More ways to get wet than you can imagine on this route! Mud pools, drizzle, giant wet ferns, big tree droplets and soggy meadows to soak your legs. There was a looooong road walk to follow soaked to the skin. There was much chaffing! A nasty state of affairs not even salvageable by a tin of vasaline… We were walking like cowboys when we rolled into town ;)
Wondering along the edge of the state highway in a torrential downpour – giant American style juggernauts thundering through the water just inches away – a car pulls up, a lady jumps out and drags us in. “You can’t be out wondering the highway in this! Are you mental?”. So we jump in … and she speeds us to our local camp spot for the night: Dickey Flat. ( Comedy name ;) )
The river by this camp spot, the Waitawheta, was supposed to be a great fishing spot. But in the drizzly evening rain we decided to give it a miss and get in our sleeping bags for a spot of Angry Birds ( well on our way to four stars on every level – sweet! )
Walking in the drizzle wasn’t too bad, but we got a right soaking in this long grass. Feet were soon sloshing around in our boots, then the heavens opened up for a very damp and uninteresting road walk past the Golden Cross mine and down the valley to the Karangahake Gorge.
Not sure if it was the weather or the friendliness of folk round here, but we randomly got offered lifts all day today. We were trying to be good after doing the naughty Thames bypass thing, so kept turning them down. Until the last lady who just wouldn’t take no for an answer offered us a lift to the nearby DOC campsite. I really wanted a lift, but we’d just got to the main road and more importantly a big Tui’s sign hanging above a pub. I didn’t want a lift because I wanted a pint instead, but the lady insisted the road was far too dangerous to walk along this time of year (while reversing back along it into oncoming traffic!), so we felt obliged to take the ride.
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