Tongario Mountain Circuit - from Mangaturuturu Hut back to Whakapapa Village and onwards to Taumarunui

After making a hell fire ? in the hut yesterday I could barely sleep in the heat. But it was so nice and cosy during the evening when I did my trail planning and blog ?
And again during the night it rained. But when I got up at around 7h I could only see blue sky and an upcoming sunrise just behind Mt Ruapehu.

Once I was ready to leave a shower just hit me which I decided to wait out in the hut.

I started out in the wrong direction being misled by a trail which also went down the valley but must have been formed by deer… Lucky enough I checked my GPS after 10 minutes and when I had the feeling I was going in the wrong direction…
The day continued with a lot of up and down – almost felt being back on the official TA again ?. I had to cross seven or eight major valleys which always ment descending and ascending the same altitude. But scenic views.

The weather was still undecided. I could see a lot of blue sky and sunshine around me but got hit by serious showers on a regular basis. Down in the valleys I always started sweating and once I got up on the ridges again the wind and rain hit me again. So it was again an constant change of hot vs. wet and cold…

I met the guy from my lunch break from two days again who was accompanying the school class. They were on their way out and we chatted again for a while.
The scenery changed and the last stretch was again in scenic beech forest.

@ Pheily: I have not forgotten you… ?
I made it out of the track on time and went straight for the most important thing first:

And then I needed to make it back to Taumarunui to go back on the trail tomorrow. Third car stopped – a Spanish guy volunteering for DOC to become a park ranger and a Polish girl which was hitchhiking herself. Love this country!
Rest of the afternoon I did my shopping for the next seven days in the bush and a nice Indian dinner at my favourite Indian place in Taumarunui (there is only one ?).