Leg 3 Whakaipo to Kinloch

Distance 10.2km
Height Gained 390m, Height Lost -410m

This Leg was one of the more physically demanding legs of the Trailwalks. This leg had both the highest vertical ascent followed by the steepest vertical descent. The first part was a farm trail cut into the side of a hill and covered with Thistles. After the first initial climb it levelled out before another vertical climb this time in a what had been a bulldozed track on the side of the mountain which had since overgrown. They had cut back some of the vegetation to create a trail. Finally we emerged into farmland and we all really hoped that was the end of going up. But alas, when we hit the gravel road that leads to the Taupo TV Tower it continued to go up, but this time of a more gradual incline. We all took a 5 minute rest at this point to catch our breath, have a good drink and eat some scroggin. Finally at the last ridgeline we could look down into Kinloch, except the trail at this point plunged straight down into a Canyon. Going down was slow as this over goat country with no clearly defined trail, as well as making having to make sure you did not slip and tumble downhill. The bottom of the canyon emerges into the Jack Nicklaus Golf Course which is under construction and then into the suburban streets of Kinloch, around the Marina and into the Kinloch Reserve & Community Hall. We had now done 1/3rd of the Trailwalk. I had planned this leg as 2:39 and we did it in a fast time of only 2:00.

Once again our support crew were ready and waiting for us, hot soup, hot drinks, backpacks refilled with drink, socks changed, blisters attended to.....and my first massage from Louise. Wow, I could feel my feet again. We took a little longer at this checkpoint knowing the next leg was going to be long, long haul.