Four days ago I walked away from my sister's on Kakaho Road, a long gravelled forestry road into Pureora. When I stopped to enjoy my oat bar breakfast on a convenient boulder I discovered a colony of the native onion orchid, Microtis aff unifilia.
It never fails to thrill, finding orchids. But something even more exciting was ahead.
I can't tell whether this green gecko is Naultinus elegans or N. punctata. Quite long, so maybe the latter.
This is the first time I've ever seen one and Pureora Forest isn't where I'd hope to have this encounter. It was about the best reward I could hope for.
Eventually I found my way off Kakaho Road onto the Timber Trail and I'd walked about 34km when I settled on a spot to camp, off the track and uphill just past the 14km marker post. I lay there and read Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford", a gift from Wellington friends that I had the wit to put in the food box I'd sent to my sister. Really lovely novel, everyone should read it. It's about Being Nice.
I wasn't far from the highest point, 971 masl so it was cloud forest, smothered unsurprisingly in cloud.
It was cloudy next morning and nicely cool. Here are juvenile-form and mature lancewoods, Pseudopanax crassifolius, growing together. I'm not convinced the spear-shaped juvenile leaves evolved under moa browsing pressure but that's the most popular theory.
I had the Trail to myself except for two pig hunters and their helpers.
Both dogs are wearing transmitters so they can be found if a chase takes them too far. Storm, in the foreground, is a Labrador greyhound cross.
After Piropiro the trail uses a former logging tramline.
It's the most beautiful walk through man-made cuttings clothed in ferns with trees overhead. When I reached No. 11 Camp, I called it a day.
My feet throbbed, I'd walked 45 km since waking up in the cloud forest.
However moreporks serenaded me and woke me and yet another enormous suspension bridge was waiting.
The netting sides are great hunting grounds for bigger insects. Last time I walked the Trail I found several puriri moths trapped in the nets. This time, a Dobson fly.
The aquatic larvae are very large with extraordinary mandibles, blue duck and trout both prey on them.
Not far from Goat Creek I surprised an actual goat!
It's the white creature in the centre of the photo.
The grand finale is a tunnel forming the lower part of the Ongarue Spiral, I loved being cool again because the day had turned very summery.
There's a final few kilometers beside a farm, then an excellent campsite.
At 25km, it was a more sensible day.
From there I hiked along Old Ongarue Road to Taumarunui, 26km, where I've installed myself for the next three nights.
Washing's on the line, I've WhatsApped NOH, bought Christmas issues of the Listener and New Scientist (don't be fooled, Taumarunui is a great town, I could live here) and gathered food for Christmas tomorrow.
My plan is to keep moving on 27 December. Wait till you see what I've schemed!
