With a shortish, easy day in prospect, I made a very late start, vacating my room bang on the 10am deadline. I had brunch in Wanaka on the way out - there's nothing like a cooked breakfast when you're used to nothing but dehydrated.
During my rest day I had developed a lot of little niggles, all hang overs from the Motatapu of course. Most settled down somewhat as I started walking, following the lake towards the Clutha River outflow.
The most annoying niggle is a nasty crack on my heel. Colleen had warned me about using strapping tape too much, but with blister issues in the first fortnight I pretty much didn't have a choice. That's coming back to bite me somewhat now, with cracks on the left heel where the strapping tape had been. I've applied a Compeed, normally used for blisters, to the worst of them, which settled it right down for walking. However all my old blister spots, while not reforming blisters, have been sore in the last few days from the hammering they've been taking. This resulted in a fair bit of limping around Wanaka while I was there. While providing discomfort today, I think they'll heal up within a day or two.
The track around the lake was a curious mixture of people cycling at little more than my walking pace, and competitors in the upcoming Wanaka Ironman out for training jogs, going faster than I'd do an 800 meters.
I noticed early on that my legs were still weary from Motatapu. Although flat, I found the going fairly tiring. A heavier pack with much more food loaded up didn't help matters.
For some reason I decided to walk with only 1 stick today. Since starting TA I've become used to the rythym of using 2, and it felt weird having a hand free. Part way through the day I decided to switch to 2, only to discover my 2nd pole was stuck half closed. A fair bit of tinkering in the evening fixed this, but I'm thinking about changing poles when I get back near Christchurch. If I do so, all of my legacy gear (pre-TA planning) would have fallen by the wayside, barring my pot.
Within a couple of hours I made it to the Clutha outflow. I love places like this! To see a mighty river, arguably New Zealand's mightiest (most flow at 500 cumecs and 2nd longest) flowing from Lake Wanaka is a sight to behold.
I had an extended break here, having a couple of swims at the interface between the lake and the river, up stream a bit, avoiding where the current grew stronger as the river took hold, and some lunch. This was shared with some rambunctious teenage ducklings. I'm not too sure mother duck was particularly happy about this, quacking warnings to her progeny unceasingly. I decided they'd had enough of my lunch when they started nibbling at my toes, and one even had a go at a nipple! (Ow)
I had expected the whole day to be hot and exposed, so was pleasently surprised to have partial shade for much of the day from extensive kanaka along the lake edge and down the Clutha River.
This ran out close to the road bridge over the Clutha, and all of a sudden I was in true Central Otago, exposed country.
After crossing the bridge itself, time for another swim, before heading up the Hawea River. Generally this had little shade, but it's a very pretty river.
There are quite a few white water features on it; one of those Olympic style gated courses, and some man made rapids created by a power company as a "sorry, we dammed all the real ones, have this make believe one instead".
Crossing the Hawea River I met a big American bike party on the bridge coming the other way. Que lots of interested questions in what I was doing and how far I was going. All very convivial, until one of the last in the party who merely had this to offer, "Get a job, ya bum", said with a full on sneer. Unfortunately for Americans, I'll remember him more than all the lovely people who preceded him across the bridge.
Back to pleasant things. The end of the walk into Hawea was along a water race, supplied from the Hawea Dam. Nice easy walking, and fascinating to watch the water explode into the race under pressure after being released from the lake.
... and so to the lake itself.
I'm staying at the Hawea Hotel, 50 or so meters above the lake. This didn't stop me immediately returning to the lake for a swim though. I was rather cautious as I was swimming within a couple of hundred meters of the inlet for the dam. And then I noticed a bunch of people jumping from part of the inlet apparatus itself. Total nutters.
The day was finished with a burger and chips and a couple of quality beers in the hotel's beer garden. It really hit the spot, and has set me up nicely for another 4 days of dehydrated food.
During my rest day I had developed a lot of little niggles, all hang overs from the Motatapu of course. Most settled down somewhat as I started walking, following the lake towards the Clutha River outflow.
The most annoying niggle is a nasty crack on my heel. Colleen had warned me about using strapping tape too much, but with blister issues in the first fortnight I pretty much didn't have a choice. That's coming back to bite me somewhat now, with cracks on the left heel where the strapping tape had been. I've applied a Compeed, normally used for blisters, to the worst of them, which settled it right down for walking. However all my old blister spots, while not reforming blisters, have been sore in the last few days from the hammering they've been taking. This resulted in a fair bit of limping around Wanaka while I was there. While providing discomfort today, I think they'll heal up within a day or two.
The track around the lake was a curious mixture of people cycling at little more than my walking pace, and competitors in the upcoming Wanaka Ironman out for training jogs, going faster than I'd do an 800 meters.
I noticed early on that my legs were still weary from Motatapu. Although flat, I found the going fairly tiring. A heavier pack with much more food loaded up didn't help matters.
For some reason I decided to walk with only 1 stick today. Since starting TA I've become used to the rythym of using 2, and it felt weird having a hand free. Part way through the day I decided to switch to 2, only to discover my 2nd pole was stuck half closed. A fair bit of tinkering in the evening fixed this, but I'm thinking about changing poles when I get back near Christchurch. If I do so, all of my legacy gear (pre-TA planning) would have fallen by the wayside, barring my pot.
Within a couple of hours I made it to the Clutha outflow. I love places like this! To see a mighty river, arguably New Zealand's mightiest (most flow at 500 cumecs and 2nd longest) flowing from Lake Wanaka is a sight to behold.
I had an extended break here, having a couple of swims at the interface between the lake and the river, up stream a bit, avoiding where the current grew stronger as the river took hold, and some lunch. This was shared with some rambunctious teenage ducklings. I'm not too sure mother duck was particularly happy about this, quacking warnings to her progeny unceasingly. I decided they'd had enough of my lunch when they started nibbling at my toes, and one even had a go at a nipple! (Ow)I had expected the whole day to be hot and exposed, so was pleasently surprised to have partial shade for much of the day from extensive kanaka along the lake edge and down the Clutha River.
This ran out close to the road bridge over the Clutha, and all of a sudden I was in true Central Otago, exposed country.
After crossing the bridge itself, time for another swim, before heading up the Hawea River. Generally this had little shade, but it's a very pretty river.
There are quite a few white water features on it; one of those Olympic style gated courses, and some man made rapids created by a power company as a "sorry, we dammed all the real ones, have this make believe one instead".
Crossing the Hawea River I met a big American bike party on the bridge coming the other way. Que lots of interested questions in what I was doing and how far I was going. All very convivial, until one of the last in the party who merely had this to offer, "Get a job, ya bum", said with a full on sneer. Unfortunately for Americans, I'll remember him more than all the lovely people who preceded him across the bridge.
Back to pleasant things. The end of the walk into Hawea was along a water race, supplied from the Hawea Dam. Nice easy walking, and fascinating to watch the water explode into the race under pressure after being released from the lake.
... and so to the lake itself.
I'm staying at the Hawea Hotel, 50 or so meters above the lake. This didn't stop me immediately returning to the lake for a swim though. I was rather cautious as I was swimming within a couple of hundred meters of the inlet for the dam. And then I noticed a bunch of people jumping from part of the inlet apparatus itself. Total nutters.
The day was finished with a burger and chips and a couple of quality beers in the hotel's beer garden. It really hit the spot, and has set me up nicely for another 4 days of dehydrated food.
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