Today is DAY #100 and it feels surreal to think that it's been that long since we started out. It only seemed fitting that today would also be the day we set off to the South Island.
David (a fellow Te Araroa Trail trekker) was able to join us on the ferry ride over and so we said goodbye to Wellington and boarded the Interislander Ferry in order to cross the Cook Strait to the other side. It felt as though I was saying goodbye to more than a city that had been my home for the past 3 days. It felt as though I was saying goodbye to one adventure. It felt as though all the hardships and challenges we faced in the North Island we would be able to put behind us. It felt as though we would be able to start fresh. Start new. This would be the "real" thing. The final chapter - as lengthy as it is - of our journey along New Zealand. Along Te Araroa.
View from the Interislander Ferry |
Picton proved to be larger and more lively than what I had pictured in my head and I found it hard to even want to be heading onwards after just arriving so shortly before. All the little shops beckoned my name - displaying all sorts of nick nacs that I neither needed nor wanted to be carrying onwards in my pack and yet I lingered among all the items just the same. Fortunately hunger for food won out and Alex, David and I opted to settling down for lunch at a local Indian restaurant for some curry before we hefted on our packs to start making our first steps forward in the South Island.
Govenor's Bay |
January 23/11 . DAY #101 . 25 KM .
And so began our second day on the South Island - with an earthquake. In the very early hours of the morning I awoke to the ground moving underneath me. As I was not fully working on all cylinders, I registered that the entire ground underneath my sleeping mat was moving around as though it was attempting to shake me free from its surface, but figured my sleep was too important to panic over the idea that the earth may just break open to swallow me whole. It's not like there are many options of where to go during an earthquake when in a tent. I've heard one is to position oneself under a doorframe - I wonder if a tent pole counts....
As it were - nothing major happened and I was able to fall back asleep only to wake a few hours later by the alarm beeping - abruptly stopping whatever dream it was I was enjoying.
Today wasn't terrible exciting as the 3 of us walked our way to Havelock. The skies hung low and dumped rain on us as we faught gusts of wind tearing through the valley. Eventually we made it to the town of Havelock and opted to pitch our tents at the local campground. Needless to say, I still haven't quite warmed up or dried off. They say tomorrow will be nice, but with no blue sky in sight - I have my doubts.
Endless stretch of road - SH 6 |
** NOTE: Though this blog was posted at a later date/time, it was originally written for posting on January 24/11
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