By Ruth

Distance: 16 km

After a warm and comfortable night in the hut, we woke up refreshed and ready to tackle our last day of the section. True to form, the day started with a long, steep uphill. This was the fifth and final climb of over 600 metres of the section. It was tough but knowing it was the last one helped us get through, and we were at the top by 10 am.

From there it was mostly downhill along a river and out to the car park. Of course when you are going along a river there are many ups and downs to navigate the bank, and it was also overgrown in places with scratchy ferns, so it was still kind of tough going. Eventually we got into some nice forest, and then farmland, where the trail improved a lot and we were able to motor along.

Once out of the trail we walked a few kilometres down a gravel road until we reached the lake and a bigger road where we started trying to hitch a ride into Wanaka.

We weren’t waiting too long before a nice American couple picked us up. We were chatting and they mentioned the town is quite busy this weekend because there is a pastoral/agricultural fair happening. Needless to say, we did not have accommodation booked, so this news was unwelcome; we were looking forward to a night or two in real beds, and this meant we would probably have to tent at the holiday park.

But then, trail magic! The couple giving us a ride, Shaun and Donna, offered us the extra bedroom in their hotel apartment. We did have a look around on the internet over a coffee before coming to the conclusion that there really was very little available, and gratefully we accepted their offer. They were staying in a lovely apartment where we could shower, do our laundry, and even cook dinner. It turned out to be a great evening and a wonderful moment of connection.