Similar to Day 3 the last day of the hike was mostly flat. It was sad to leave such a beautiful place but at this point, I was ready to get back to Te Anau.
For most of the day, I walked alongside the Waiau River. The river is quite large and powerful. Lake Te Anau feeds Lake Manapouri via this waterway. And Lake Te Anau, being the largest lake by volume in New Zealand, has a lot of water to pass along.
There were some viewpoints off the trail and I visited the first few. But on the last one, I got a bit turnaround and I eventually saw someone that I had passed a short while before. I asked her where she came from and if there was a loop track in the area. That seemed like the only possible explanation for why I was seeing her again.
But she helped me realize that I took a wrong turn and that I was heading back towards the hut! It was fortunate I chatted with her or else I would have had a much longer day. We walked together for a while and she was quite interesting to talk to.
Within 30-minutes or so of splitting ways I reached Rainbow Ridge which is a shuttle stop for people that want to do one-day hikes in the area. There’s a nice little suspension bridge over the river and it was a nice spot to have some lunch.
At that point, I was on the home stretch. Three more hours of walking and I would have completed the trail. I really kicked it into overdrive that last five kilometers. Before I knew it I was back at the trailhead.
I laid down in the grass just to have some time to reflect on the entire experience. An older couple emerged from the trail and started talking to me. They were starting on it in a month’s time and were curious about how it went. They offered me a ride back into town and I gladly accepted. My original plan was to walk the 5 KM back to town but I decided my legs had had enough.