Clinton to Balcultha (18 miles/30 kms)

Today was a completely different day than any day this week. Thankfully I stayed another day because I don’t think I could have done what I did today yesterday. I woke up at 5:30 and felt so much more energetic than I had all week.

I started out around 8:00 and stop at the dairy and picked up a chicken sandwich for lunch. I realized that I wasn’t giving my body the food for energy that it needed. I also had an extra liter of water, a liter of orange juice, and a liter of soda. This was in addition to my normal three containers of water. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t make the same mistake as Tuesday without enough to drink, or eat.

The day was also different because the temperature was very cool, and below 60 degrees, without a cloud in the sky.

I started the day with energy and I tried to be realistic because I know it doesn’t always last. However, it lasted most of the day, and, I even found myself in a rhythm with my stride. All day long! The first time since I started!

I knew I had to go eighteen miles if I wanted to make Balcultha and I was a little concerned I might run out of energy, but I didn’t. I made it there by 3:30 and that included stopping for a nice long lunch next to a river. I was tired when I got there, but not exhausted like I had been all week long.

The terrain was the toughest yet, with nothing but rolling hills, and therefore nothing but ups and downs. There were several long steep climbs that I know I could not have done had I gone yesterday. There were many short and very steep hills too, something that surprised me because it’s something you would see at home on a major highway they were that steep.

I think resting another day, loading up with high carb and protein meals, having plenty of fluids, and most assuredly the cool weather, made the difference today. Slowly starting to get into a little better condition obviously helps. In retrospect, having the first two to three days of mostly flat road was also fortunate in helping me slowly condition.

Traffic wasn’t too bad in the morning and early afternoon, and increased later in the day. Maybe because it is Friday?

Interesting that during the first three days much of the traffic was big eighteen wheel tanker trucks carrying milk. The second most were probably logging trucks, which seemed funny because there aren’t really any visible forest.

Now most of the trucks are carrying livestock. I am getting pretty good in guessing what’s in them, whether it’s cattle, sheep, or on an occasion pigs, by the wonderful smell! On those hot days I enjoyed the almost knock down air movement from the trucks because it called me, but now I almost get knocked down by the wonderful smell of farm animals. Ugh!

I did hit a couple of highway construction zones with flag-persons. I had to laugh when I saw the warning signs. “Please stop on Request.” I know the Kiwis are known to be polite, but request? In the States it’s just, “Stop Ahead or Prepare to Stop!” I only joke of course, but I did hear that they are so polite here that if you are stopped for more than ten minutes the construction workers start serving the motorists coffee and tea.

One more thing that surprised me was also the another road construction item. Coming into Balcultha the road is very steep for about a half mile into the city center. There was obvious road repair where oil was spread on the road and loose gravel then applied to it. I saw it in several other places too. However, the loose gravel is very thick, maybe a few inches, and the gravel has been thrown everywhere by the vehicles, including the parallel sidewalk. So anyone walking down this steep half mile sidewalk is literally walking on marbles, including anyone pulling a Wheelie! Back home that would be a plaintiff attorney’s dream lawsuit.

That’s what’s on a man’s mind when he’s left to trek the length of New Zealand by himself.

My goal today was to make Balcultha with the hope of getting a little cabin in the Balcultha Motor Camp. Unfortunately all were full and the manager offered me a camp spot almost anywhere I could find a nice spot. The other option was to go another mile or so to a hostel that had private rooms, but I was done walking and decided to stay here.

The bathroom and shower facilities were nice, and the manager gave me a towel, which is not the norm because she was trying to smooth things with the campers like me that were thinking of leaving, and two actually did. It happens that a woman and her two sons got into an argument with the manager just as I was checking in. It turned into a very loud, f you this, and f you that, over and over. Jerry Springer type stuff! There was even a glancing blow to the manager’s forearm and a crowd had gathered. The police were called but didn’t get here until much later because they were on another call. This went on for about ten minutes until the lady and her sons left.

So walking down the marble highway and walking into a huge argument was my welcome to Balcultha!

Overall my day actually went well, the scenery was beautiful and the weather was great. Then my night finished with a nice hot shower and then a wonderful vegetarian dinner at a New Mexican restaurant two block away.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

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