New Zealand 70 Whariwharangi

 We hung around about 2 hours but we could easily have spent the whole day there. Alas, we still had to get to our hut and set up shop for the night so we had to move on. We made it to Whariwharangi Hut around 2pm and this hut, though the only one without beachfront property, was by far my favorite. It was an old homestead so it felt like "Little House on the Prairie". It had an ancient pot-belly wood stove and Matt chopped fire wood while I took a COLD shower.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 69 - The Results Are So-So

 By the time I got to the top I realized I had to descend "into" the seal colony (which means I would have to ascend to get back) so I dropped my pack right there and made my way down. If anyone wanted my clothes, they could have them. By the time I got down, Matt was making lunch so I began to seek out the seals. They weren't hard to find and so darn cute. I must have taken about 200 pictures but the light wasn't great (they lie in the shade) so the results are so-so.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 68 - Separation Point

The sand flies (these buggers bite) were monstrous so we applied our repellant as advised by the trusty DOC and continued on our way. The walk today was, scenically, one of the best, and we were headed for a 1.5 hr detour to a place called Separation Point where there was a seal colony. The climb up Separation Point was a difficult one, all the more so with the weight and I told Matt to go ahead so I could bitch about it under my breath all the way up. Quite therapeutic.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued) 

New Zealand 67 - Totaranui

The sky at sunrise was phenomenal, by far the very best sunrise I have ever seen in my life. The walk ahead of us today was a long one, the guide estimated 4.5 hours which meant we would be walking for at least 6 hours (I would love to know who these people are that walk it in 4.5, I guess the same people that hike Tongariro in 6 hours). We made really great time today, we were at our halfway point (Totaranui, home of the pesky sand fly) by half 9.

Matt and Cynthia (to be continued)