After six days of hiking the great 180 day tramp from N to S I have decided to throw in the towel.
Don’t hold your breath for future updates. They may trickle in.
So, what’s next? The loose plan is to wander around and do a bit of fruit picking in attempt to break even while I’m here.
It would be nice to put the US funds on hold and only spend what I earn while here in Kiwi land.
It’s a beautiful place. The North island is full of rolling hills and farmland. Banana trees and palm trees growing next to cedar and pine trees is exotic.
Plenty of nice travelers and locals everywhere. Should still have a ball here over the next six months.
November 8th 2012
Hitchhiked for a day and a half to get to the starting point. Six different cars got me here. Half of them were full of drunk locals and even the drivers were well buzzed. It’s legal for passengers to drink and even the driver is allowed two in NZ.
A cattle farmer/professor/real-estate agent eventually picked me up and let me pitch my tent outside his house. He and his wife cooked a meal and we watched reality fishing and Obama.
This morning’s car was a couple from Wellington. They said to look them up when I arrive there in two months.
Finally, walked for four hours along a beach and over giant sand dunes from the trail head (Cape Reinga) to where I am now at the first micro campsite(Twilight beach).
Got into Auckland today. Spring is in the air.
Couch Surfing with a Kiwi and an American who met while couchsurfing(.com) themselves. Try hosting surfers too and meet interesting people from around the world!
Will start hiking in a couple days. The first section is fifty miles of beach walking. Sounds like sand blisters.
It’s a 1800 mile, four to five month hike from the North end of New Zealand to the South end.
Beaches, forest, alpine meadow, sidewalk, highway, farm field, jungle, bushwhack, streams, rivers, mud and thorns. It’s all there.
It’s true, I’m standing outside watching the sun burn off the morning fog when a chickadee shoots in-between my legs.
Retired at 28 