Up early for a long one. Bright sunrise offers best views of Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom!) yet. The trekking is relatively easy today. Primarily gentle slopes over sandy soil. Yesterday had longer stretches of flat walking with a couple of rocky grades more challenging than anything today. Mt. Doom, to the north of me is particularly photogenic; I stop several times to snap her portrait. To the south, Mt. Ruapehu's face is flushed red. Don't be ashamed Ruapehu. You're impressive in your own rite.
My body continues to ache under strain of overloaded pack. Still I can't resist the opportunity to break away and witness both Lower and Upper Tama Lakes. According to park signage; they are both pristine, pest-free, freshwater lakes; Upper Tama boasting it's own native population of Liverwort. There's a difficult ascent up treacherous scree to view Upper Tama. I should've ditched heavy trekking pack and contented myself with peak bag. Oh well. At least I can say I pulled off the feat, for what it's worth.
Set pack down on a boulder at the ridge and enjoy some lunch. They've got some of the best beef jerky here in NZ. A couple of handfuls of trail mix and some granola bars. That's all you get, son. Views up here are spectacular. Prime spot for obligatory "Radicals Disk in Exotic Location" pix. Gotta keep some traditions alive.
One last leg to go; shouldn't be too long now. Terrain continues to be clement, and everybody is still passing me. I don't mind. At Taranaki Falls I decide to take the lower, northerly portion of the loop back to Whakapapa Village. This will involve a short amount of backtracking my initial leg, but it affords better views of the waterfall as well as trail traversing woods alongside gurgling stream. My favorite.
The final twenty minutes are the longest half hour of my life. My rental car is safely where I left it. Eureka. Off with the pack and I'm walking funny. Find a local hotel and lay low for a few nights. Gotta plan my next move...
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