Timaru to Winchester (16.80 miles/37.05 kms)

Today started as out as a good day and later became a challenging day because of the hot weather again.

I actually got a early start before 8:00, stopped and had breakfast, got a sandwich for my diner tonight, and was back trekking by 8:30.

The first hour was mostly getting out of Timaru as it stretches out to Waimataitai, Oceanview, and Washdyke, all areas connected to Timaru.

Once out of the city the road is basically flat and runs through farm areas, small farms and houses, not those huge farms that I was use to seeing. I was fortunate enough to be able to walk on a few frontage roads that got me off the highway several times, even one that was gravel.

It was fairly warm when I got up and I could feel the heat starting within the first two hours. By 11:00 it was already 87 degrees (31c), and by noon it was 93 degrees (34c) in the shade! As little after that it hit 95 degrees! As I have mentioned before, it is the intensity of the sun that’s so hot due to the hemisphere, but today it was not just the sun but the overall temperature that added to it. It’s hard to believe that a few days ago it was 42 degrees in the morning and I was walking in temperature in the 50s all day.

I could feel my energy drain away quickly after noon and stopping to drink didn’t seem to help much. I had plenty to drink but everything was warm and wasn’t really satisfying.

I got to two long bridges outside of Temuka that cross the Opihi River where the stress of walking across them without much of a shoulder began. However, I was surprised that there were pedestrian walkways across both bridges. This might be because the river is a good place to fish and would allow fishermen to access the river from both sides.

I watched a fly fisherman standing on a point casting his fly into a beautiful ripply run that poured into a pool of calm water. It looked like a place I would have cast because that calm water is where the trout would lay waiting for those insects floating in the rougher water.

I stood and watched him and wished I had brought my rod. I saw dozens of places where I would have stood and cast my fly. And as I have mentioned, I would never make it to the top of the South Island has I brought my rod as I have been know to fish from dawn until after dark. The great thing about fishing isn’t necessarily about how many fish you catch, but for me it was about the beautiful places where I fished.

As I came into Temuka I decided to take the business route through town. What a pleasant surprise it was. Temuka is a farming community, like most little towns that I have walked through. Though the town only has about 5,000 people it has a very nice business district. The buildings are obviously very old, and still in use. It looks like a peaceful scene from a 1940s or 1950s movie in a quaint little town.

I made the mistake of not going to the little corner market, and instead went to the big supermarket where the business route meets the highway again.

I was dying for something cold and I actually felt myself a little lightheaded from the heat. It was like going to the store hungry, which you shouldn’t do or you’ll buy everything edible in sight. I wanted to load up my cart with ten bottles of whatever, sugar, no sugar, healthy, not healthy, so long as it was cold! How about a gallon of ice cream, a giant watermelon, orange juice, plain ice cubs, anything cold! I was craving something and could not make up my mind and stood there feeling the chill of the open refrigerator. Ahhhh, I was getting my senses back a little. I really did walk around for about 10-15 minutes and I finally picked a liter of fresh squeezed orange juice, a big tub of yogurt (why I don’t know, because it looked cold?), and a big slice of cold watermelon. Can’t say they were the best choices, but I think I really was a little delirious.

I went outside and sat on a bench and ate the watermelon with a spoon, and it was great. The yogurt, yuk. The orange juice, thick with pulp, would have been better at a different time, but it got me through with the energy I needed.

A little girl walked by with her cone and two or three scoops of ice cream and she was lucky her mom was behind here because she might have almost that ice cream if she’d gotten any closer.

I was there for over a half hour as I really didn’t want to walk the rest of the three miles to the motorcamp, but I did. And I have to say that those last miles were tough.

Once I got to the Winchester Motor Camp I had no idea what to expect. It wasn’t like the nice fancy one I had just stayed at, just pretty basic. There were no cabins available, but the owner said he might have a trailer if he could find the key. It was obvious that it was one that hasn’t been used in a while! He found the key and showed me the trailer. I saw a few dead bugs in the sink and it looked like it could have used a vacuum, but for $18 NZ ($12.41 US) and not having to set up the tent in the heat, I’ll take it!!!

It’s not the prettiest trailer, a few bugs here and there, but what the heck, I am trekking and it’s all part of the experience, good or bad. Hey, I got a great shower to go with it, and that in itself was a luxury.

It was too hot to sit in the trailer until well after 5:00. My shower was cold water only as I didn’t want anything warm. The sun has set and it’s cooled down and I am enjoying the trailer, dead bugs and all. I won’t have to set up and take down the tent in this heat.

I still haven’t made up my mind whether to take the longer and steeper, scenic, alternate route? I have two routes I can take to start it, either right out of town, or a few miles down the road. It’s suppose to be hot again tomorrow. Yuk! I definitely wouldn’t want to be climbing steep grades in this kind of heat. Honestly, I am not sure what I should do? It was a long hot day, and I’ll sleep on it.

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.