Wednesday 19.04.2023

• Te Araroa kilometres done: 2991.5km
• Official kms: 29.5km
• Garmin kms: 32.36km
• Total time: 7:12
• Calories burned: 2173
• Body battery: 7/10
• Accommodation: The Quest Invercargill
• Tent nights tally: 19
• Zero days had so far: 33

https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/walking-te-araroa-3000km-for-the-key-to-life

Track me live here:

https://aus-share.explore.garmin.com/curtiss

My sleep was a little better last night but I’ve realised that I have Sciatica in my right leg, the description of this is Pain radiating along the sciatic nerve, which runs down one or both legs from the lower back. It’s usually caused when a herniated disc or bone spur in the spine presses on the nerve.

I’m hoping this just goes away on it’s own. It sometimes feels crippling when I walk.

I was packed and left just after 8am this morning, it was a wet start, not rain just drizzling. It took about 1.5km to reach the beach. From here it’s 22km along Oreti beach.

High tide is after midday & I need to cross a river mouth, it’s going to be about 11am before I get to it. After reading comments on the TA app, it sounds like it’s waist deep about this time before high tide so I am going to get fairly wet.

It was fairly fast walking & nice & easy. I reached the river mouth in just under 3 hours from starting. It looked daunting.

I started crossing, initially it was ok but started getting deeper & deeper until it was waist deep. That was ok, the problem was the incoming waves that would roll up under the armpits! It started getting shallower again & finally I had crossed, now pretty soaked from the chest down.

I stopped took my bag off, not to get changed but to take more painkillers as my right leg was giving me grief again. At this point it had stopped raining so I decided to just walk in wet clothes. It didn’t take long for me to dry out.

After 22km the trail took me off the beach from a southerly direction & on a path beside a road in a easterly direction. Since it was only another 10km I decided that I would just keep walking & have a late lunch when I have finished.

As I was walking along the path I seen a vehicle pull over & 2 people get out & start walking across the road. It was Thomasina & Renee from work, they recognised me & stopped to say hello as they were on their way to the airport.

After arriving at my accommodation, I showered, got washing on & ate a very late lunch (4pm). At 5:30 I was picked up by Sharon as I’m guest speaker at the Rotary club tonight. They also put on a very nice meal & dessert.

After leaving from here I met up with some hiking buddies who have all now completed the trail but are staying in Invercargill tonight.

Tomorrow I plan to do about 10km of the trail take Friday off & complete the last 24km on Saturday with my cousin Lester.

34km left…..