(click to enlarge)
The Motatapu track is a demanding 4 day tramp that starts at 300 m above sea level and climbs three major peaks before descending down to an old gold mining town called Macetown. From here 22 river crossings have to be negotiated before entering Arrowtown, the end of the track.
The route was just some year old and has definitely not being walk by many trampers. This means it was hardly any track at all and because it was pretty badly marked it really put our navigation skills to the test. It navigates some steep ascends and descends and at some major sections you are forced to transverse, or walk side hills. This is extremely tiring for the feet especially with a heavy backpack and after four days under these circumstances it felt pretty weird to walk on flat ground again.
We continue to push our limits in order to become more confident in the wilderness. Compared to the other things we have done this was by far the most dangerous and demanding track but a perfect proving ground to evaluate what we’ve learn so far.
/Chris and DJ