TA Day 72 – Food is Important

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3rd January

20.9km

Davies Bay Campsite 1752.7km to Havelock 1773.6km

An interesting thing happened. I woke from a restful sleep and had lots of energy, although that is normal for me, I’ve been weakened recently. Last night I took a vitamin pill and I took another this morning. Maybe that was all I needed to get the body back in balance. Long distance hiking is the constant struggle to balance nutrition with the weight of the food.

Not only did I sleep well but I woke during the night and had the best view of stars since my arrival in New Zealand. An interesting thing for all you star watchers. The southern skies present different stars to the north. Being of antipodean origins they are very familiar to me. But for the northerners some stars are familiar but make no sense. The constilation of Hercules looks more like a cooking saucepan and Leo, my star sign is unrecognizable. They are both upside down. But I’m used to looking at constilations like that. Our beloved southern cross isn’t quite visible until the early hours as its mainly a winter constilation. Although in the mountains it’s harder to see what lies at the horizon.

The hike today was super easy. A combination of flat roadwalking and gently sloping hiking trails.

10am photo below

It was midday when I arrived in Havelock. I picked up my food box that I posted myself. I sent it to a place called Blue Moon backpackers but they were full. I ended up at the cheaper Rutherford backpackers with Jean from France. My resupply package worked out cheaper than buying locally. As I would be carrying 7 days food I was not looking forward to the weight.

The Sunday roast of the day is a thing in Australia, but not just on a Sunday, you can get it any day. When I walked past a bar in Havelock that had a reasonably priced roast of the day, I knew where I was having dinner. The roast of the day is included a couple of slices of roast meat with roast potato, pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower. It also included New Zealand Kumera, a local sweet potato the Maori introduced to the island. Vitamin tablets and a roast of the day at the local bar. I think I’ll be all good for at least a couple of days hiking. By the way, I’m starting to head into remote sections of trail. Possibly little or no cell phone service or wifi. I’ll do my best to keep the blog flowing but please understand, there are things beyond my control.


Next – Day 73 – Seven days of food is heavy

All the tips you need to hike the Te Araroa Trail : 
Complete Guide to the Te Araroa Trail
Te Araroa Trail Resupply Guide
Te Araroa Trail Gear List
Te Araroa Trail Gear Review

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About the Author:
Brad is an Australian who has completed the hiking Triple Crown after he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail. He has hiked on every continent (except Antarctica) and has cycled from Alaska to Ecuador. He is an expert on outdoor gear currently living in Chile.

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