(1400-1600km) Run to the hills

Leaving Wanganui. Musik on, umbrella up. 20km on state highway3: Here we go. Only hate the road when you're missing home. Big fast truck. Windblow breaks my umbrella. Now I get sunburned. Nice campground in Koitiata. I get free dinner and have good conversation with a German couple! Sunset at the beach.

Bulls and Mount Rees. Beach again. Black sand, soft as flour. Then gravel, then asphalt. Cabbage trees flowering. Sit in the shade near Bulls' McDonalds to steal WiFi. Truck driver stops, buys me an icecoffe and drives off. Again free dinner from a German girl! I'm in love with live and live is with me!

Palmerston North: Boring roadwalk. Easy until I get lost. Fight through blackberrys higher than myself, tramp through a river. Stop at the post office. 110g tent pegs and guy lines go back to Auckland. 5 pegs are enough. Kids ask me to join a human pyramid. It's fun. Shopping hungry at Pak'n'save. Damn, I bought too much!

Leaving Palmerston North. Still too much food. Only need 6 days. Grocery bag dangling from my neck. Heavy load raping my poor 28L frameless backpack. The seams threaten to break. I walk slowly and eat for it's live. Don't pack your fears! Don't pack your fears! Fake rain all day. That's the one that stops when you put on your jacket. Dead kingfisher - so shiny and beautiful. Stick insect. Rabbits, nice streams. The official half way point. Yeah! & Nooo it's over too soon. Sit calm in some bush. A deer walks close. Antlers up. Majestic as!

Tararua Ranges. I have joy, I have fun. Tararuas in the sun. Eel in the shallow water. Barefoot and wind to my favour I see deer, goat, deer. Nice view, phone reception. A dozen stream crossings within short time. Just in time for dinner in Makahika. They treat me like a king. Show all the gear.

Matawai hut. A 1000m climb. Soaked in sweat all day. Nice view onto Kapiti island. I'm a walking machine. I'm so exhausted! Spread my smelly clothes over the stairs. Sew my backpack. Group of six Kiwi-trampers share dinner with me. Fire in the hearth.

Nicols hut. Up, up up. Climbing, hands on rocks. Above the treeline. Wetas jumping in the gras. View is marvelous. Absolutely fantastic, gorgeous, breathtaking. Five stars on TripAdvisor! Can see the land I walked the last seven days! Along ridgeline into fallen trees. Crawling on my knees under branches, over trunks. 8 hours of constant sweat and only 12km done. This is rough!

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