nolife

Again, this day is covered through a series of talking points, so I’ll craft sentences from them instead of giving you the hacked up version. These points were written while sitting in the common room of the New Shelter Rock Hut on the Rees-Dart track – my first night on the track.

I woke up at David’s and packed my bag up as quietly as I could. I removed the items I thought I wouldn’t need – things like the road map or my bulky toiletries that I had purchased in Kaitia. Now that I had my pack, I could use the smaller items that were intended for this trip. I did not, however, take my thermarest or tent out – I figured I would use them at least once because I wasn’t sure about the huts. I worried that they would either be full or just rotten – either way, I was going to be prepared. I came to regret this prepardedness.

Moving on – I removed some weight/space and shouldered my pack. I slipped out the door and headed down the road. It was just a little while after sunrise and the mountains on the far side of the lake were lit up in the glow of the early morning sun. The air was crisp, clean and quiet. The sealed road beneath my feet wasn’t necessarily comfortable, but the idea of carrying my pack toward the track was a lovely idea.

(more…)

This day is really covered in my journal by a series of talking points/reminders. Instead of catloging those, I”ll write complete sentences using that list. It was written while I was in the New Shelter Rock Hut on the Rees-Dart track for my first night.

Wednesday (23rd) was a very rushed day…

Rachel had dropped me off in Orewa on Tuesday night before she headed into the labrinyth of the Auckland suburbs. She had visited Orewa during her travels and knew that I could get a bus from here into the big city. We said a goodbyes, although a little more rushed than I probably should have. I ran over after securing my room, but before the guy showed me around – they were both waiting on me and I thought Rachel would want to leave before the tour finished. Maybe she did, but I still regret not really saying a decent goodbye to her.

Anyway, I found an internet cafe and spent a few hours researching bus schedules as well as writing some emails. I felt pretty lost with Rachel being there since she’d been my guide the previous two days. It was amusing – gaining so much independence in the beginning by not having my pack, and then feeling so lost after picking up two days with a stranger. I didn’t eat very well that night – I think just some more trail mix, because I didn’t care to go to the one thing I could find open – McDonald’s.

I crawled into my dark room where my roommate was asleep. I slid onto the bed without a sheet or a blanket. I slipped into a fitful sleep, worried about the time and rather cold. I had been hot in Kaitai and Phiai, but now I was getting quite a chill. Finally 5am come along and I slid out of the room. I crept across the courtyard to what I figured had to be the bathrooms. I washed up and headed down the road using a map that the young man running the hostel gave me. (more…)