I decided to take a rest day in Kaitaia. I slept terribly in the dorm and also had a few errands to do. I started the day with a flat white, sort of between a cappuccino and a latte, which made me realize how much I miss real coffee. Once I felt a bit more human, I booked myself a private room that had two beds and which I ended up sharing with another hiker. It was off to the pharmacy to get some SPF lip balm since applying regular sunscreen on them hasn’t been working. I also checked out both bulk food stores and made some purchases. It’s been difficult to find a few items that would be nice like dried vegetables of some sort, as well as quick cooking protein apart from red lentils. It was lunch time when I got back and then it was laundry and after hanging it on the line, I went up to the regular grocery store about 1km away. It was a Pak n’ Save and was absolutely ginormous, which was surprising for such a small town. I also went to the Hunting and Fishing store, one of their out door stores, and ended up getting a Sea to Summit collapsible mug. I had left mine at home and was using something else, but it wasn’t working out well. When I got back, I went to take down my laundry and realized a sock was missing. I thought it might have blown away since it was very windy and someone suggested that a weka, a bird that steals things, might have taken it. In the end, I found it in the washing machine and it was probably extra clean since I think a few others had done some loads after mine. Five of us had decided to make dinner together and we ended up getting salmon, and some vegetables to roast to go with it. One girl’s birthday was on the next day and she baked a chocolate cake. We were the envy of the hostel. After our feast, it was off to bed but we did try to look at the lunar eclipse. It had said that it would be complete just before midnight, but that it would be starting as of sunset. Unfortunately there were a few clouds obscuring the moon and what we could see of it seemed very bright and not in shadow at all.

Thankfully my roommate was the quietest sleeper ever and I had a pretty good night’s rest. I was the only one from my group continuing on today since the others still have blisters that they’re nursing. There also some pretty bad weather predicted in a day or two. I felt like it was the first day all over, heading off without knowing how it will be or who you’ll meet. The first 5 km were down the highway again and the the trail turned off down a dirt road that eventually came to a junction with a small hall, where I had my lunch under an awning since it was alternating between intense sunshine and light rain showers. I had met a German hiker on the road, but after a quick chat, we each continued at our own paces. The road was heading towards some mountains and it was very scenic with the farm fields slopping up into the hills.

After lunch, the trail turned into more of an atv track and I passed by a Krishna sanctuary, where one sole Krishna was working in his garden undoing damage from the wind and from wild pigs. He’s only been there two years and is trying to be self sufficient, but his fruit trees are still rather small and fragile. The road was climbing up more steeply now and was the first real ascent of the trail. I also met a man on a motorbike, an English expat, who talked and talked. I felt a bit hostage to him since my hints that I wanted to get going were ignored, but I eventually cut him off and said goodbye. It seems this area attracts those interested in more alternative ways of living. I got to another junction and instead of heading into the Ratea forest, where the trail usually goes, I went down the path to Broadwood. The Ratea forest trail was damaged a month or so back by a huge storm and isn’t currently passable. It was mostly downhill into Broadwood, where a campground has been set up for the TA hikers next to the rugby field. I was surprised to be the only one there. It seems like this will be my first night camping alone on trail.