Day 123. Bluff and the End of Te Araroa. March 4, 2016.

33 km
Invercargill km 2974 to Bluff km 3007.

A beautiful morning sky welcomed me as I walked out of the hostel.

Just outside of town the track follows a bike path along the estuary for 10 kilometers. I met 3 guys on bikes. They were finishing their Cape Reinga to Bluff ride which they started 12 days ago! Wow!

The daydreaming and reminiscing ended when I got to the highway. It was 16 kilometers of trying to not get killed by the many trucks and cars that whizzed past.

Finally that torture was over and it was 7 kilometers of walking over the headlands with gorgeous ocean views. There was almost no wind and I slowed down to reflect on and savor what I had done over the last 4 months.

I’m glad I did that because there wasn’t any solitude at the finish. There is a parking lot with lots of cars and people. But that was fun and I felt like a bit of a celebrity when I explained what I had just done.

Paulo, and the Swiss couple, Yannick and Lisa, also finished today. We went across the street and had a well deserved beer.

Back at Southern Comfort Backpackers there were lots of TA walkers who had recently finished the TA…. 10 Speed, Laura, Mathew, Clement, and Apoline. Later Sarah and her boyz showed up. They will finish tomorrow.

Later I had dinner with Alex and Helen who will finish tomorrow.

So now what? I fly out of Auckland on the 7th of April so I have one month to experience more of New Zealand. My body is feeling a bit battered and needs some rest. I want to go to Stewart Island to hike the Northwest Circuit. If my body still feels like walking and the weather cooperates there are other tracks I want to do. If not I guess I could be a normal tourist. If any NZ blog followers want to show me their area or host me I am open to anything.

I will write some more about the rest of my NZ adventure but maybe not daily. Once I get home I will post my gear list and gear review. I promise!

Thanks to everyone who followed and commented on my blog. You kept me motivated to keep writing.