Day 11: Ratea track- Mangamuka

John and Kasper woke up bright and early and were out of camp when we woke up around 7. We wished them well as they headed off tot he trail and we scrounged up breakfast, prepping for our first 'route', the toughest classification of trails on the TA. This particular track contained the 770m Ratea peak, one of the highest peaks on the north island, among others. We set off and began to climb. and climb. and climb.

 The mud was deep in some places, and more often present than not. After a couple of hours or so of climbing we took a break on a 'peak' and wondered is that was the ratea peak. We had been climbing hard all morning, and ratea peak was just a few k from where we had started, so we figured that was it. Boy, were we wrong. 

what followed was 9 more hot, sticky, and completely devoid of drinking water, hours filled with climbs up and down the peaks. 

The sign on the final descent had the sentiments of most TA hikers scribbled on it.

 In those 10-11 hours of hiking we hiked just 12k.

 After the final descent we raced along the 4x4 track through mixed jungle/farmland looking for water. We found the end of the jungle track and it broke out instantly into hilly meadows containing sun, horses and wild flowers. The transition from forest to field was as sudden as it was beautiful. 

Just as beautiful, Nick Manja and I could see John and Kasper at the bottom of the field, a mere half hour ahead of us, right next to a stream!

 We took a break at the hilltop as they continued on. After the break, we went down and filled water and began walking into Mangamuka, a tiny town with just one shop and one hotel. After walking the road for a couple of hours we arrived at the shop to find John and Kasper there waiting for us, and the shop staying open having heard of our late arrival. The owner let us sleep in the back yard and fed us some deliscious food for dinner. We ate and bitched about the incredible Ratea forest with John and Kasper for a few hours before bed. At the end of the day we had hiked a little over 12 hours and covered a little under 23k. We spent the night camped out back and I was once again blown away by the kindness of the rural kiwis. Great to be with the whole group!