North Island Day 57, 29/10/17 ~ 北島第57日・2017年10月29日

Got up at 4:00 and started at 5:30 with a head torch on in the dark. Tried to go as far as possible before the weather will turn bad with possible thunder storm. It was drizzling in the morning but my shorts, long john, socks and boots got soaked by dews of tussocks that I bashed through.

Besides, when walking down the trail, one of walking poles got stuck between the crack of the rock and tip of the shaft was crunched into two pieces. Instantly Mike, a shop assistant at Macpac, turned up in my mind. He has exchanged the damaged poles with new ones free of charge just a month ago. Tried to fix it temporarily - pushed the damaged section inside and extended middle part of shaft to the limit. Somehow, it became OK. The poles helped me not to fall down millions of times in the past (although I fell down 10 times today...), and acknowledged these guys were compensating me for injuries.

From 8:00 rain started and did not stop till night. Fog never cleared at all during the day, and it made me feel being in the cloud all day. There were steep cliffs both sides of the knife-eged ridge line creating magnificent views, but I did not even recognise the altitude. Very disappointing. A typical Aotearoa (drifting white long cloud, Maori name of NZ) world experience in the cloud.

All of sudden, a mystical beech forest, just like the one in Fiordland covered by thick moss, turned up on the ridge line. It had a completely different atmosphere from the one I have seen yesterday. Surviving in a harsh weather conditions, the forest was looking fresh and glistening in deep green colour with the rain. The forest was filled with life force energy that I could almost feel when breathing. Taking a break at two huts on my way, arrived at Waitewaewae hut at 17:30, just after 12 hours since I started this morning.

Had an extremely challenging trip today with many hazardous sections that I might have slid down the bluffs, and felt absolutely relieved when I got here. Did not see anyone today again. Very quiet mountain ranges in spite of the fame. Walked 21km today.

4:00に起き、まだ暗い5:30にヘッドライトの明かりで出発。今日は午後から天候が悪化し雷の可能性もあるというので、とにかく行けるところまで行ってみることにする。朝のうちは霧雨、しかし生い茂るタソックの中を藪漕ぎしていくので、たちまちショートパンツやスパッツは濡れそぼり、それが伝わって靴下や登山靴の中もぐしょぐしょに。

その上、下りで前方にトレッキングストックをついて降りるタイミングで、杖の先端が岩の割れ目に挟まり、ボキッという音とともに一番細い先端のシャフトが真っ二つに割れてしまった。瞬間、わずか1ヶ月前に新品と無償で交換してくれた、マックパックの店員マイクの顔が目に浮かんだ。何とか折れた部分を中に押し込み、中段のシャフトを限界まで伸ばして長さをもう一方と揃え、その後も使い続ける。思えばこの杖のおかげで何度転倒を未然に防いできたことか（それでも今日だけで10回は転んだが…）この杖達が、本来自分が追うはずだった怪我を背負ってくれているのかもしれないと思い感謝する。

　8:00ぐらいから雨となり夕方まで降り続いた。霧も一度も晴れてくれず、ずっと雲の中にいるよう。ナイフの刃のように切り立った稜線の両側は急な崖が続き、きっと絶景なのだろうが今日は全く高度感すら感じない。とても残念。まさに「白く長い雲のたなびく（アオテアロア、NZのマオリ語名）」世界だ。

と、ある時を境に昨日のブナの森とは雰囲気の違う、厚い苔に覆われたフィヨルドランドの森のような、神秘的なブナの森が尾根上に見られるようになった。きっととても厳しい気象条件に違いない、このような所で生い茂る森は雨に濡れて生き生きと濃い緑に輝いており、内部にいてその空気を吸っているだけて英気が伝わってくるような生命力に溢れている。途中、2軒の山小屋に立ち寄り休憩などしながら、今日宿泊するワイテワエワエ小屋に到着したのが17:30。朝の出発からちょうど12時間後。