Day two on the river, started early and alone,
I started the day alone, travelling solo. The wind was set to pick up later and I wanted to cover as much ground as possible, early in the day. It felt like I was doing okay until the wind assisted me in getting a “rapid” section wrong and toppling over. It was tough swimming out with the canoe and finding a spot next to the river where I could stand… to right everything, but made it work. I didn’t lose anything, accept valuable time. I also learnt that I needed to pay more attention in the rapids and row like “a bat out of hell” when I have to.
I got stuck back in, paddle paddle paddle till I finally got to the first campsite… I decided to not get out of my seat and just push on. Soon I reached the second camp site and took a break here, got out, and went for a walk. I needed to get my bum and pants dry in any case and walked to the “Bridge to nowhere”. A long story short, they built the bridge and decided later not to build the road… so it is a bridge to – (and from – actually) nowhere. If you ask me, frankly the best bridge on the TA thus far. No mud, no cables or mesh, just concrete with railings… great.
Back from that, back on to the river and the wind has really picked up. Strong and paddling into wind had me going backwards at time. I could hear Jeremy Clarkson in my ear shouting Power, power, power, and it just kept coming, wave after wave. Because of the gorge, the wind was dramatic and funky and very hard to predict. On and off, side to side, pushing me from one bank to the other without any notice or reason. I had to pay extreme attention to keep the bow of the boat into wind.
I had to get out 3 times in the last 100m to pull my boat off the rocks, practically walking my boat to the mooring spot at the hut. Wow, it was really tough, alone in the boat suppling all the power and keeping the bow of the boat facing into the wind. Bottom line, I am a little tougher than some and made it here… and will continue on tomorrow.
As an afterthought… the hut here tonight is next to a Maori Marae, a meeting place and spiritual place for the local tribe. I feel lots of emotions here, very spiritual here, or maybe it is just the pain. Maori culture has interesting connections with their dead…
And as a side note… (there will be foul language here) I great friend asked me many times in the past… “Why are you so fucked up sometimes?” I did not know then and surely don’t know (or fully understand) it now. Ugh. This Monster inside me… his name is Monster and he (yes, it is a he) surely and truly indeed is a monster. He appears at times (seemingly out of nowhere) and just fucks with everything and everyone, including the other animals in my zoo (seemingly for no reason too). I wish I could understand him better, or tame him, or at times kill him.
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39.3372 – 174.9927
18 December 2024
FP-342
2 responses to “Tieke Kainga Hut – Day 73.”
Sjoewee..
A bit of a rough ride today for you.. OUCH!
The Bridge to Nowhere!
Wow pretty spectacular with incredible views!
The Hut and surrounding view.. most definitely spiritual..
I would also feel emotions..
It makes me sad reading that someone, ie a great Friend, would ask you, why you are so Fucked-up sometimes..
I’m sorry but there is no Monster in You!! “-(
We all might be a little crazy, with a bit of madness, at times..
But no Monster – not YOU, not in YOU!!
It was a little rough, but not my worst day by far. Borderline between type 2 and type 3 fun. (I think I wrote about this on the Tararua Ranges) I made it through okay.
About the Monster… you haven’t been introduced to him yet, but he is certainly there. I still struggle to place him in a specific energy center, but I am working on it. That “friend” was Trudi.