Day 61
Km 0
Cumulative Km 734
A day off to check on the plan , weather and wait for bad weather to pass.
At this stage it looks like rain all through Christmas.
Day 62
Km 26
Cumulative Km 760
It rained until just after 9am today and cleared up by 10am as per the forecast and so I set out down the beach to Paekakariki. Even though it was low tide the sea was close to the shore and really dirty, probably from increase volume of material from rivers in last few days. I walked on the street parallel to the beach and got distracted by a coffee shop 🤣.
The walk from Paekakariki to Pukerua Bay is the Escarpment walk and said to be a highlight of the trail. I dont think I agree with this statement though. The views are good of the bays and Kapiti Island but you are always seeing SH1 and the trains and tracks, so it’s not a very natural experience.
I caught a train and then bus back to Sulandi’s place in the early evening.
Day 63-68
Km 0
Cumulative Km 760
Days spent preparing for Christmas and looking after the kids. Two are a handful and Sulandi and I joke that I am smart in not having any… no joke it’s TRUE! I dont mind temporarily looking after kids but sure I dont want my own!
We have a lovely Christmas lunch, with a beautifully prepared table and yummy roasts, potatoes, carrots and pumpkin cakes if I can translate the Afrikaans directly. I also made some pavlova and vodka egg nog for dessert.
Most of the remaining walking through Wellington is on roads, so I decided to skip it.
I take the ferry from Wellington to Picton on the 26th December.
PS The weather forecast was not correct- it didn’t rain at all as predicted 😐
