tramping new zealand

I had little expectation yesterday.

Life can throw up surprises, and for once, being Friday 13th, they weren’t the way I would have plotted the day.

I’m happily resilient however, and the day ended with a blast from the past. Camping fairly close to the road, with access to water, a similar experience to the many nights I spent camping while crossing, and re-crossing outback Australia on a bicycle. Or, at times, cycling around New Zealand.

I woke up, looked out the tent, and discovered I had run across a splendid camping spot in the dark.

Time for a coffee before I cranked out the last few kilometres to the Graham Valley Road, where I would commence my ascent.

It started to rain.

Still, I was hopeful of a ride up to the car park, 10 km away, on a Saturday morning.

And that is what eventuated, but my explanation about carrying my still heavy pack up to the start of the track on Day 11 of my expedition didn’t seem to make much sense, even to me.