Gore to South of Clinton (15 miles/24.15 km)

The trouble with staying at a motel, especially a nice one, is that it makes it harder to leave in the morning. Come on, would I rather stay in a cozy bed a few more hours, or head out the door and be sweaty in just a few minutes. Ok, get out and start trekking of course. Liar!

I was out the door by 8:00 and I am getting better about starting earlier. Not that I want to get up any earlier than 6:00 am, just getting better at packing up, and being in a motel really helps.

I walked the half mile back to Highway 1, which at this time of morning was really busy. I was hoping it was just the morning commuters. My first thought was that it was going to be a challenge if the traffic stayed busy all day. Surprisingly once I got to the outskirts of town the traffic almost disappeared, and it actually stayed that way most of the day. At some points it was so quiet that I didn’t see a car going either way for over five minutes.

Today was a completely different day from the last two, and I think it is the start of my good days to come. But as most days, trekking sometimes is like a roller coaster, with definite emotional and physical ups and downs.

I had only been walking about an hour and well outside the city, when I saw a man come down a long driveway and cross the street in front of me. He introduced himself as Kevin and said it looked like I was walking with a purpose. I told him what I was doing and he said he had a fitting present for me to take along on my journey. He handed me a beautiful New Zealand jade stone (Pundamu) and said the stone is considered a sacred symbol in Maori culture and that it would be perfect for my journey in that it protects the traveler and brings good things to the heart. He then asked if he could bless the stone as they would in Maori culture. He said a Maori blessing and asked for a safe and good journey for me. Wow! How could my day start any better than that?! I thanked him with all my heart.

Once I left town the highway completely changed from that long straight, flat, and almost monotonous road, to a beautiful and scenic windy and hilly road. It started climbing and continued to climb until just before I stopped. Even though it was tough climbing at times the scenery made it more pleasurable. In some areas the hills were covered with sheep as far as you could see. I think there are approximately 27 million sheep in New Zealand, that’s almost 6 sheep per person. Surprisingly the number has been dropping rapidly the last few years. A bit of trivia. Ha ha!

The weather was overcast and cool until around noon. Then it got hot and humid like it’s been the last three days. Ugh! I didn’t think I could make the 24 miles to Clinton and had hoped there would be a store or gas station where I could get something to drink, but unfortunately there wasn’t. I had brought an extra water container but with the heat I ran out about one.

I found a rest stop but no water. Funny, as I started back on the road I figured I’d have to knock on a door and ask for water. No sooner had I left the rest stop and considered this, when a man pulled into a driveway and walked out to the street to say hello. I immediately asked him if I could get some water and he took me inside and filled up my containers from his special bottled drinking water. He offered me coffee, and I know I should say yes to things kind people offer me, but I am not much of a coffee drinker, especially during a hot day.

It took me over an hour to find a spot to camp. It was so hot that by the time I found this nice spot I had used up most of the water. I had enough to cook my meal, and maybe enough to drink in the morning, but probably not enough to get me to Clinton. I will have to knock on someone’s door. Next time I will surely carry more than I have been.

I stopped and set up camp around 4:30 and it was almost too hot to lay in the tent. Inside the tent it felt like a steam room. I spread a tent footprint (tarp used under a tent) over the top of the tent to block the sunlight and it seemed to help keep it cooler. Funny, as I began to write this blog it started to rain, and it’s been raining hard now for almost an hour. What strange weather extremes!

I am actually enjoying the sound of rain on the tent, and the way the tent is designed with a canopy I can leave the windows open and see out. It would be nice if it rained all night, and hopefully stop by morning.

Clinton is only about twelve to thirteen miles away and my plan is to stop there tomorrow because the next town is a two day trek away. I look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc., as I am typing this on my phone.

Near where I found my camp spot