Legs and Borders

"There is no freedom" Maori woman sitting on a bench in Hamner Springs "Oh hello mr TA hiker" non-Maori woman at the information centre in Hamner Springs "Deer meat needs to age for about a week in the fridge before the muscles relax and it gets tender. Our friends in Europe think that we are barbarians" man hunter at the Hope Halfway Hut Town day. They are always exciting, especially after a long time on the trail. But then again it's equally good to come back to the trail after all your business is done. Today I started earlier than usual to reach the road and get a hitchhike to Hamner Springs as soon as possible, I didn't want to stay in town overnight. It was over 50 kilometres away from the trail and accomodation there was rather scarce and expensive. I got to the Boyle Campsite by the road just before 9am, Lemmy the German guy who walked here yesterday was still around, so we decided to get a ride together. It took around 15 minut...

Easy day walking through the meadows between two mountain ranges, very scenic and serene. It didn't start all that well though. It was still raining in the morning and there were many stream crossings ahead. At one point my feet turned into bricks of ice and I had problem with staying warm despite wearing most of my thermal layers. Luckily around 10am the crossings finished and the weather started to improve. Trail came out to a 4wd track and it didn't leave it until the rest of the day. Two Australian boys, a Belgian and German guy who stayed in the hut one mile behind me, managed to chase me up and get ahead. I wasn't planning to run after them, I was vibing in my own pace, taking pictures and enjoying the landscape. There was only one small pass we had to go through, but it was hardly noticeable after the mountain section we just completed. I went past Anne and Rok...