Day 34 (780 to 814 kms)
It is time to re-join Te Araroa trail for the 2024/2025 season.
The night before I stayed with cousins in Hamilton. They are so nice, they prepared an amazing lamb based meal which was accompanied by some nice red wine. We chatted and got caught up on everyone’s life and adventures planned for the near future. In the morning I had breakfast and my last latte style coffee for a while, before they returned me to the Hamilton Aboretum, the most southernly point I got to last season. Time to head South again.
I had only been walking about 90 mins and stumbled upon The Village Cafe, where they had coffee and cakes, lots of cakes. Well, I just had to sit down and enjoy that.
My bag is a little overweight with more than 4 days of food. But it felt good to have the pack back on. The trail was a little muddy, but there was a fair amount of road, so this helped get through the kilometers.
I stay with Stewart and his wife at their farm stay. Just pitched my tent up on his lawn. The tent package also included a hot shower, coffee or arrival and breakfast with coffee. So, I yet more coffee. Stewart is a good kiwi bloke with an opinion on most subjects, and especially who should and should be running the country. Two other walkers arrived a few hours later, so nice to meet some other walkers.
I have a 1st cousin that lives locally, and she saw on facebook that I was in the neighbourhood. So, she popped around and we chatted and caught up on lots of missing history.
Good to be back in the tent. And good to be on the trail.
