It's not every day that you go into a shop to buy things and the staff offer to head out and buy you a coffee...not every day, but today (thanks Steve - Bivouac Hamilton).
We have nearly hit the 1000km mark and our shoes have done their dash. We had planned to use 2-3 pairs of boots but the time to buy new ones snuck up on us a bit. As a result, we had to do a quick trip to Hamilton (with our bags safely in tow) to purchase a pair as the next town with a suitable shop would be another 400 km away...2-3 weeks of walking. We must say that it is a little demoralising to spend 4 days walking somewhere and then drive the same distance in 50 minutes. Demoralising but really convenient. We'd like to think that we could change our busy lifestyle when we return, perhaps walk or bike to visit friends or go to the supermarket rather than taking the car. The habit of having things in an instant is unfortunately so appealing. We'll have to keep working on that one as there is something so satisfying about a grass roots lifestyle.
We made a very pleasant discovery today that some girls Hannah used to look after at school were living on the trail. Had a great dinner out and stayed the night at the family backpackers. Juno Hall is a winner backpacker spot in Waitomo for those interested.
We have nearly hit the 1000km mark and our shoes have done their dash. We had planned to use 2-3 pairs of boots but the time to buy new ones snuck up on us a bit. As a result, we had to do a quick trip to Hamilton (with our bags safely in tow) to purchase a pair as the next town with a suitable shop would be another 400 km away...2-3 weeks of walking. We must say that it is a little demoralising to spend 4 days walking somewhere and then drive the same distance in 50 minutes. Demoralising but really convenient. We'd like to think that we could change our busy lifestyle when we return, perhaps walk or bike to visit friends or go to the supermarket rather than taking the car. The habit of having things in an instant is unfortunately so appealing. We'll have to keep working on that one as there is something so satisfying about a grass roots lifestyle.
We made a very pleasant discovery today that some girls Hannah used to look after at school were living on the trail. Had a great dinner out and stayed the night at the family backpackers. Juno Hall is a winner backpacker spot in Waitomo for those interested.