i get occasional glimpses of the Maungapohatu scar, a 300m high wall of sheer rock, rising out of the rolling hills.
Eventually the track pops out at the Maungapohatu access road, where it boundaries private land. Now for road bash #3. It's about 13km to the Waikaramoa road. It crosses a few steams before climbing high into the goblin forest, following the Huiarua range to the state highway. There's occasional logging traffic but nothing much. After a few days bashing though muddy forest its actually nice to be back on the road, if it was called a very well maintained track I'd of probably even enjoyed it. The sun comes out and the phone comes out of hibernation.  Open spots give ocassional veiws back to Maungapohatu and a now distant, double peak which can only be Te Rangaakapua. A tree marked PHONE in red spray paint marks a spot where there's reception. Its only 1 bar but enough to check the five day forecast- fine, fine, fine- they said that last time. Apon reaching SH38 i turn left and its another 8km to the campsite, all gently downhill. There's 2 campsites on this strech, i chose the second 1 as its nicer, away from the road, and theres a bucket of goodies buryed behind the longdrop. I've crossed the main devide for the second time, with water now flowing East to Waikaramoa/ Wairoa.
Unlike the last roadside campsite its free and there's only 1 vehicle based camper.
There's also some sandy spots across the river if it were busy, but theres no need to make life harder than it needs to be- especially if it means getting my almost dry boots wet again. For water there's the Hopuruahine stream or a tank collected off the roof of the dungie- hard choice. Digging up my first buryed tresure, I've still got way too much food. With no huts to stock up i manage to peel off some rice to the germans in the hiace.
It's turned out to be a perfectly clear night and after 8 nights in huts it makes a change to be in the biv with a campfire.

D18- Magatoatoa hut to Makomako hut

It's still raining in the morning and given it's a half day i might aswell sleep in. The rain eases to drizzel by 10.30 so i push out. From the hut, the track drops down to the forks, where it climbs a spur on the otherside. This time its only 200m and it's not too steep.
The track starts off ok, but soon deteriorates when it reaches the ridgeline. Its more of a soaking wet bush bash than a track, miserable but not exactly hardship. With no sun to charge the phone, gps is not allowed unless life or death. Ive had to start writing this stuff on paper to transfer over when there's more power.
The drizzel soon reverts to rain, as the track follows the ridgeline before dropping down to the next stream. From here it repeats the whole thing again untill crossing the next stream to emerge at Makomako hut. Its tidier than i was expecting from an easy acess hut, there's even some firewood and an onion to add to my balanced diet. 8 bunks, woodburner tank. It's only been a 3hr walk but im soaked and cold. It's the last hut for a while, and with an ample supply of food im not going anywhere till the weather improves. In the evening a hind comes within 15m of the hut and would of been an easy feed if i had a dispatch method.

D17- Te Rangaakapua hut to Magatoatoa hut

The weather hasn't changed in the morning, so its back on with the coat and gloves and back into it. The track initaly follows the ridge through Leatherwood scrub and cloud forest. This tracks in worse condition than the last and it's easy to loose in limited visablility.
After about a km it heads west down a spur and its a repeat of yesterday only in reverse- leatherwood, stunted beech, snow damaged beech, and eventually into the mature podocarp of the Urewera rainforest. Loosing altitude the wind stops and visablility increases but the drizzel turns to rain. I miss the turn off to Magatoatoa and finally checking gps I've overshot by a km. Backtracking i find a rotting wooden sighn at the junction, the words unreadable but at least marking the spot. Its another 30mins down a more gentle spur to the stream. Magatoatoa hut is located on the other side between the forks.
It looks a bit rough on the outside but inside its flash by Urewera standards. Its got 6-8 bunks, woodburner and a tank. Its only 1-30 but with the rain and a sore foot i decide to split todays walk over 2 days, effectively  giving a second days rest. There's plenty to read and a dartboard if u get board with that. A tin of beetroot adds some well needed roughage to my diet.

D16- Tawa hut to Te Rangaakapua hut

Im still tired from yesterday( normal on new years day). However its another long slog so an early start is required. The benched track continues for half a km before turning away up the Kahanui. Im going south up the makakaore stream, so its back to the riverbed. Its not worth descbing- starts of broad but soon narrowes with a few bolders. It could be any stream I've walked up so far.
2.5 hours up stream an orange triangle marks a track on the true right, which follows a terrace to Makakaore hut- 6 bunks, open fire and tank. Being further from the road it get less use than the busier huts in the valley
Its about the same again upstream to the Te Ranga track. Its starts off very easy with grassy banks either side and the most deer sighn yet- 4 seen. Half way up it narrows and the gradient increases and back to bolder scrambles and wading through deep pools between rapids. A crumpled piece of aluminium washed up in the debris has no explanation- there's nothing further upstream from here. It looks like part of an aircraft wreckage.
I  cant say I've been looking forward to climbing Te Rangaakapua, partly because i can't say Te Rangaakapua, partly because it's a 700m climb straight up from the vally floor. The marker indicating the start of the track is almost completely obscured by scrub, tho I've smashed some of it back now, still you need to know where to look. The track is not maintained but has new orange markers starting about 100m up, i loose it a few times but it's relitively easy to find in the open forest, it's just bloody steep, climbing the first 500m in just over a km.
The forest has been slowly changing up the valley, but once on the spur is predominantly beech, gone are the tawa, punga, supple jack tangled semi sub- tropical forest ive seen so far. Part of the way up theres a section where fallen branches litter the track, all uniform age and can only be snow damage from the dumping in August.
Nearing the top the trees shrink and become stunted mountain beech ( cloud /goblin forest). Entering the clouds it starts to drizzel and a mountain wind picks up. Once on the ridge it drops, climbs, drops and climbs untill poping out above the tree line at the summit. At 1320m it's not Everest, but its the highest peak for miles and the highest so far this trip. I've also crossed the magic line between the Waioeka conservation area and Te Urewera national park. There's meant to be panoramic veiws over the Waioeka, Waikaramoa and Whakatane catchments, tho all i see is mist. Its also cold for the first time.
The poorly cut track continues through cloud forest and leatherwood scrub untill the hut. Te Rangaakapua hut is a sanctuary from the storm., its a tiny 3 bunk hut with a woodburner and water tank. Its cosy and warm with the fire going. Its parlty carpeted and full of odds and ends, pots and pans, and enough reading for a week stranded in a storm. It's rarely visited, with only 2 parties sighning in in 2016.

D15- Kotepato hut to Tawa hut

It wasn't the best sleep I've had with the kids talking shit all night, playing with a flashlight and asking me stupid questions. The same continued in the morning, resulting in a quick breakfast and early start.
Following the track back downstream, i bypass the gourge and cross the Waioeka back into farmland, this time following the sighn to Nikau.
Following the farm track, it turns into another benched pack track siddleing the river. Its well maintained and easy walking. After crossing major side stream, a slips washed away the track. There's a monument to a tramper who fell trying to cross. However, theres a steel wire been recently installed and its easy to cross. Shortly after the track drops down to Nikau Flats hut- 6 bunk, open fire and tank.
It's become apparent that I've been putting too much food in my resuplys. Ive still got bits bought in Ruatoria. With a clear forecast for the next 5 days i might aswell shed some weight sooner rather than later. Leaving a days worth of lower shelf items in the hut I've still got easily enough for an extra day.
The track stops at Nikau, but theres a possumers track bypassing the first two crossings, which are apparently quite deep. After that its the riverbed all the way. Despite it being a decent sized river, the crossings are all easy, knee to waist deep and on shingle not bolders. They're seperated by rapids and countless deep clear swimming pools. The walking is on shingle or grass, the forest mature tawa with occasional podocarp, ferns and palms. It's probably my favourite bit of the trip yet. One bluffed in section appears to require a difficult scramble or a long swim, but from a higher veiw there's a shingle bar running up the middle, and its an easy waist deep with deep pools either side. 
At the major forks Koranga stream forks SE and Kahanui stream SW. Koranga forks hut is located where they meet. The huts are coming in quickly now. There's a tank, woodburner, 6 bunks and at least 10 people, presumably there to see in the new year, lukily im not staying.
Heading up the Koranga it much the same, just smaller, having lost most of it's flow at the forks. It's another 10km up to Tawa and by the end im starting to tire. The vally becomes narrower and the shingle bolders. Checking the gps im only halfway and consider a night in the bivi, tho camping spots are running out quickly.
Eventually reaching the forks where Tataweka forks to the SW, theres a sight for sore legs. A large arrow points to a well maintained pack track siddleing the true right. Its a few switchbacks to reach but worth the climb at the end of a long day. A conservative sighn says Tawa hut 45 mins, but i knock it 25 despite being at the end of my tether. Tawa hut is a standard nsfs hut with a tank, burner and 6 bunks. Only difference its white and has slatted windows. And I've got the place to myself, removing any obligation to attempt to keep my eyes open until midnight.

D14- Tokenui hut to Kotepato hut

The rain stopped as quick as it started and it's another dry morning. It's a further km up the Tokenui to the major forks where a large triangle points up a steep spur. There's a well marked track up it to the ridgeline which it siddles before droping down another spur to the next stream.
Its an easy walk downstream though broad flats. Theres a few good campsites in here if you needed them. Theres a doc sighn and an arrow making the route out. It looks initially steep but turns out to be another historic road bed. This time maintained. It gradualy switchbacks up the otherwise steep face. Once over the top it sidles a small stream to the road, the final section passes through waist deep blackberry, which might put some people off heading north.
At the bottom a bridge to nowhere (not the bridge to nowhere) provides access to the Manganuku campsite. Its popular with vehicle based campers and its heaving. I've already seen more people than on the rest of the walk put together. There's designated fire pits (looks impossible to cook on), swimming holes (you'd have to que) and a $10 fee. Its the sort of place i passionately avoid.
It also marks the end of the Urutawa's and the start of the waioeka. Whilst a good step down from the Rakumara, the Urutawa's been more of challenge than expected. Following the remains of anchient roads put in in the early 1900's has been intresting but sometimes confusing.
The next five kms down SH2 aren't the most instesting. The traffics in full flow
Heading to gissy for new years. Its the first vehicles ive passes that haven't stopped for a chat, to offer ride, or even a 20 minute yarn with the ute idling. Statisticly its probably the most dangerous part of the trip. You could walk the whole way through the gourge beside, but it looks challenging and would require a few swims. Turning left onto wairata road, its 1.5ks to wairata station where I've left my next food stash.  After crossing the bridge i head down redpaths road to the gate and carpark. From here the track passes through private farmland and permissions should be sought from Mary Redpath, Wairata station. At the end of the track a sighn points to Nikau hut up the river and Kotepato accross the river.            The Waioeka is a big river, however it's wide, shingle and easily crossed. The Kotepato stream starts in a gourge where there's a chest deep section to wade and big bolders to scramble. I find a well marked track on the true right which likely bypassed the gourge. Its a further 10- 15mins upstream to the hut.
Kotepato is an old nzfs hut with a new deck added. There's 6 bunks, water tank and an open fire. There's noisy kids in residence and not the most pleasant night.