Well, I powered through the 70 km of the Queen Charlotte Track on the tip of the southern island, but it was not without sacrifice. My feet are done. DONE. The pesky infected mosquito bites have only gotten worse and this morning, they took hold of my left ankle. Any time I've been cut or scratched in the last week, it's been infected in less than a day. To the doctor for me! Because at this point I have no other choice. I can barely walk without limping and starting another section of trail is unwise at this point. But dude. Finished the trail in 2 and a half days; pretty excited about that feat.
To be on a sunnier subject, I must say the trail is amazing. It doubles as a mountain bike course, but they close certain sections during their summer to allow only hikers & runners. Most of the bays offer accommodation and/or camping, and there are boats that move your bags from point to point if you wish. I would say the majority of people I saw took this option. Every day started with a hill for me, but well worth it for the views on top. The second day had some overcast which was the perfect weather to tramp in. There were lots of people on the trail and I found myself playing leap frog with a German couple, Arnie and Nina. They are doing the full Te Araroa and were just starting the South Island. The fitness of all the thru-hikers is astounding. I'm tempted to ask if I can feel how heavy their packs are...
Mine is god awful heavy. Tomorrow will be a day for the doctor, laundry, and trimming the fat from my pack. There is no way I'll be able to climb mountains without killing myself at its current weight. Everything hurts right now, so I figure now is when I'll be most ruthless.
My gear works well though. I found that my tent tends to get really hot and water accumulates heavily from my breath, but it's comfortable. My feet will be happy to stick out from under the sheets tonight.
The last three hours today were the hardest even though it may have been one of my favorite sections of trail. I felt weak, my feet had gone numb, and my shoulders protested from 3 days with the pack. I made it to Anakiwa and decided to hitch hike to the nearest town that I knew had a clinic, Havelock. I was immediately picked up in Anakiwa by an awesome hippie dude in the stereotypical van and he gave me a short ride to the gas station in Linkwater. After an hour of trying to catch a ride in front of the station, a friendly local finally picked me up and drove me the short distance to Havelock. Unfortunately, the clinic is closed Wednesdays, so I got a bed and a backpackers and will go in first thing in the morning.
In a few days when I'm feeling better, I'm sure I'll smile on the pain but for right now, I'm dreaming of antibiotics and sleep. Cheers!
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