Smells

March 23

Pelorus Creek campground to Havelock Holiday Park

KM 1803

Distance: 21km 

Elevation: ascent 214m, descent 243m

Steps: 29,200

Time: 9:10am - 2:10pm

Today's adventure began in the wee hours of the morning when steady rain began falling at our camp in Pelorus Bridge. Our site was on a slight slope and on hard-packed dirt. The result was sheet flow water coming down slope and testing the waterproofness of our tent floor. It did not pass the test. We discovered at least two corners where the seam seal has perished which allowed a small amount of water into the tent. It wasn't major but it has been difficult to dry things out this afternoon because of the humidity and more rain. The rain was also hard enough to splash dirt up onto all parts of the tent, so it's dirty as well as wet. 

The main problem this poses is that we'll be much more reliant on the tent in the North Island because there are fewer cosy, dry huts. Additionally, we're now into mid-Autumn, with weather likely to be less conducive to tenting. So we may have to invest in a new tent. Finding a 2-person tent which weighs no more than, and preferably less than, our current tent will be tricky.

On a negative note, the overnight dramas meant we were effectively awake from 5:30 sorting out wet gear and the tent. On a positive note, we had extra time to finish the jigsaw we started the night before! (Only one piece missing from this one!)

As we were packing our gear in the dry common area, another camper was preparing pear and ginger pancakes for breakfast. They smell was delicious and it filled the common area! She generously shared some with us just before we set off for the day. Yum! Just what we needed to cheer us up before we stepped out into the continuing deluge. 

Thankfully that didn't last long. The first half of today's amble was through dairy farm paddocks, dotted with cow pats freshened by the morning rain. It was kind of the opposite of playing hopscotch. Some paddocks also had stacks of fermenting silage bales which added to the olfactory experience. People have different opinions about the smell of silage, but I can promise you it smelled better than the billy goats we encountred over the last few days!

After 10 km the TA changed to a metalled (gravel, for North Americans) country road until it joined the main road to Havelock. This gave us beautiful views of the Pelorus Sound, and we could listen for some of the cryptic marsh birds here, too.

For those wondering: yes, this is the same Pelorus Sound that the world-famous-in-New-Zealand dolphins, Pelorus Jack, used to live and guide boats in. If you haven't heard of this dolphin, have a quick google :)

This road was a taste of things to come in the North Island, with up to 40% being on roads. This road didn't have a footpath for us, but there was just enough of a shoulder for us to feel relatively safe. 

As an extra precaution we fitted the hi-viz orange pack rain covers to make us more visible to vehicles. Although this was road walking, our shoes and feet were sodden from walking in the farm fields. Consequently, as I write this, our stinky shoes are sitting outside our cabin. Hopefully the neighbours don't notice!

It's 9pm. We've had a big dinner, done our washing, clipped our nails, charged our phones, booked a water taxi and a ferry, and bought our supplies for the final (sniff!) South Island section, the Queen Charlotte Track.