Day 29, Pokeno to Rangiriri (737)
A mostly grey day with a few glimpses of the sun but the wind increased throught the day, luckily from behind, and the forecast was for gales easing later. The South Island was forecast winds in excess of 100kph.
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| Grey morning |
A lot of main road to start the day. Walking the N1, now an expressway not a motorway, wasn't as bad as it sounds. Mostly there was a wide mown grass area with a crash barrier between me and the road.
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| Safe but not quiet |
After Mercer the route follows the Waikato river, first on a bush path above the road rail and river.
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| Above the Waikato river |
The next section is along by the Expressway again to Meremere power station where it follows the river bank. I started to go that way but turned back as the river was very high and the path badly flooded.
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| The path is in there somewhere |
I continued beside the road until the turn off to the Meremere drag racing strip, nothing happening until 1st November, and took a chance that the next section of river walk would be ok.
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| Looking back between road and river |
The path was good as it went along a flood protection bank but then deteriorated further on and became a bit of a struggle through the vegetation to avoid landing in the river.
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| An easy walk along the flood bank |
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| It still required a few detours |
Eventually the path meets a very minor road that follows the river easily through some very productive grassland farms before reaching Rangiriri.
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| Footpath bridge |
I had intended to camp at the hotel but they had a room and with wind and rain forecast I didn't spend long deciding on the solid roof.
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| River bank |
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