Te Urewera National Park

I was introduced to hiking by the Scout Group from Hoevenen, my hometown, years ago. Ever since I have enjoyed hiking especially multiday hikes, with my parents, my brothers or alone. Hiking in a national park gives you time to think, to contemplate and to admire, as well as to discuss, while you rest, set up camp, walk, suffer a climb or enjoy a view. One of my big frustrations in Chile was the apparent lack of time to do some proper multiday hiking (I did some, not enough) and due to the steep terrain and mostly rather rudimentary facilities I had not intended yet to take Ana Belen along. Te Urewera, through NZ North Island native rainforest around a natural lake in 4 days was the opportunity.

Y quien dijo que en este viaje ibamos a estar solo echados frente al mar, viendo las gaviotas pasar...? Despues de nuestros dias relajados en Tolaga Bay, en realidad estabamos reuniendo energias para lo que se nos venia (al menos yo)... la primera caminata de 4 dias consecutivos, la que para mi significo ponerme a prueba yo misma y ver si era capaz de lograrlo... pues lo maximo que habia caminado eran 22km, y esta caminata seria de 45km. 

Water taxi to the starting point, a flat day of 15 km, a relatively flat day of 12 km, an 9 km climb and a 7 km descent would take us back to the starting point. The beauty of such a long hikes is the feeling of a continuous positive mood with a few peaks of excitement and sometimes downsides when you realize you took the wrong turn or rain is imminent. The highs in this walk were the nightly encounter with 4 or 5 possums eating blossom in the manuka trees, spotting wild boars foraging for food in the forest, several rewarding dips in the lake after a long days walking and the smoked trout given by a fishermen who had so much trout he couldn't keep it fresh and which was the most welcome change in our beans and dried pasta diet. On a side note, the possum is an introduced species from Australia which for a European is a new and exciting species to meet in the wild, but which has done an enormous damage to the incredible native bird life. The continuous reminders of traps and poison for possums thus gives a bit of a mixed feeling.

Empezamos el trayecto tomando una lancha que nos llevo a nuestro punto de inicio, atravezando el lago Wakaremoana... (lago que rodeariamos en toda nuestra caminata). El primer dia hicimos 14km, termine exhausta, casi ni sentia las piernas, pero era un cansancio gratificante ya que durante toda la caminata habiamos tenido vistas preciosas, que hacian que valga la pena. En la primera noche, cuando nos dirigiamos a los banos, escuchamos que algo corria entre los arbustos cerca de nosotros, enfocamos con nuestras linternas... y vimos varios possums, a menos de 3 metros caminando y trepando y bajando de los arboles... yo corri a esconderme a la carpa, Johan fue a buscar la camara y volvio a tomarles foto. 

Los siguientes dias, ya estaba mas acostumbrada a la caminata, entonces fueron menos duros que el primero ... vimos un par de chanchos salvajes, nos dimos unas refrescadas en el lago junto a los cisnes, comimos una trucha ahumada que nos invito un senor que acampaba en un sitio por el que nos tocaba pasar y habiamos decidido tomar un descanso, tuvimos tiempo para hacer siestas despues de cada almuerzo, y para contarnos toda nuestra etapa del colegio y universidad mientras teniamos tramos largos de caminata... fue divertido para ambos recordar esas epocas y compartirlas mutuamente. 

While their had been some uncertainty about the hike, what if it rains 4 days, what if it is just too much for a person who has not done this before, what if we get blisters or other injuries.... it turned out to be a wonderful experience. We suffered a little together but we shared a lot of good things during the 4 days the views, the meals, the finishes, stories about our high school times. The arrival at the final point was nothing but satisfaction and another good memory. The first of the 9 Great Walks of NZ on our record, that many might come....

El ultimo dia, subimos una montana que estaba a 1200 mts sobre nivel del mar... ambos terminamos agotados, pero llegamos a una cabana donde pudimos relajarnos, cenar, jugar cartas a la luz de unas velas, leer nuestros libros, y celebrar el haberlo logrado sin ningun contratiempo. 

Sin duda fue una linda experiencia juntos, venci casi por completo el miedo a las alturas y abismos, me sorprendi al ver desde la cima de la montana todo lo que habiamos caminado, en cierto modo me senti orgullosa de mi misma... fue muy gratificante.