Reality - Check, Please!

DECEMBER 22/10 . DAY #69 .

It's nearly Christmas and Alex and I have yet to find a proper Christmas tree. We don't even know exactly where we'll be come the famously celebrated holiday. Instead, we're currently hunkered down in a hut in the middle of nowhere trying desperately to dry out everything from the last 5 days of torrential rain and reflecting on the realization and acceptance that we are nowhere near Wellington as we thought we'd be.

Leaving Hamilton was almost like admitting defeat, but vainly going onwards in hopes that there still may be a chance for us to come out on top. Or at least that's how I saw it.



DOC goat hunters - Stu, James, Paul & Tame (L-R)

 Getting to Hamilton had been pure struggle - mentally, that is. I feared that the State Highway 1 would haunt me in my dreams and I still loathe the thought of ever leaving to walk its narrow shoulder again. Even still, I was happy to have made it to Hamilton if only to find out that in our initial preparations for this journey we had miscalculated the amount of time it'd take to get to Wellington. We now face at least 7 more days of walking just to finish the North island. It might not seem like a lot, but when carrying a pack and walking for 8 hrs of each of those days - well, let's just say the idea of reaching Bluff appeared to be near ridiculous.

And it still feels that way. After making our way from Hamilton to Pirongia where we happened upon a hut being well hosted by a handful of DOC goat hunters. After trekking in the rain all day, their generosity of jelly beans and overall hospitality was much appreciated.



One of the few largely visible signs

 The next morning Alex and I set off to face our one and only day of sun admiste what would soon be our longest stretch of rain yet. Over farmland, along roadside and through bushes we walked our way to Te Kuiti completely drenched from the day of rain. That continued to be the pattern of our lives for the next few days to Bog Inn Hut in Pureora Forest. One day of rain turned into 2 which turned into 3 and then 4. A long stretch of narrowly escaping death along a badly maintained trail left me questioning if I even wanted to continue one more day. Waking up to put on wet clothes from head to toe the following day didn't help matters much.

And now we have made it to Bog Inn Hut. It's day $6 of rain. They tell us that the weather is meant to clear, but the skies continue to be grey. It's how I feel inside. Maybe it's because it's so close to Christmas and we're essentially stuck in the bush. Maybe it's because I'm tired of being wet from the rain. Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe it's the fact that Wellington (let alone Bluff) still seems so far away.

Today Alex and I worked out our route to Wellington. It's going to take us an estimated 28 days. We have 29 days until our ferry to the South island leaves. It's all good on paper until you add rest days, weather days and internet days in there. What at one point appeared to be a possible goal now seems out of reach. Heaven knows if we'll ever make it to see the end.


TOTAL: 1224 KM