Dunedin to north of Waitati (15.87 miles/25.55 kms)

What a great day, well everything after the climb out of Dunedin was great anyway!

Woke to the sound of heavy rain again as the forecast was for rain in the morning until near noon. Not wanting to have the same debacle I had in Balcultha I put the covers on the Wheelie and put on my rain gear. Of course it never rained all day once I left.

I stopped at a cafe and had breakfast and then found a subway open and got a sandwich for lunch or dinner.

By about nine I started out of town on one of the main roads and there was lots of traffic and the sidewalks were crowded too. It was obviously commute time and walking the crowded sidewalks is the time I feel like that fish out of water.

I walked through North Dunedin and by the time I got to the North East Valley neighborhood the traffic had almost disappeared. I was on North Road, which was the alternate route I was going to take to Waititi. I got to the junction of Norwood Street and my Google map program directed me onto it. It showed that it was the shorter route and it would reconnect with North Road a few miles further up. I started up Norwood and wasn’t sure if it was really the best way to go. I saw a couple getting into their car and I asked them if this was the better way to go. Yes they said, because North Road is really windy.

Well, did I make a mistake again flowing Google Maps digestion and that couple. Yes North Road does have lots of curves and switch backs, and there’s usually a good logical reason for this, and that is to make the road less steep! Norwood Street really doesn’t have switchbacks because it’s straight uphill, like the uphill climb at the start of a roller coaster! I take back my statement that the climb into Dunedin was the steepest climb so far on this trek. Norwood Street has it beat, no comparison. I actually met a bike rider later on in the day and he rides this road from Timaru to Dunedin all the time. He has gone down Norwood several times for fun, and laughingly said it wears out his brakes. He also said he could not make it up Norwood with his bike because it is just too steep. So, do you get the idea of how steep the road was?

Instead of stopping every 100 feet, I was stopping every 40 to 50 feet. At one point two different people stopped and asked if I was ok. They probably wonder why this idiot was going up this hill pulling an overloaded sled!

It was a tough climb, but actually I felt pretty good. I had a rhythm going and I felt strong. I just stopped for a few seconds and caught my breath and took it one step at a time. I don’t think I could have done this the first four or five days on the trek.

The road went from two lanes to a single narrow lane. As I started going higher I could look back and see beautiful views of Dunedin.

When I finally reached North Road it still continued to climb but at a more moderate incline. Once I neared the top neat Mount Cargill the views were unbelievably beautiful. I could see the bay and back towards Dunedin.

The road was a dream too, with little to no traffic. From the top near Mount Cargill it was downhill all the way to Waititi. I was in heaven and felt like that fish back in the water. The scenery varied from beautiful ocean views to thick forested hills. At times the road passed between tall trees and I could hear a creek running along the road.

I was really enjoying myself and wished that I could be this type of road all the way to Cape Reinga. I felt like I had so much energy that I could have easily walked twenty-five miles or more today.

Walking along and day dreaming I suddenly saw a man walking towards me on my side of the road. After a hello and a handshake he told me his name was Adam. I asked him what he was doing walking out here in the middle of nowhere, and then walking on the wrong side of the road? He said he lived up the road a pice, a few kms, and that he was picking and eating the blackberries that mainly grow on that side of the road. I was so glad he said that because I had stopped and eaten several myself and wasn’t sure the were ok to eat.

He also told me there was a spring that runs into a cement basin and that it was great water to drink. I found it down the road but because I was a little concerned about the quality I drank it through my Life Straw filter. I was cold and it did taste great.

I finally made it to Waititi a little after 3:30. I could have been here much sooner, but I found myself walking really slow looking for blackberries and just enjoying the scenery. I could not stop to smell the roses, because there weren’t any, but I could stop and eat the blackberries.

As I was descending to Waititi I could see the Blueskin Bay and I could hear Highway 1. After such a great day of trekking I really didn’t want to walk on the busy highway so I began to look for a place to stay right away. The railroad tracks run along that highway and I saw a jetty of land between the railroad tracks and the bay. No farm fencing since it was a sliver of land between the tracks and bay. It is a great spot away from the highway and within forty feet of the bay.

It was only about four when I started to setup my tent and I figured I’d have an early night. Unfortunately as I was setting up the tent poles one cracked at a joint. The poles are high quality composite aluminum and are made to bend at extreme angles so it surprised me that it crack. I have seem wind tunnel test on them where they are subjected to fifty mph winds without failure.

Luckily I have my Swiss Army knife back and I was able to cut a pice of aluminum tubing and slip it over the cracked portion of the pole. I would have been in trouble without my knife! I’ve never had this happen before and I hope it won’t happen again.

I still got settled in fairly early, by five, and had time to relax and have my dinner. As I lay here writing my blog it’s starting to rain. Again, I love the rain when I am cozy in my tent, so long as it’s not raining in the morning.

I hope to make it to Waikouaiti tomorrow. I haven’t decided whether to stay on Highway 1 or take the alternate coast road. The coast road is a little longer and there maybe more hills. I will see in the morning as I will take it one day at a time.

Best wishes,

Ted

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

Mount Cargill