Start – TA km 2395 (nr Lake Tekapo Ski Field)
Finish – Lake Tekapo
Daily Distance – 28 km
TA Distance – 2423 km
Bluff Distance – 618 km
Today I can boot up my navigation app and see how many kilometres are remaining until Bluff! Each half
of the South island is a separate map file and lake Tekapo marks the transition point onto the final file. I
can’t quite believe that in only 618km this grand adventure will come to an end. I have so many, often
contradictory, feelings about the end of this journey that the words to describe them escape me.
On easier descriptive grounds it is becoming increasingly noticeable that the days are shortening and
growing colder. It is now dark at 06:00, when it used to be getting light at 05:00, although the evenings
are still pleasantly long. I am also getting the chance to break out some of the cold weather gear that I
have carried for so long. It’s about time that my coat, hat and gloves saw service as something other than a
nicely comfortable pillow!
The final walk into Lake Tekapo village has been uneventful. The town itself is small, but has a nice
variety of shops and a star gazing observatory. I would have quite liked to do the observatory tour, but
don’t have the energy today and have a bike hire booked for tomorrow. Annoying, but it can’t be helped
now. I have comforted myself by eating large quantities of iced cream like a hirsute Bridget Jones. An
image I’m sure everyone wanted…
Sorry, rubbish pictures today. I was too focused on getting the walk done, to stop much.
