Start – Boyle Village
Finish – Hope Kiwi Lodge
Daily Distance – 25 km
TA Distance – 2120 km
A pretty unremarkable day today. Pretty much all of the day has been spent walking through cow
pastures, so nothing too amazing to look at, but it made for easy, if occasionally boggy, walking.
My plan to carry 12 days of food and save hitching out to resupply for the next section has seemed better
in principle than in practice today. Carrying a rucksack weighing approximately 1/4 of my body weight is
tough on the shoulders and hips, so I’m feeling pretty tired. Hard going for now, but in a few days I hope
it should be back down to a reasonable weight again.
Weight issues aside, the greatest challenge today was putting my rucksack on after lunch. In an age when
bee populations are said to be in rapid decline, NZ seems to have no issue on that front. There were at
least half a dozen buzzing around my rucksack and crawling on my legs when I was trying to get going
again. Not an easy situation when you’re trying not to accidentally crush them, but dear Lord do they
tickle when they’re crawling on your legs.
Tonight I’m back in another lovely, John Wayne prairie land style hut. After being overcast much of the
day, this evening has brightened up nicely. Of course that could also have something to do with a few
well earned nips from my whiskey bottle upon arrival. To clarify, it’s a special treat for this section rather
than an indication of burgeoning alcoholism. Of course, given my bag weight, it was probably a terrible
idea, but I may be hut bound with weather later in the week. If so, I am resolved to be hut bound in style!
