I had a bit of an off night, I wasn’t feeling great being sort of in an isolated spot but next to a community. There were also a lot of animal and bird noises in the night, which didn’t help either. In the morning, I realised that I had left my muslei behind and that I had no breakfast. Luckily, I could go to the store and pick some more up, which is what I did. Today was a out 22km along a road and although it was a fast road, it wasn’t very busy. I had heard that New Zealanders can get creative with their mailboxes so I made a point of checking them out.

The views of the the farmland and hills were as nice as always. Some of the cows are very curious about me as I pass by their fields.

I also found this mama bird (? wild turkey) and her brood in the drainage ditch.

There were also some interesting plants to keep me occupied, but I was glad to finally reach Mangamuka and treat myself to some ice cream.

I also treated myself to a roof over my head for the night, although it’s a bit strange since it’s the restaurant of an old hotel that’s been closed for 10 years. Cecile and Caroline caught up to me since they hitchhiked the road walk so I have some company tonight.