Hiking adventures in New Zealand
Hiking adventures in New Zealand
I had a sleep-in this morning and woke at 7.30am seriously overheating in my tent! I enjoyed breakfast and a coffee, then went for a second (big) breakfast with Steve at the Chapel Rock cafe in Marazion, before he continued on the trail.
I had a thoroughly lazy day which mostly involved visiting St Michael's Mount. It's a castle on an island 500m offshore, and is linked by a causeway at low tide.
There is evidence of the mount having been populated for 3000 years. For 300 years it was...
We all had a sleep-in today until about 9.30am. We spent a long time fantasising about the cooked breakfast we'd like to eat, and then we turned to farming. Mike's a dairy farmer and Phil works for Fonterra so I'm now very well versed in all things dairy.
We didn't walk today due to the rain, but interestingly the cyclone was nothing more than that, in the valley where we were, and there was hardly any wind.
We spent the morning playing cards then we watched another movie on my phone,...
I had an amazing sleep in a wonderful bed in the Airbnb and really didn't get going until about 9.30am. Mike and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of fruit, yoghurt, croissants and Nutella then headed out in the rain for a little wander around town to find the laundromat we'd seen online. Turns out there wasn't one so we plodded back and got our gear together for a trip to the famous Hanmer Springs hot pools.
I hired togs and a towel, and we spent a couple of hours soaking in the different...
I woke at a reasonable hour, and headed down to the general store in St Arnaud for a real coffee (treat to self) and a big breakfast. This turned into 2 additional hot chocolates, a tart and a ginger beer! I'm already worried about how I'll need to wean myself off junk food in a month's time when I finish Te Araroa trail !!
I spent the morning in the cafe with some Te Araroa hikers, then the afternoon lounging around the hostel with more Te Araroa hikers. There are lots of us here waiting...
I enjoyed a lovely sleep back in my old dorm room in Nelson. I woke at a reasonable hour and enjoyed a leisurely brekkie.
Then something really weird happened! A couple of days ago, when I left Monkeys backpackers in Riverton (before I caught the minibus to Invercargill) I wasn't able to pay for the hostel. When I left, there was a large board at the front door saying guests should pay at the café opposite. So I dropped my key in the box and went over to the cafe. There was no-one there....
Our entire female dorm was kept awake by someone snoring very very loudly. I immediately took myself out and slept in the lounge. When I got up at 6am, all the other girls back in the dorm were awake bleary eyed, and the snorer was still at it - just as loudly as 8 hours earlier...!
I got a taxi to the airport, which took about 10 mins. I should have walked it really, but it was still a bit drizzly. Invercargill airport was very nice, and I enjoyed a delicious bacon and egg muffin and a hot...