Timber Trail – Pureora Forest Park
I woke at 5am. I’m loving the early mornings, especially when there is a loud chorus of bird song… sooo lovely!! It was cool in the night and the campsite was at an elevation of approximately 560m. There was lots of condensation inside & outside of the tent, so I spent ages wiping everything down (but still packed a wet tent…sigh).
I got going on the Timber Trail at 6.45am. The trail well is a known cycling route which links together old logging routes and tramways through areas of beautiful original, and regenerating forest.
It was without doubt the best forest trail so far! Masses of native trees, birds and a beautiful path, flat underfoot and wide with no gnarly tree roots – such a treat!!
Mount Pureora
By 11am I had reached the peak of Mount Pureora. At 1165m elevation, this was the highest peak so far. There were incredible views across Lake Taupo, then to Mt Ruapehu and Taranaki, on another sunny, cloudless day.
I had an early lunch at the summit and dried out the tent, then made my way down to Bog Inn DOC hut. By the time I got there it was still early, and the hut was without water, so I continued another 10kms to camp at Harrison’s rest area 27kms into the trail. Along the way I crossed a number of suspension bridges spanning rivers a long way below – all in great condition, although not great if you don’t have a head for heights!
Food:
A note for those who wonder what I’m eating on the trail:
- Water: 2 litres in bladder each day, more on hot days.
- Brekkie: a sachet of porridge + cranberries or goji berries + chia seeds/linseeds. Cup of peppermint tea.
- Lunch: a Farrah’s spinach wrap with Pics peanut butter and/or Nutella.
- Snacks: One museli bar a day and a bag of mixed nuts) & cranberries with assorted M&Ms mixed in. Occasionally parmesan cheese (doesn’t melt as fast as cheddar), occasionally biltong.
- Luxuries swap these in/out: Toffee pop bites, shortbread biscuits, dry roasted peanuts, jelly beans, chocolate, pineapple lumps.
- Dinner: A day on/day off between:
– ‘Backcountry cuisine’ dehydrated camping meals, bought in bulk in Kerikeri (when I realised that my original idea below just wasn’t giving me the energy I needed) + self dehydrated veggies
– Trident Asian flavoured soups + either flaked rice/couscous/flaked quinoa + self dehydrated veggies. - 2x cups peppermint tea.
