I knew day two would be the biggest in my North-South mission - covering 30km in 10 hours (8 hours of actual tramping). You can tell which of us at the hut were doing the North-South Track - we were the ones out of bed by 7am. It was overcast with a refreshing morning dew - it was nice while it lasted. I had already started to sweat when I set off for Poupou Stream.

Tessa and Jordan joined me for breakfast - my double portion of porridge and extra strong coffee going down a treat. They were walking out via Te Tuhi Track but taking a detour to check out Mangamuka Hut. Tessa was nice enough to take my photo in front of Te Whare Okioki, and I returned the favour for the girls. We reconnected a week later when Tessa saw my post in the Kaimai Tracks and Huts Users group on Facebook. She confirmed that the track to Mangamuka was hard yakka alright.

When I was doing research for this mission, I was told to do my best to get to Poupou Stream on day two. Otherwise, day three would be massive. That was great advice because knowing now what the terrain to Motutapere Hut was like for my knees, that last push to the Poupou Stream campsite was worth it. The family of four I met the day before were also on their way to Poupou Stream. They were still packing up their tent when I left around 8:30am, but I saw them again a couple of hours later as they passed me uphill. Gosh, they set a cracking pace.

From the hut, the track heads north towards the Wairere Track. Te Whare Okioki is at 542m above sea level, and for most of the day I was mostly around 500m. The challenge for me wasn’t undulating terrain, but distance. The last time I did anywhere near a 30km day was in Perú three years ago.

There’s something pretty magical about tramping in a forest alone. I’ve never felt lonely, given I always have the company of birds, insects and of course, the trees. Fungi spotting also keeps me occupied. I was pretty stoked not to have stepped on this little cup of joy below - luckily I spotted it as I was climbing over some windfall. 

You can tell there’s been recent work done to clear the track (and really well marked) for the summer and I found myself on auto-pilot mode just to cover more distance. I spent a lot of time under the canopy, which kept it a bit cooler. Even with the buff on my head, the humidity made sure there was sweat dripping from my face. Lovely…

It must have been somewhere before the Aongatete River that I ran into a mother and son who had walked in from the Aongatete Track who were doing a day hike. I didn’t stay long to chat as I was feeling a bit sorry for myself from the exhaustion.

As I walk along the Aongatete River, I spotted a lovely shallow pool in one of the boulders, so I dropped my pack to have a quick wash. To be honest, the only reason I didn’t sit down in the pool was because I wasn’t sure if my legs had it in them to get up again. When I was about to head off, the mother and son came down the track. Man, he had a great smile. I didn’t really want them to see me walking at my snail’s pace, so after our quick chat I waited for them to be out of sight before putting my pack back on. Turn’s out I would see them again just 10 minutes later.

They were sitting on the rocks at the river’s edge. I gingerly climbed down the boulders, put my pack down and had a chat. “You don’t happen to have any paracetamol by any chance?” I saw him wince behind that cute smile - turns out he had a killer toothache.

I really wish I could have camped there - there’s a lovely spot not far from the river crossing that would be an epic morning to wake up to. That was definitely the best option for camping as this section of track had bush either side as it follows the river. I was pretty exhausted, and even though I could have easily set up camp anywhere, my gut was telling me to just keep going. There was very little left in the tank when I came to the Aongatete Track junction.

The sign said that Aongatete Lodge was an hour away. In my exhaustion, I seriously considered tapping out. Maybe not that day, but walking out the next day via Goodwin Road in Aongatete. There was phone reception in this part of the Kaimai, I could text my parents to pick me up two days early.

I was catching my breath at the junction when a couple came from Poupou Stream. Turns out Poupou Stream was only 30 minutes away. They had intended to spend the night at Te Whare Okioki, but they settled on camping out at Aongatete instead. “Just 30 minutes Ronna,” that’s what I kept telling myself. The family from Te Whare Okioki had already set up camp and had dinner by the time I walked into camp. It was just us at the campsite, my little spot for the night was under large Panga trees.

I quickly put up my tent and got dinner ready before I sat down. My body was exhausted, but most importantly it needed food to recover. The rehydrated chicken and mashed potatoes got a bit dry, so I added a bit more water and cheese. When you’re that tired and hungry, anything warm and hearty tastes like gourmet food.

That was the first time I camped out on a tramp, and I’m glad I had some company. The river was pretty loud during the night, and often sounded a lot like rain. I heard a couple of Moreporks gossiping in the night. I was even woken up by runners crossing the river in the middle of the night - with headlamps shining into my bivvy shelter like a UFO landing in a movie.

Luckily, the rain held out until the next day, and I woke up in a dry tent. I allowed myself to sleep in until 8am, a rarity for me. Rain was in the forecast for the next couple of days which mean the track would turn to mush as the day wore on. That was the last time I was dry until I walked out on day four...

fivefootronna is Ronna Grace Funtelar - a thirtyish adventurer, graphic designer and writer. A woman with a curious mind who lives for hiking mountains, outdoor adventures and eating pizza. She has a unique brand of optimism that is a combination of her great enthusiasm for life and cups of coffee during the day.