Mosgiel to Dunedin (11 miles/17.72 kms)

Today was a short day and as always, a different day. I woke up at my usual time of 6:00, but I wasn’t motivated to get going.

I have to be honest that I was a little unsure about the way to Dunedin, and the road through and beyond once I got there. I spoke to four different people at the caravan park about the best route there because Highway 1, the road I had been following, turned into an expressway at Mosgiel with no pedestrians allowed. Google gave me two options, one by what’s called the Three Mile Hill Road, which everyone at the said was very steep. The other route ran parallel to it and was similar in terrain and not recommended. The four were actually arguing which way was the best. They all agreed that by way of the old main highway was the best, but my head was spinning when they all gave me their directions!

They also told me Highway 1 was still an expressway out of Dunedin and pedestrians were allowed. All said there was no way out of Dunedin other than Highway 1. One of the people, a transport driver, suggested taking the bus to Waititi, the spot that I had hope to get to the first day out of Dunedin.

I went to sleep in a bit of a haze not sure where go or what to do, and in all honesty not wanting to start the day.

I finally got going at 8:30, a lot later than usual. I stopped at the cafe again and had breakfast and bought something to bring along for lunch. By the time I slowly left the cafe it was about 9:30.

As I started walking down the sidewalk I passed by the bicycle shop where I had bought my earning flag and the owner was near the door and said hello. He came out and I told him the flag worked. He asked where I was heading, and then out of curiosity I asked him how bicyclists ride out of Dunedin north if they couldn’t use the expressway. He told me that they use the North Road, which starts near downtown and ends in Waititi. He said it has a fairly gentle uphill, and once at the top, a great view. From there it was all downhill to Waititi. He also said it had a wide shoulder and very little traffic. He said it would be prefect for me! Wow, what karma!

He then gave me, after I erased my hard drive of all the numerous directions of last night, simple directions to Dunedin. I know everyone meant well, but the chatter of four people with different directions at once confused me. I think my serenity prayer helped when I was feeling that confusion. Thankfully the owner was standing by the shop door.

So, off I went up the steep hill after the traffic circle outside Mosgiel. Veer to the left, veer to the left, that’s all I kept saying to myself. And sure enough I found my way without any real confusion.

Just outside of Dunedin I made the mistake again of following Google’s directions. Three choices and I picked the one noted as shortest in time. It was the longest and steepest hill of this trek, at least twice as steep. I stopped every few hundred feet, and even though it was fairly cool all day, I was soaked with sweat. I questioned if Three Mile Hill Road would have been this steep?

Once on the top I could see the beauty of the city as it’s in a bay with little level land near the water and therefore everything is built up in to the surrounding hills. The main road going down was very steep and I was using both trekking poles to slow me down. Going down steel hills, especially with the weight of the Wheelie, always makes me cautious with my knees.

My hostel is right smack in the city central, which looks a little like those in Spain. There is even an old looking cathedral that looks like those in Spain, but it probably isn’t much older than a hundred years, where those in Spain are hundreds and hundreds of years old.

The hostel looks more like a hotel from the outside. It has no elevator and all the rooms are upstairs. There are 68 steps! I can walk 18 miles and not complain, but darn those steps. Luckily the young clerk help carry the Wheelie pup.

I have a private room and share the baths. There are also rooms with private baths (none available), rooms for families, and various dorm rooms with 4 to ten beds. It is very, spotlessly, clean, and I am happy to have found it as everything is booked.

As I was checking in a big bus load of young backpackers arrived and were getting checked in. They were from all over the world, some even from the States. I should consider myself as fortunate as they are.

I am a fish out of water when I am trekking through big cities. It is harder finding your way through those cities and much easier to get lost. I love trekking out in the open and then going through little towns. People are also much friendlier in small towns and most will say hello. Here I am dodging cars, and especially the multitude of pedestrians with my Wheelie. My first thought once I got here was that I had to get out of here as soon as possible. But big cities, and this one too, has a lot going for it. It’s got lots of culture and history. I even saw posters for the coming bands like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mack on display at the community theater.

After I settled in I asked the young clerk where I should go eat tonight. She happened to be off and sitting with a friend, and the next thing they were arguing about the best places to go, and they came up with four. I recognized a bit of an accent in her friend’s voice, and recognizing it, I started speaking to her in Dutch. As it turns out she is from the Netherlands. The clerks mouth just dropped as we had a nice long conversation. It was a pleasant surprise for me as the older I get the more I treasure, and enjoy, speaking in Dutch. Actually, I also spoke Dutch to two people at the motorcamp.

I ended up going to Jizo, a Japanese sushi restaurant. I had heard that sushi here was very reasonable, opposite of how expensive it is in the States. It was a very nice big restaurant and it was packed. I had a huge meal, to the point of being stuffed, and my meal was only $17 US. That is one of the cheapest meals I’ve had here. That same meal at home would be $40 or $50. I thought that was a steal because (sorry Kiwis) food here is very expensive compared to back home.

I had hoped that my zero day would have been in a motel or in a more exciting place, but walking around Mosgiel and then talking to the locals at the caravan park was a good adventures in itself. Now after settling in and walking around here I am enjoying the city and will make tomorrow another zero day. This way I can see a little of the city and also plan my next day’s trek. I also need to food and drinks that I may need for two days before the next town.

So far I have trekked 145.12 miles (230 kms) from Invercargill to Dunedin. It is roughly 1,239 miles (1,995 kms) to Cape Reinga, so I have roughly 1,094 miles ((1,761 kms) to go! I’ve averaged about 14.5 miles (23.45 kms) per day so far. These are just stats and don’t really mean a lot, because I am in no hurry or in a race, and I will try and take everything day by day.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

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