Palmerston to Moeraki (16.20 miles/26.08 kms)

Last night staying at the Waihemo Lodge turned out to be a good decision. I got there early enough that I had time to relax and it was also a good start in the morning because there was a breakfast included with the price of the room.

I had a chance to meet some people in the bar restaurant that work at the local gold mine. I didn’t know there was gold in New Zealand. The mine here is both an open pit mine and an underground tunneling mine. I met a woman truck driver that drives a big funny looking dump truck that goes into the dark tunnels and brings out the tailings for processing. She showed me some photos and I got a little education in gold mining.

I have to say that the convenience of a restaurant outside my door for dinner and breakfast makes settling in and then leaving a bit easier and quicker.

I actually started trekking about 8:00 to a clear blue sky. The temperature was in the 40s and never got over 60 degrees. With the light wind it made for a prefect weather trekking day. Once I got to the ocean I had to put on another shirt because of the cool ocean breeze.

Traffic was very light, and a fraction of what it was yesterday. Probably because yesterday was Sunday. The road was wide and mostly flat, and a few short gradual uphills. It also had a fairly good shoulder most everywhere, except those dreaded bridges, and there were plenty of them today. Thankfully again, it was a light traffic day.

Once I came to Shag Point the road ran along the coast most of the way. It was just a great trek today with the views and sound of the waves all day long.

I stopped at a rest stop on a small bluff overlooking the beach and wanted to camp there. I saw plenty of places tucked away behind trees with ocean views where I could have camp but I wanted to check out the motorcamp in Moeraki.

I was in that trekking rhythm all day long and I made Moeraki by 3:00. I would have been there much sooner but I took that long lunch on the bluff, and then ten minutes later a nice German couple stopped to talk with me. That lasted a half hour or so. No sooner did I start again when I ran into a nice couple from Australia bicycling. They were both 67 and had started in Christchurch and were touring the South Island in a similar way as me, with a tent, at motorcamps, etc. I love seeing older people, like me, going after their adventures.

The couple from Australia, and the mine truck driver, both suggested that I take some scenic back roads north of Timaru that would get me off Highway 1 and around Christchurch. Christchurch is a nice town but I’d rather go around and not dealing with the traffic. That fish out of water thing.

When I got to Moeraki Boulders Kiwi Holiday Park motorcamp I still felt pretty good and not too tired. The owner showed me options of pitching my tent, getting in cabin, or staying in a trailer, like the one I had two days ago. As much as I made fun of the tilted trailer, I picked the trailer here. It had a queen size mattress, with pillows, sheets and pillow cases, and best of all, it was level! It was $30 US and my tent site would have been $18.

One thing that did trouble me was that this place is called Moeraki “Boulders” Kiwi Holiday Park, and it was right on Moeraki Boulders Beach, so shouldn’t those famous boulders be right at my front door! No, back down the beach where I came from, and 3.5 miles (5.63 kms) round trip! So the gluten for punishment that I am, I put everything away and off I went back south.

I was under a bit of pressure too because the owner warned me that high tide was due in about two hours and if I didn’t make it by then I’d have to walk back on the same highway that got me here. The walk was really unbelievable. It felt like I was like those weightless astronauts on the moon. No Wheelie, and walking on a wide beautiful sandy beach bouncing up on every step because I wasn’t pulling eighty pounds!

The stones are boulders that were embedded in the mudstone cliffs and were washed out by the wave’s erosion on the cliffs. There are different stones called Katiki Boulders at Shag Point, which are of a different makeup and contain dinosaur bones and fossils. A bit of trivia.

The walk there was nice. I took some photos and hurried back to beat the tide. Once I got back I was too tired to walk to the restaurant. With that walk I did over twenty miles today. I decided to have one of my wonderful freeze dried meals. Ha ha! Having a restaurant outside my door would have been nice.

After my shower I tended to my feet. I usually wrap my little and big toes with mole skin and blister bandages as a preventative measure and it usually helps. But, I did not wrap the tip of my little left toe and got a blister. On two of my previous Caminos, where I walked 530 and 630 miles (1,932 kms), I never got a blister walking in these type of boots. I think I got too complacent. But having blisters just goes with the territory, and having one on your toes is much better than on your heels, or worse, on the balls of your feet.

I am enjoying my little trailer and it is cozy with the heater on as it is getting cold. It’s spoiling me for my tent.

Tomorrow I plan to take another alternate coastal road that was suggested to get me off the highway. The weather looks good again, and hopefully it will be another good 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.