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Published: February 26th 2009
Well in the time since my parents left I have filled my time with more great memories and now am waiting for my Aunty Betty arrive tomorrow morning. I hung out in Christchurch for about a week after they left because I was absolutely knackered and needed some down time. I enjoyed it a lot and met a great girl Dawn from the US who I hung out with for a few days, saw a few movies, went to a free concert on Waitangi Day (a Canada Day equivalent) which was great including an amazing fireworks display.
I booked a bus up towards the north part of the south island to a small town called Picton on the Queen Charlotte Sounds between the 2 islands of New Zealand. An absolutely gorgeous area of convoluted coastline making a stunning mountainous and ocean landscape. I booked in for a 71 km hike on the Queen Charlotte Track and after completing my 15 days to Mount Everest basecamp in Nepal last April I though...mehhh...3 days...no problem. Mehhh...holy sh** was I WRONG. I had kinda forgot about how much training I actually did prior to going to Nepal and how much lazing around I
Picton Harbour
view after my warm up hike....hahahareally have done in the intermim 10 months since and how shockingly fast one can really get outta shape. I suppose I had maybe one too many yummy Thai curries and Australian burgers....ahem. OKAY maybe more than one.
So I started the track with tons of energy and excitement to be hiking again and was thwarted within the first 2 minutes as the path took a very very steep and slippery climb upwards for nothing short of 2 hours. Crap. My legs were already burning and I still had, oh about 20 km to go. Day 1 continued on and I thought I was doing fine for pacing until those dreaded 5km interval markers told me otherwise. I started the day at about 9:15am and didn't get to my first overnight location until nearly 6 pm. AND the map had shown that my first accomodation spot was on the tract. NNOOOOO it wasn't. Damn liars. It was oh about 35 minutes downhill from the track. From anyone who has done any serious hiking before you know that one generally prefers the uphills...even though it gets your heart rate a pumping, at least it is heaps easier on the knees.
Picton Harbour
sail boats out and about So my jellified legs wobbled me to Noeline's homestay where my big pack was supposed to be waiting for me...but again...liars. It was on the pier some 20 m below the house. Now at 9:15 am a 20 m change in elevation would have been a cakewalk, but at 6 pm after nearly 27 km of walking it seemed like bloody Mount everest. So I dragged my poor aching body up the hill, had a lovely shower, and crashed within 2 hours of arriving....and I was well aware I as only 1/3 of the way through...what the h-e-double hockey sticks was I thinking. I had over 3 weeks to get myself up to Auckland to meet my aunt....why did I have to rush through this hike?? I could've easily done it over 4 or even 5 days. But Cheap-ass Carla strikes again and didn't want to pay the extra accomodation costs out on the trail. Boy did I EVER pay for being cheap.
I met a lovely German girl Tina at the homestay I stayed at the first night and was appalled to hear that this girl had RAN the 27 km that day and planned on running the
entire 71 km over 3 days. Well la-de-da...acutally I was really impressed and slightly disgruntled at my own inept fitness level as I rubbed the knots out of my aching calves.
The lovely Noeline who I stayed with gave me some stuff for blisters of which 2 small ones had creeped up as usual, although usually it was only my left heel that gave me grief. Even after 10 months of wearing the same boots with the same socks I still manage to get blisters but generally they are not bad at all, totally managable. Well she gave me some 2nd skin type stuff but whatever it was sure did NOT work for me. I am convinced it was this stuff that made me get the worst blisters known to man...ever.
Day 2: What goes down, must go up. And so the 35 minute downhill led to a 40 minute uphill climb back to the track to start day 2. After only a short while(maybe 1-2 hours) I could hardly walk at all because of the pain from my blisters. I took off both socks and was shocked to see that these were not loonie or even toonie-sized
blisters but closer to a bloody five dollar bill size on BOTH heels. Well ok, maybe not quite THAT big, but ya get the idea. (a warning for the squemish) the skin was hanging off my heels and they were completely red and raw. I used up my entire stock of bandaids; squeezing my eyes shut and spouting expletives when I put the disinfectant on. I did get some very sympathetic looks from fellow walkers passing by. But I had no choice, I had to go on. Day 2 was slightly shorter at about 24 km but at least I got an early start that day. Tina left later and caught up to me and we walked together for a bit; however with her sore leg (which did keep her from running on day 2) and my excruciating heels we were not on a good pace together so soon she left me behind limping for the next 5 hours or so. Thankfully my ipod helped to distract me and soon I ignored the pain and I was able to get a decent pace going and made it to my 2nd destination before 3pm.
It has started to rain at
the end of Day 2 so I resolved that since my feet were SO bad, there was no way I could wear my boots for day 3 and if it was raining I would just catch the boat back instead of completing the remaining 20 km for day 3. Well of COURSE it was a beautiful sunny day when I woke so I ignored my protesting legs and feet, strapped on my hiking sandels (thankfully they didn't rub too much) and got some more bandaids from some kind Kiwi's, and off I went. Although my calves were in knots, my quads shaking on the downhills I didn't want to give up or give in. So I did it...I finished...but holy gawd barely. I sat down on the grass to stretch at the end and wasn't so sure if I would be able to get back up...ever. But I was proud that I didn't give in even though I probably should have!!
Yoy...so back in Picton to nurse my injuries and prepare for my un-godly 4:45am wake up to catch the early ferry to Wellington (or affectionately known as Welly). I must interject here that I was a bit of
an ignorant traveller and didn't realize that Auckland is not the capital of NZ, it is Welly in fact. So off to the capital I went and it was a lovely city where i continued to meet absolutely lovely German's and laughed, went out, and just had some much needed girl talk instead of the regular convo of "what's your name, where you from, where ya been, where ya going" that you generally have in hostels day-in day-out. Not to mention the general language barrier you encounter. It was fantastic! Christine was her name and I am sure we are going to stay in touch!! She had superb english from living in the US for a year which made it so much better!
After 3 days sight-seeing and more movie going in Welly(there are some GREAT movies out now!) I headed up to Hamilton to visit Marty. I met Marty in Thailand, when I was with Kim, on a day tour in Ko Phi Phi and kept in touch since. He was great and picked me up at the bus, found me a free place to stay, and took me around to beaches and to a friends' b-day party.
awesome clouds
First night on track It felt SO great to just be at a house party, just like a regular person would do. It has been so long since I have had that I didn't realize how much I missed it and how much I am really looking forward to those simple things of being at home. So after 3 days there to Auckland I came and here I sit and think about my aunt on her long flight over as I write. Well I don't feel too sorry for her, I mean she is in business class and all, so ya, no sympathy here. That and maybe I am dreading the horrific details of my journey home. Auckland-Brisbane (stay overnight) Brisbane-Singapore-Seoul-San fran (stay overnight) the finally San Fran to E-town....ugh....acutally double ugh.
But I am so so excited to see my Aunty Betty and think we are going to have a smashing time together for 16 days! Today I booked myself in a 9 day trip to Fiji for a vacation before I come home. I figure I may as well since I am here...and what's a little debt, I mean really after 11 months. I am at under 6 weeks to go
Amazing Sunset
First night on track now and although am super excited to come home, am also a tad nervous. Not sure how long I will be home until I wanna go again and seek and explore more of our great planet. Well cheap-ass Carla is good at saving money so I am putting it out there that there WILL be more trips, likely not as long as this adventure, but I am always looking for travel companions. So start thinking, planning, and saving because although so many of you have said that you have lived through my blogs and photos you really so haven't...nothing compares to seeing it and experiencing yourself.
Well this will be it until after Fiji since I leave the same day as Aunty Betty does to come home and who wants to blog while they are in paradise...I mean really. And now at nearly 2 weeks post hike, the blisters are only now able to be uncovered. Seriously there were chunks missing from my heels...gross I know but true. I say Lesson Learned...the bloody hard way.
Cheers and oodles of Kiwi love,
Carla xxoo
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