Training/gear testing trip to Wellington

Training/gear testing trip to Wellington 

Having decided to go on a training/gear testing trip I get drop off in masterton where after picking up a few bits of gear and stocking up on food I head for the info center to find out when the next train to featherston is.. Hum the next train is not unto around 4:30- 5pm well there is a few bus's but I like the train better so after spend a few hours looking around town I walk to the train stop where after getting a train ticket ( with the stops hand writing in ? - it's a long time from the last time I saw that being done ) at featherston the weather is wet and windy and yep it's dark so on with the rain gear and head light for the 7 km walk to the doc camp site at bucks road with the wind trying to push me around - leaving town I walk on a tar seal road for a few km where it turns onto being gravel for the last 3 km. getting to the doc site I take note that the loo is tied down with steel cable ( it gets very windy at this campsite ) after setting up my tent I listed to the sound of the wind hitting the tent - good wind test - yep the tent came though the night fine : ) 

Packing up the tent the weather has gotten better as I walk back to featherston with the headphones in on low so I can still hear any cars ( maybe 1 car ever 3 hours on this road : ) back in town I take a  5 min side trip up a bush walk track before heading to a few places in town like the m ( ever time I have past though town in the past it's been close -has a lot of info on the WW 1 training camp/ WW2 POW camp that was just out of town ) leaving town around 4:20 pm I walk out to the start of the rail trail at cross creak 10-12 km away walking the last few km in the dark with the headlight - the last 2 km is a bush track up to where the railway town of cross creek used to be when the rail trail was still in use - the incline railway was replace by a long tunnel in around 1955 after being in use for 70 years .setting up the tent in the dark for the 2th night in a row 

A some what late start as I take some photos around cross creek before starting up the track that leads up the old  1/15 incline rail way trail - the fell trains used I 2th set of driving wheels that griped a rised 3th rail to help climb the 1/15 grade ( the 3th rail was also used to slow the trains on the way down ) the trail winds it's way up the hill though 3 tunnels - near one of the tunnels a train was blowin off the rails around 1880 - the trail there has be washed out in a big storm  a few years after the rail way closed so the trail drops down to cross a stream before heading back up to the old rail bed . It's a nice day for walking - not to hot or  cold and no wind. Stoping at the summit yards for a bit of a break getting some photos before starting down the other less steeper side of the hill stoping a few times before getting to a camp site where after cooking some food and getting some water I head to my tent to do some reading before heading off to sleep 

A windy start to the day as I keep heading down the trail passing over a few brides and a tunnel at the end of the trail I have some road walking on a tar seal road unto I get to the turn off to keep heading down the less? Used part of the old rail way to maymorn passing over a few more brides and one more tunnel before the end of the trail at maymorn where after looking at email and a few phone calls at the train stop I head to a friends place to camp for the night 

Time for the next train ride - I missed the first train by about 5 mins so had to wait about 20 min to the next train to upper hut where after a look around town picking up a few things then back on the train into Wellington where I spend a few hours looking around town and seeing some friends at esnz (horse people ) then on to a bus after 3 pm as no bus's from 9am-3pm ( some bus meting ?) to a friends place where I spend a few days 

- one for the days I do a 20?km day walk ( so no 20 kg backpack : ) along part of the te Araroa trail - around 15 km of the trail is along the city to sea walkway so lots of steps to climb up or down as the walk winds it's way thought the city using a mix of parks footpaths and trails - helps to have a copy of the ta track notes to work from at times around 4 pm I get to the end of the trail in island bay?- the end of the ta trail in the north island heading south - the plan is to be back in Wellington in around 5 months time ( around 2 months unto I start the walk and 3 months walking cape to Wellington ) then got some food at a fish and chip shop - well I was a bit hunger after walking 20 km on one ice cream before getting 2 bus's back to my friends place - also saw the old ( and new) cable cars at the gardens - the ta trail runs though part of the gardens 

Time to start walking out of Wellington on the ta trail - after re packing my backpack I head a long the road unto I get to the place where the ta trail cross the road - the trail drops down to a stream on bush tracks - at one point my camera bag falls off ( it's been doing that a few times a day on this trip ) this time falling down the back about 5-10 m in the bush so after working out the most likely place to start looking I head off track ( with out the backpack ) to find the camera bag - yep is less then a m from where I thought I saw it end up. After retracing my steps I chat to some one for a few mins and work out a better way to stop the bag from being lost then is back on the trail beside the stream until the trail heads up onto a road ( having a reread of the trail notes to make sure I'm heading the right way ) the trail runs beside the road up a hill before heading into a park then back on the roadside until the end of the road where after chatting to some people who was going to be  planting some trees I head up a steep track called bells track up the big hill up on to the skyline walkway up to a big radio mast of some type then the track heads down hill - what comes up must come down some time - lots of people out enjoying the nice sunny day ( a bit windy thought ) as the trail winds down at times I look up at the mast - it's a long down hill walk with the last 2 1/2 km ? Being on the old coach road that dates from 1858 then it's onto a one lane tar seal road for a few km where I stop at a tack shop /cafe and get some food and read the note bord  to see what events might be on : ) then back on the road passing many horse places - I end up chatting to some one who knew of me from one of the horse places that I was at over the years  ( a up side of helping at horse events over the last 10 years or so )as they was leading they horse down the road back it it's paddock - she gives me her phone number to txt her if I can't find some where to camp for the night - well after getting to the place where some one else said to camp only to see a big no camping sign ( some times I'm 1/2 temped to  still camp there and make a fire with some no camping places with the no camping sign : ) so after texting the person I met before I ending up staying in a old school for the night