Te Araroa, Day 31

Today, I only have 26 km. It would be 6 km less, but there is a big river to cross, and since it has been raining, I do not want to take the chance to have to swim to the other side. The path on the other side is also supposed to be very wet. So, I will walk around that river and along a highway and later a country road.

I start walking at 5:25 am. It is still a bit dark and gloomy. After 15 minutes of walking, I get to the Mt. William walkway. It is a climb up Mt. William. The whole walkway is 4.7 km long and is supposed to take 2.5 hours.
I climb the first fence to enter a sheep pasture. Then, it is mainly climbing fences and passing through steep, hilly pastures with sheep. I enjoy this walk in the misty morning. I am grateful to walk through sheep pastures because they keep the grass short. It is much nicer to walk through wet short grass than through wet long grass.

On the other side of Mt. William, towards the end, there is a little section through the rainforest. I also enjoy that section a lot.

Following the rainforest I walk along the highway for 8 km. It is tricky in the beginning with passages without shoulders but gets better at the end.

11 km left. This time along a country road. There is less traffic here but still, on those country roads the speed limit is at 100 km/hr. Shortly after I reach that road rain starts and stays with me until I reach the Motel in Mercer at 12, after about 6,5 hrs. I try to lighten up the weather by sticking a flower into my hair.

The Motel is the only accommodation in Mercer and it is just next to another big highway. There is a pub where I get a cheese and garlic pizza, a McDonalds (2 large French fries) and a petrol station (some juice and soda). 

I am glad about my early arrival. Tomorrow will be a tough walk of about 40 km, so I enjoy some relaxing time.