Day 11: Hunterville to Palmerston North, 140 km. The Donkey and Spot have to dig deep

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Day 11: Hunterville to Palmerston North, 140 km. The Donkey and Spot have to dig deep

The Donkey woke up the next morning to more rain, not just rain; it was hosing down, or bucketing down. The Donkey often used these expressions as well as it was closer to reality than the cats and dogs thing. But he did wonder who filled and emptied the buckets, and what if they let go of a bucket, by accident, and the bucket landed on somebody’s head, who would be responsible and can you insure for that? The Donkey decided to stick to hosing down and not think any further because he had to get on his bike. This time he was not going to wait, 1) because it had not worked the previous day and 2) he wanted to try and get to Wellington by Saturday as Butterfly was going to be there.

The Donkey had to get to Palmerston North today, and then he could get to Masterton on Friday and to Wellington on Saturday. But the weather did not cooperate. Rain and Headwind were dominating. Headwind called in his brother Storm to give him a hand. The Donkey was determined and set out along wheel sucking gravel and mud covered back country roads. The rivers he crossed were raging, slips were blocking his way and there were more hills than you could throw a stick at. The Donkey had to think about that for a moment. Throwing a stick at one hill is easy especially if the hill is close by. But trying to throw a stick to a whole lot of hills and hit them all bang on sounded rather difficult to the Donkey and he certainly would have run out of puff he had to throw sticks at the hills as well as climb them.

The Donkey was planning to have a coffee in Rhangiwahia and lunch at the Apiti Tavern but everything was closed and there was no one around except for Rain and Storm. So he ate some dry bread with a bit of cheese, which he carried for emergencies and he had a miserable time of it.

with still around 30km to go, out in the open countryside, in the driving rain on one of the back roads, when he was at his lowest, his coldest and his most miserablist, he was passed by a sturdy but friendly looking labrador, who was behind the wheel of a truck towing a trailer. The labrador slowed down, opened his window and asked the Donkey where he was heading.

Palmerston North, said the Donkey. O.k. throw your bike in the trailer and hop in, I will give you a lift....The Donkey panicked. He could soooo do with a lift but it would be cheating, unless he came back to the spot he was picked up from the next day and that would mean he would not get to Wellington on time to see Butterfly and how would he get back to that spot anyway, he would probably have to bike there and that was definitely not an option. The labrador sensed the Donkey's hesitation and said, what's up man! The Donkey just shook his head and said I can't. Suit yourself, said the labrador and put his paw dawn and accelerated away to disappear in the rain. The Donkey immediately regretted his decision. What have I done he thought. But it was too late. Ashurst was his intermediate goal, from there Palmerston North was only 21 more kilometers and the guide book said that there was a dairy in Ashley. The Donkey willed himself on and arrived in Ashurst chilled and wet to the bones and yes, there was a dairy, owned by a family of Indian toads who looked at him strangely. What was this dripping, shivering donkey with his ginormous looking covered helmet still on his head (the Donkey's hoofs were so cold that he had been unable to undo the buckle under his chin) up to. They fled behind the counter and the Donkey asked if they sold hot drinks which they didn't but they did sell milk shakes so the Donkey had a cold milkshake which made him shiver even more so he hopped back on Spot and pedaled furiously, in an attempt to warm up a bit, in the direction of Palmerston North.

When he arrived there on dusk he checked in at his motel which was run by a gay pukeko, who was not interested in the Donkey as he stank (the Donkey was happy about that, not that he stank but that the gay pukeko was not interested in him). He just wanted to go to bed which he did with the heater and electric blanket turned on high. Spot joined him in the bed and when their temperatures had risen to more acceptable levels they went next door to get a burger and chips. Surely they had earned it. They had an apple for desert to keep Butterfly happy as she did not like the Donkey having colourless (grey) meals.

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