Huntly to Pukete

31kms

Total 750kms

Dad booked a motel in Huntly and we had a good feed of Subway. Another 8am start in the morning after a cooked breakfast at a cafe in town. I wanted muesli and yogurt but it was not on the menu.

Starting from the western side of the bridge I walked 5kms down the road to the base of the Hakarimata range. 1500 steps straight up. There were some rewarding views back north down to Huntly then another opening looked south. It was not a very clear sky but I could still see Hamilton easily and even Ruapehu in the distance. Zoom in on the photo below. I followed the ridgeline of the range for nearly four hours before another thousand or so stairs took me down to Ngaruawahia. The view from the top of the southern end was pretty good too and a bit higher up at 374m.

I followed the cycle way from Ngaruawahia all the way to Hamilton. About 15kms of easy walking track. It runs along the Waikato river bank. I crossed the river four times today. I stopped once for a rest and drank half a liter of V. I needed an extra energy boost today. I ate three bananas, a chocolate bar, a nut bar and a bag of mixed nuts throughout the morning, plus my cooked breakfast.

Dad picked me up from Pukete and had a box of cold beers in the back. It is new years eve after all. We drove out to Raglan to stay at my brothers. Scott, Emily and my two nephews William and Joel. Mum and Kevin came down for a visit too. I went inside and was told to look for William who was hiding. I actually couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Ayla and Abby come out to surprise me! So that was a very happy moment for me.

A lovely evening with food and a few beverages. I’m in bed now so wont be seeing the new year in but thats fine with me. Sleep is more important. Maybe a trip to Raglan beach is in order tomorrow with a few cold ones.