Landscaped overdose

Day 19. Whitebait Fritter Sarnies

Lake Mahinapua to Hari Hari

Daily total: 68km Running Total: 1256.26km

Stopped in an old gold mining town called Ross to get a bit of shelter from rain. Here I tried a Whiebait Fritter Sandwich at the local pub. It was great. Did learn that they call the tourists 'loopies'. No idea why but they just do. Whilst I'm Ross I met an Australian couple and rode with them until Hari Hari. 

Despite the rain, there were moments of beauty but you got the impression that the real beauty was hidden behind a shroud of cloud. 

Just too wet to take any photos.

The ground at the campsite in Hari Hari was terrible, a layer of grass that hid massive rocks. The tent pegs took a heavy hit. This mixed in with driving rain did not help with the overall camping experience. 

Day 18. Way too spoilt!

Graymouth to Lake Mahinapua

Daily total: 123.21km Running total: 1188.26km

The Great Wilderness Trail starts in Graymouth and ends in the town, before the lake. The actual start requires you to get off your bicycle as the ramp up to the start is too narrow to cycle up. The guide describes the track as having views to die for and to allow 4 days to complete the route. My initial plan was to do it in 2 days. Then bravado kicked in. Why not do it in one day? Why not? Why not in deed, went the conversations in my head. 

The distance between the lake and Graymouth by road is around 55km. So what is an additional bunch of km on top? 

Whilst on the trail, I realised that I was becoming apathetic to photo taking. Partly down to my growing immunity to the landscape of NZ and to the limited time I had to complete the trail and lack of space on the camera. So the battle with technology is ongoing. 

Did work out that after the days cycling today, I am 1045km shy of what I covered distance wise on the North Island. The big race now is between the ever dwindling bank balance. Physically and mentally I can do it...financially...well that's going to be a close call.