Day 15 ~ Puketi to Kerikeri
5th December 2020 ~ 20kms, hot, hangry, hitch
Last night’s delirium and dinner party (packets of dehydrated food) meant that sleep didn't find us until nearly midnight.
That's a trifle different to our usual seven or 8pm. You can imagine how heavy our bodies were preparing to tramp 24kms over road and farm to Keri Keri.
Thankfully, Chahlia are still with us, the kids especially would like to keep them forever.
A bunch of the track is closed meaning more road walking than usual. Pffft. Roads suck.
It takes us about 4.5 hours to walk 15kms, we’re out of gas.
We decide to try hitch. It’s time.
Thumbs out but pickings are slim, only a car every 10 mins or so. Another hour or so goes by with no luck. The kids are down trodden, feeling rejected.
And that’s when the magic re-appears.
We’ve heard about these people called ‘Trail Angels’ before but have yet to experience one. They’re basically damned good folk that offer up their lawns or even homes to filthy hikers out of the goodness of their own hearts. Often they’ve had splendid experiences at some stage in their lives and are keen to pay it forward.
We’ve lined up Robyn’s place to pitch our tents tonight, via the gang. Tip Tap, Marv and DiCap are already there, and give us a buzz to ask how we’re doing. Robyn hears that we still have about 8kms to go and amazingly offers to come and pick us up.
We practically cry with relief. The kids collapse onto a safe spot on the side of the road to wait and we finally flag down a ride for Chahlia and Tommy.
In about half an hour we’re pitching our tents on the most magnificent spongy lawn, not far from Rainbow Falls. Robyn makes us a cuppa, throws the kids in the pool and eventually drops the whole gang in town to the Supermarket.
We feast in the park, then grab our stashes to head back. The others easily hitch but when cars see us and the kids with our thumbs out they just smile and wave - they think we’re joking. Bugger.
The 5km or so walk back to Robyn’s is a stunner, but our feet are swollen and throbbing. We get by with the promise of good food and another swim before bed.
We managed almost 20kms today after all.
We found our first Trail Angels
