Te Araroa, Day 51

It rained all day yesterday, all night, and is still raining this morning. We're preparing to walk to the start of the canoe trip today since we'll be paddling tomorrow. However, Roger and Shannon appear with some toast for breakfast, saying that due to the rains, we won't be able to canoe tomorrow or even the day after. I also find an email from the canoe place stating they can't confirm yet that we can start tomorrow by canoe.

This is disappointing; we want to walk there, but if we do, we might get stuck. There's nothing—no place to buy food, no mobile reception. We wouldn't know if we'd be stuck for longer. So, I unpack again, and we pay for another night in the garage.

Later in the afternoon we get informed that we can paddle as planned, starting tomorrow. Too late now to walk to the pier. I am not happy about that.  The canoe company will pick us up tomorrow morning from here. 

Until the evening we are 14 walkers here. Roger and Sharon bring a lot of food for all of us for dinner "because it is Christmas." There are salads and different kinds of meat. Roger has a tabletop barbecue and prepares all the meat. For dessert, we get a piece of a traditional Christmas cake, and then there is a lot of ice cream.

A Scottish guy who is walking with his American friend had carried a bottle of whiskey to share with whoever wants to try it. There are pictures of the dinner, but I don't want to expose faces without permission. So, just use your imagination.