Sunday 24th April 38.5 km 8 hours, including a good break in The Mussel Pot, Havelock, for lunch
Rained all night, and pleased that my tent coped remarkably well. Packed up in the rain, and then off on the last 30 minutes of the Queen Charlotte Track to Anakiwa. Water everywhere, and the rain continuing on through the day only too regularly. So now at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound, with a combination of walking tracks and roads to take me away west from the sound, and over to the head of an arm of Pelorus Sound.
As promised the side track up Mahakipawa Hill was steep, but fortunately not the bare clay surface going up as per the TA notes - if it had been, that would have meant a road diversion. But steep up, and then steep and more slippery down with Havelock being so close at the bottom, so a lot of care needed to stay on my feet - success !
Patchy views of the surrounding hills, and the Sounds looking quite brown from the runoff from all the rivers and creeks that were now in flood. After lunch along SH6 towards Canvastown, with time to watch the flooded rivers and creeks, and the many waterfalls on the side of the road. With the creeks flooded, at Daltons Bridge, rather than taking the new track from there to Pelorus Bridge (which has side creeks to cross) I stayed on the main road. As soon as I reached the Pelorus Bridge DOC sign a sandfly spotted me.
A change into dry clothes (yay!), a pie at the cafe, and time now to leave Te Araroa until next summer. Richmond Ranges ahead, which are serious tramping country - I will have to check out my options before continuing on.
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