Day 7 - Havelock to Pelorous Bridge

Today was tough. Not because of the terrain, but because I was carrying 10 days of food on my back, a full fuel canister, and over a litre of water. My pack weight was something closer to what it was when I hiked the North island, but by far the heaviest I've ever needed to manage.

It was around 20km of hiking today. The first half was on the road, and the second half was through farmland. Kat and I hit the trail by 9am and by 11am - while crossing over a bridge - we ran into another TA hiker who was taking a short rest. His name was Valentine, and he was from France. Most hikers I've met so far have only been South Island trampers, but Valentine started at Cape Rienga. We chatted briefly before continuing on down the road. Kat and I took many short stops along the way to get the heavy weight off our backs. One thing I've learned from the North Island is to take rest breaks when I feel I need it. It gives me a chance to smell the roses, and my body always thanks me, even if it's only for a few minutes.

Eventually we hit the farm land section and about half way through we had to cross two styles that were in between a field of cows. I figured the cows would run away, but what I didnt realize is they were surrounding their feed. Immediately a big black bull came and challenged us. We both brought our poles as a defense, and proceeded with caution, giving him his extra space.

We finally spotted the forest, which was the last section of the day and by far the most beautiful. It followed the Pelorous River - where the barrel scene from The Hobbit was filmed - and crossed over a large footbridge before landing us at the Pelorous Bridge campsite. The campsite was beautiful, with a cafe and hot showers. The 2 guys I met - Tomas and Mitch - on my second day at camp Cove were setup here, as well as Valentine. I'm sure I'll be seeing these guys for the rest of the trail as we seem to be walking around the same pace. Kat and I quickly set up out tents and then went straight down to the river for a swim. The water was ice cold from the Richmond peaks I was about to enter, and the frigid shock put my body into numb paradise.

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with my new friends and talking trail. The sand flies were bad here since we were camped next to the river, so it was an early night for all of us.