Day 47 | Bluff
29 November 2022 | 16°C | 9km
I find myself sitting in a plane to Invercargill to the southern end of New Zealand. How come?
After getting to Tamaranui at km1040 on the northern island last Tuesday, it became clear that the following sections would be tricky for some time: Tongariro crossing closed due to high winds and snow, earth slide at 42Traverse and no canoe trip on the Whanganui river for at least a week due to the river carrying too much water. Instead of waiting I feel it’s time to realize an idea that has been in my head for some days already: jumping to the southern end and walking northbound instead of southbound.
At 12h30 we land in Invercargill, a 35km hitch away from the Southern terminus of the trail. It takes a short walk to the right spot and bit of patience but finally a young guy picks us up and drives us directly to Sterling Point outside the town of Bluff, the Southern Terminus of the Te Araroa. It am very hungry and it’s raining when we get out of the car so we go into the restaurant first to have a feast and get ready.
Though it slightly rains on and off (after taking the obligatory pictures at the southern monument), our first kilometers as NOBO hikers are a lovely walk along a rough coast with nice views, baby cow hikers and impressive waves.
