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A kilometer before Pakiri, Luke and I were ahead of the girls and determined to stealth camp. We spotted an old Gazebo. We set our bags down and jogged up in excitement. Love at first sight. I could set up the hammock across the columns and the group would be able to sleep on the floor without their tents. Blue skies and a roof over our heads had no one thinking about rain. We waved the girls over and set up shop. We stretched, ate dinner, and read our books. The mood was carefree and happy. Later in the evening, Carlien checked the weather forecast. In what turned out to be the positive news, 100% chance of rain. Forecasts so far have been notoriously unreliable. Luke, in a rare display of optimism, predicted it wouldn't rain. But the clouds looked ominous, and before darkness fell I set up my tarp over my hammock. For maximum coverage, Luke, Carlien, and Allie packed underneath my hammock like a tin of sardines. The rain started to fall, but the tarp and gazebo held as everyone slept for the first few hours. But no joke, a category three storm must have moved over this gazebo. The wind started howling from the ocean. The side of the tarp facing the beach pressed up against the hammock as it took the full brunt of the storm. Then rain, the diagonal kind, bombarded us. At 4am, Carlien, who was sleeping closest to the ocean, had enough. She rose from her drenched sleeping bag and started to set up her tent within the gazebo. Miraculously, she put the stakes in the creases of the floor boards and before zipping up her tent turns to Luke and says, "So much for no rain Luke". From my personal perspective, I'm all snug and cozy in my hammock. Completely unaware of the chaos around me. I awoke as Carlien is frantically setting up her tent. I look down to see Luke and Allie huddled closer as they try their best to stay warm and dry. The tarp is flapping violently. The night takes its toll. They scrape together any sleep they can until 9am. We don't leave until 11am. An instant classic. In a state of sleep deprivation, we reminisce and are in tears laughing about our situation. A night none of us will forget. #teararoa #teararoa2018 #teararoatrail

A post shared by Kamil (@kamil.skwarek) on Dec 18, 2018 at 11:35am PST