M-whY

Not only was I cold and hungry, I was also in dire need of a shower. The huts along the hike all had really primitive shower facilities. By primitive, I mean a single showerhead on the beach, dispensing ice cold water. I would rather be dirty than catch a cold. Besides, I only had four hours back to civilization.

Wait a minute. Since when did four hours of hiking become ONLY four hours?

Most of the time while hiking, I am by myself. Alone in my own thoughts, time passes really quickly, and I'm able to cover fairly large distances. One hour hikes, piece of cake. Four hour hikes, no problem. Eight hour hikes will still make me uneasy, but I know I can do them!

After thawing myself out on the beach, I began the four hour walk to Marahau. The Abel Tasman Coastal Walkway is nice, but after a couple days, the scenery gets repetitive. I didn't bother with any of the detours to various beaches. They all pretty much looked the same anyways. And I was really looking forward to a nice meal at the end of the walk.

By noon I had reached Marahau. Yes! Marahau was small, hardly even a town, but at least there was a cafe there. First thing I did was order myself a big plate of pasta. Afterwards, I found a small bench which I took a short nap on.

Don and Daniela arrived about a half hour later and woke me up. Daniela was German cartography student spending six months studying in Christchurch, and would be hitching a ride with down the west coast of New Zealand to Greymouth.

I found her huge pack amusing, and took a picture.

"You're taking a picture of my bag?!" she exclaimed. Haha, too funny.

Three stinky people piled into the car and drove back to Motueka to pick up the rest of my things from storage. We then headed to Westport, where we would be spending the night.

Hostels in New Zealand are really nice, but the one in Westport was probably the best one yet. It was pretty much an apartment, which we shared with a family from Israel. Large dining area, spacious living room with a TV, comfortable beds, and most importantly, a hot shower. All for only $20 NZ ($1 NZ = $.70 US) a night.

Ahh, never has a shower felt so good...

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!