tramping new zealand

The last day of the splendid little Rakiura adventure, for once my mind has a fixation on the destination, ie, civilisation and fresh food, not necessarily in that order.

Just a whole lot of striding to get to North Arm Hut, after that I’m on the Rakiura Highway, as easy as.

The pack weight is down but while I was secure in my bunk last night the most serious rain hammering of the trip occurred. The track was wet.

I managed to organise my way out of the hut just after 8 am, the other two had left before, didn’t take long to catch them but not before making the acquaintance of the local kiwi, showing some speed running down the track but too abrupt and over before I could catch any image except for the associated shrubbery.

Can’t say much about the day other than I was on the door of the backpackers at 4 50 pm, the guy signed me in for a tent site and my tent was up by 5 pm.

As these things strangely happened there was only hot water in the shower, so my body was lacerated by heat as layers peeled off.

I secured a ticket for the ferry at 8am tomorrow, no point in hanging around, might as well start heading north. It’s bizarre to be surrounded by so many people, a few are organising their Rakiura Track experience, most are not, just plugged into the free Internet. My iPod battery is flat, my connection will have to wait for tomorrow night in Invercargill.

After a solitary beer at the pub I’m ready to get horizontal, I walked about 50 km in the last two days, today had 1200 m of ascent my GPS tells me, it’s sleepy time, tomorrow another Little Adventure starts, Te Araroa.