And so it begins.

January 9th-
After a good nights sleep we decided to start our hike a day early. This trail will be different from the Appalachian Trail. we do not plan to be purist and hike every step of the trail. our standard is as follows: "If there are no sidewalks or shoulder on the road, then hitch-hiking is fair game." Part of the fun is meeting the locals. With that being said we headed out of the hotel and made our way through downtown Invercargill an on to Highway 1. The main NZ highway. We were surprised to find the "highway" was really a 2 lane road. We walked about 3 miles before deciding that the 2-land road was a little too busy for us to be walking safely and stuck our thumb out. 20 mins later a car pulls over. 3 gentlemen rolling their own cigarettes and drinks a 12 pack took us into Bluff, where the official trail starts. Keep in mind that this was around 9am. Bluff is an old whaling town that is now mainly a harbor for timber. It reminds me of an old coastal Maine town minus the tourist. While I took photos of the famous sign, Shadow was knocking the sandflies off his legs. From what we have read these bugs are ruthless. Their bite stings like a bee. Repellent will be on the top of our list this when we return to town. The Bluff is on a small peninsula at the Southernmost tip of NZ. The trail follows the edge of the island around lookout point where whales can be spotted with their young during certain times of the year. The 4 mile walk brought us back to highway 1, where we hitched back to Invercargill for our last night in town. This time a Scottish man and his Californian girlfriend picked us up. They have lived here for a year because the local college gives free tuition to encourage people to move down South. A late lunch was at the Devil Burger where $38 gets you 2 burgers, 1 order of fries, 1 draft beer, and 1 ginger beer (ginger ale). Want extra tomato sauce (ketchup)? That will be $1.50. After finishing our errands in town, we made it back to the hotel in time for the rain to start. Back home, Shadow and I would take jelly packets from fast food restaurants for pb&j sandwiches while camping (tramping in NZ), but here they was 20 cents each! The evening was spent listening to the wind blow and the rain fall while trying to figure out the rules of a cricket game on TV. All while Shadow practices his New Zealand accent







Country Mouse and Shadow