Sunday 7 January – After a leisurely large continental breakfast at Bealey Hotel I hitched two rides, arriving at the track start on Aickens Corner (SH73) around 10.30am.

A short walk across a farm field took me to the Ōtira River crossing, which was mid-thigh deep.

The rest of the walk was along the Taramakau River. There were some sections in the Beech Forest but most of the time on the rocks or grass beside the river.

Lots of crossing the river and creeks – very refreshing on such a hot sunny day. The water levels were low and most crossings were knee deep.

It was 5pm when I got to the Kiwi Hut junction and almost 9pm when I reached Lock Stream Hut.

A big beautiful day!